N-S vul, at IMPs, you hold as South: ♠AKJ8764 ♥A ♦J109 ♣K102

W        N         E          S

3♥       4♥¹      5♥       ?

What do you bid?

¹Both minors, good hand. 4NT would show both minors with a very good hand.

Well the opponents have used the vulnerability effectively to make you guess at a high level. The first decision is to decide whether you want to settle for a small slam, or commit to a grand. Let me be clear – the decision rests solely on your shoulders. It is not possible, in the space available, to enlist partner’s cooperation. Go for the grand.

It is very, very unlikely partner does not have what you need to make seven. In this type of auction, when there are two possible trump suits, and there has been no trump suit agreement, a bid of five no-trump asks partner to pick a suit. However, if a suit has previously been agree upon, then 5NT would be the grand slam force. At the six level partner may think you want to play 6NT if you bid it, so to be safe bid 6♥, asking partner to pick a minor.

It is important here, because partner will pick his best suit, or one he has extra length. There may just be 13 top tricks. But if there aren’t you want to use spades as a secondary source of tricks. Sure enough partner has exactly what you expected: ♠53 ♥3 ♦AKQ42 ♣AJ965.If he had held the Q♣ you would have 13 top tricks. But you are in an excellent grand slam, although it is not cold. How would you play it?? How are you hoping trumps split?

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As unusual as it sounds, you want trumps to split 4-1. Why? If trumps split 4-1 with West having the shortness, the chances that spades split 3-2 go from average to excellent!  You simply pull trumps, and play for spades to be 3-2. If they are 3-2 you have 13 tricks. If not you must guess the club.  If West has four spades he is 4-7-1-1 shape you need him to have a singleton club queen. If East has four spades you have a sure thing West is marked with 1-7-1-4 shape. Cash the K♣ and play the 10♣ finessing on the 2^nd round.

On the actual deal West has two diamonds. Essentially you are cold if spades are 3-2. Win the heart lead and play two top trumps. If trumps split 3-2 pull the 3^rd trump (West pitches a heart) and play ♠AK. If all follow, claim. If West has ♠Qxxx, he has 4-7-2-0 shape (assuming hearts are 7-4). Ruff a spade, J♣ finessing, club to the ten, cash the K ♣ ruff another spade with your last trump and claim.

Finally if East has four spades, then West has 3 clubs, and you can do no better than finessing him for the club queen. The full deal from an online match from last week:

Lessons to Learn

1.      If there are two (or three) suits bid in a slam try auction, but no sure fit, a bid of 5NT asks the other partner to pick a slam.

2.      If possible try to avoid unusual bids that your partnerships has not previously encountered, such as 6NT on this auction. HOWEVER, make sure you discuss it later on.

3.      Over a major suit preempt I like to play leaping Michaels. Here a bid of four of a minor shows 5-5 in that minor and the other major. Hence the cuebid here being for the minors.

4.      If the opponents jam you, try to envision what partner has and bid accordingly. Sometimes you can’t ask for key cards.