RON KLINGER MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR BIG HANDS

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2 Practical Slam Bidding RON KLINGR MAK TH MOST OF YOUR BIG HANDS 2

3 INTRODUCTION Slam bidding brings an excitement all of its own. The pulse quickens, adrenalin is pumping, it s all systems go. The culmination can be euphoria when we are successful and misery when the slam fails. The aim of this book is to increase your euphoria-to-misery ratio. Of all the skills in bridge, experts perform worst in the slam area. You do not need to go far to find the reason. Lack of experience. Slams occur on about 10% of all deals. Compare that with 50% for partscores and 40% for games. No wonder players are less familiar with the big hands. Half of the slam hands will be yours, half will go to your opponents. You can thus expect a slam your way about 5% of the time. That is roughly one deal per session. If you play twice a week, you can hope for about a hundred slams a year. If you play twice a week, you can hope for about a hundred slams a year. Practise on the 120 deals in this book and study them, and you will have the equivalent of an extra year s training under your belt. Your euphoria ratio is then bound to rise. How to use this book This is not so much a book for reading pleasure as a workbook. It is ideal for partnership practice but you can also use it on your own. The middle of the book contains the est and the ast hands to be bid. Ideally each partner should have a book. For each set of hands, the dealer is given, followed by the vulnerability. You and partner are the ast and est. If the dealer is North, ast comes next; if the dealer is South, est is next. Your invisible North and South opponents pass throughout except when stated otherwise. If an action given to North or South becomes impossible because your bid is already beyond their stated action, assume that they pass. (To practice on your own, work in sets of five. rite down your actions for est for each of the five hands; then turn to ast and write your responses; back to est and write down your rebids; keep going till you have completed the bidding for allfive hands. Doing five at a time will minimise the memory effect of seeing partner s hand as you go.) Bid the hands initially without any reference to the rest of the book. rite your bidding down so that you can discuss questionable actions with partner later, not with any acrimony but with the aim of improving partnership understanding for the future. hen the bidding is over, refer to the same number deal in the text. All deals come from actual play. The four hands are provided together with the source of the deal, the results atthe table, the best contract based on teams play, a suggested auction together with explanatory notes, and a rating for various contracts. here the result obtained by the players is not obvious, a brief explanation of the line of play is given. The suggested auction is based on standard American. Obviously your methods may be vastly different and you will need to discuss your results based on your own system. The most important rating is under the Award heading. This judges the contract on a single dummy basis (considering only the ast and est hands). Score above average on this rating and you are doing well. Space does not allow all contracts to be included. Games means all sensible games ; likewise, small slams means sensible small slams. 3

4 The Imps rating provides the Imp score of the contract against the better score obtained by the players at the table. This is affected by the actual lie of the cards and sometimes good contracts can fail, inferior contracts may succeed. Match their score regularly and you are doing very well. Indeed, if you match the result of the worse score, you will be doing all right, given that the players are of international standard. The Pairs rating is the matchpoint score you might expect out of ten in a field of competent players but not all experts. This is also based on the actual lie of the cards. here a result is not reasonably clear-cut, a rating is given based on percentage of success expectancy. The hands were chosen in sequence from the 1960 to 1963 world championship books. (NA = North America.) The deal was included if at least one side bid to a slam, or if neither side bid to slam but the slam was particularly good. Omitted were those with highly competitive auctions. Happy slamming! Ron Klinger 4

5 Slam Bidding Approach There are two fundamentals elements for your slam bidding, estimating whether your hands are strong enough for a slam and having the techniques to locate the necessary controls and trump honours. For balanced hands or hands where no strong trump fit exists, point count is a good guide: about 33 points for a small slam, 37 or more for a grand slam. hen a good trump fit exists, an opening hand facing an opener who makes a jump rebid will usually produce a slam. The losing trick count is a sound approach to judging slam potential when the partnership is known to have a good trump fit. The Losing Trick Count (LTC) The LTC is covered in detail in The Modern Losing Trick Count published by Modern Bridge Publications and there is an easy summary of the LTC in the Guide To Better Bridge (also published by MBP). This is a brief outline. hat is the LTC? A way of estimating the number of tricks your side will take in a trump contract. The great advantage is that it is significantly more accurate than point count. hen can I use it? You need a good trump fit, at least eight cards together OR a self-sufficient trump suit at least six cards long. hat is the LTC formula? There are two ways of using the Losing Trick Count. The first is used when your hand contains ruffing values: MTHOD A COUNT YOUR LOSRS ADD PARTNR S LOSRS DDUCT THIS TOTAL FROM 24 The answer is the number of tricks you and partner will make most of the time in the agreed trump suit. The second approach is used when one hand has a long strong suit and the other hand has no known ruffing values (either no support or perhaps a pattern). MTHOD B If you are the one with the long, strong suit COUNT YOUR LOSRS DDUCT PARTNR S INNRS DDUCT THIS ANSR FROM 13 OR If partner has the long strong suit 5

