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20 Directly Bid Slams

Most slams are bid using cue bids or Blackwood or both; some are bid just on the total point count but when a slam seems a good proposition it is sometimes best just to bid it and give no information to the opponents.  By a coincidence in one session my partner, Marietta Andree, bid two excellent slams directly:

 

ª K 9 4

© 6

¨ A 10 7 5 3

§ A Q 9 5

ª 10 8 2                     ª 6 5 3

© K 10 3                    © Q 9 8 7 5 4

¨ K 9 8 4                   ¨ J 6

§ J 10 7                      § 8 4

ª A Q J 7

© A J 2

¨ Q 2

§ K 6 3 2

Board 12 : Dealer West : NS vulnerable

 

West                North               East                  South

Pass                 1¨                   1©                   Double

2©                   3§                   Pass                 6§

 

East’s overcall has little to commend it, just helping the opposition.  South’s double showed strength in clubs and spades.  That’s what I call strength.  West’s 2© bid helped us as well as my free bid of 3§ must show a suitable hand.  Although I only have 13 Milton Work points, readers of my article on point count bidding will see that my hand is closer to 16 playing in clubs.  South only needs me to have four cover cards [of ªK, ¨A K, §A Q] outside hearts and the likely singleton from the bidding for the slam to be an excellent proposition.  At worst it might be on a spade finesse.  Blackwood would not elicit much – if I had no ace it would save us from embarrassment but knowing my views on aces, my partner judged that very unlikely.

 

 

The play is of a little interest.  I slightly misplayed it, in hindsight.  It should go

  1. Win the heart lead
  2. ruff a heart
  3. §A
  4. §Q.  If clubs do not break it is doomed barring miracles
  5. ªJ
  6. heart ruff
  7. ªQ
  8. draw the last trump and claim conceding a diamond

 

That succeeds on all 3-2 club breaks where both players have at least three hearts (guaranteed on the bidding) and the player with three trumps does not have a singleton spade.

 

ª A Q 8 4

© 8

¨ J 10 8 2

§ J 6 3 2

ª 9 6                           ª J 7 5

© 10 2                         © Q J 6

¨ 7 6 5 4 3                 ¨ A K Q 9

§ K Q 7 5                  § 10 9 8

ª K 10 3 2

© A K 9 7 5 4 3

¨ -

§ A 4

Board 24 : Dealer West : Love all

 

West                North               East                  South

Pass                 Pass                 1NT                 2¨

Pass                 3ª                   Pass                 6ª

 

East’s NT was 12-14, South’s 2¨ was Cappelletti showing the majors, an intelligent bid as she could show strong preference for hearts later.  My jump to 3ª was based on the good trumps and singleton heart.

 

Again, South only needs me to have good trumps which is guaranteed on the bid.  ªA Q x x or ªQ J x x x should be adequate whatever my holding in hearts.  On a club lead I would need §K or §Q if my spades were ªQ J x x x but by bidding directly it is quite likely that East would lead a diamond from a strong combination.  Splintering and jumping about would ensure a club lead.

 

The play was straightforward on ¨A lead.  Actually I would have preferred a club as I could survive four spades with East but with both majors behaving 12 tricks were quickly wrapped up.