Bridge - The Scotsman 09/05/2012

Slam bidding is relatively straightforward if you can agree trump at the three-level. You have room to investigate with a little cue-bidding before committing yourself. When there is no room to agree a suit below game level you may have to improvise.

North opened his longest suit, and rebid 2NT, showing 18-19 HCP in a balanced hand. South’s 3S rebid was forcing, promising at least five spades and suggesting an alternative place to play. With no fit for spades North would sign off in 3NT, so any bid at the four-level must, by inference, agree spades. 4C cannot at this stage be suggesting a possible place to play, it is cuebid, telling partner his hand is very suitable for playing in spades. With no slam ambitions South can sign off in 4S with no harm done. Here, with spades agreed, South cuebid partner’s suit. Note that a cuebid in a suit partner has bid naturally promises a high card, the ace or king, rather than a shortage which is far less useful. When North showed his heart control South had heard enough.

West led a club to the king and East returned a diamond. Declarer carefully drew just two rounds of trump, noting the 3-1 break. He cashed the ace of clubs and the ace-king of hearts, returned to hand with a diamond ruff to discard dummy’s third heart on the queen of clubs, and ruffed his third heart high in dummy. His last three cards were high trump, so he claimed his slam.

Liz McGowan