6 ASSSS PARTNR S LOSRS DDUCT YOUR INNRS DDUCT THIS ANSR FROM 13 The answer is the number of tricks you can expect to win playing in the trump suit. Counting Your Losers The maximum number of losers in a suit is three. Look at just the top three cards in each suit and count the ace, king or queen as a winner. Count a loser for each of the ace, king or queen you are missing in a three-card or longer suit. 3 losers J 8 7 J losers A 5 4 K K Q * Q J * 1 loser A K 5 A K 3 2 A Q 7 6 K Q 4 K Q No loser A K Q A K Q J A K Q 2 A K Q 4 3 A K Q *A x x is clearly better than Q x x. here your suit is headed by the queen, count 2 losers if you have the jack or 10 as well, but count 2½ losers for suits headed by Q-9-8 or worse. If the suit contains the A-Q or K-Q, the queen counts as a full trick. If your Q-x-x or longer is in partner s long suit, you may count the queen as a full trick. Counting losers in short suits Doubletons A-K = no loser, A-Q or K-Q = 1 loser, A-x or K-x = 1 loser. Others = 2 losers. Singleton Ace singleton = no lose All others = 1 loser Void No loser xamples A Q loser K Q loser J 4 2 losers A losers K losers K 7 1 loser K losers losers Q ½ losers K Q loser Q ½ losers A losers A K 0 losers K Q 5 1 loser J 9 2 losers losers From these examples you can see that a minimum opening bid without much shape has around seven losers. ASSSSING PARTNR S LOSRS OR INNRS Count a minimum opening hand (13-15 points) as 7 losers. For each 3-point range better than this, deduct one loser. For each 3-point range worse than this, add a loser. Thus 6

7 7-9 points 9 losers 2 winners points 8 losers 3 winners points 7 losers 4 winners points 6 losers 5 winners points 5 losers 6 winners Play partner-with-an-opening-hand-or-better for 7 losers or fewer. Play partner-below-opening-values for 8 losers or worse. As long as you and partner have a decent trump fit : If partner opens and you have 7 losers, game should be a good bet. If partner has an opening hand and you have 5 losers, slam should be investigated. If the loser count indicates that you have 12 or 13 tricks potential, do not bid a slam without making sure first that the opponents cannot cash two quick tricks against a small slam. A loser count of 12 indicating 12 tricks potential is little comfort if they cash two aces. For a grand slam, you need trick potential of 13 (or more!) and all the aces plus the K-Q of trumps. If all of that is present, bid the grand slam. HY DDUCT FROM 24? Maximum losers in one suit = 3. Maximum losers in your whole hand therefore = 12. So, maximum losers in the two hands = 24. hat accounts for the difference between the maximum losers possible and the actual losers? The tricks you will win. The LTC is a quick way of counting tricks, quicker than actually counting the aces, kings and queens and cards beyond three in each suit. XAMPLS A Q K A Q A nd est is minimum, 7 losers. ast has superb support and 7 losers = = 10 tricks. A K Q J A 8 K Q 3 A J NT 4 nd est had 5 losers. ast s 1NT reply, 6-9 points, figures to hold two tricks. 7

8 5 losers minus 2 winners = only 3 losers in total, i.e. 10 tricks. This is a good example of how Method B operates A Q K A Q K nd est has 5 losers. ast s 6-9 raise is usually 9 losers or 2 winners. hichever method you apply comes out at 10 tricks. 5 losers + 9 = minus 14 = 10 tricks. Using Method B: 5 losers minus 2 winners = 3 losers only, so 10 tricks. Note that if est bid an invitational 3 or a 3 trial bid. ast would reject either invitation. K A Q A K 3 2 K 4 A 3 A Pass nd est s 3 shows a maximum pass with spade support. est s failure to open indicates worse than 7 losers. Since est will be just below opening strength, except points and so 8 losers. ast has 4 losers = minus 12 = 12 tricks, indicating strong potential for a slam. ast has one of those rare hands where it is notnecessary to ask for aces (aces in three suits and singleton in the other suit means the opponents cannot cash the first two tricks). As the loser count indicates 12 tricks, ast can simply bid the slam. Although a grand slam might be possible (give est two hearts and three diamonds), be satisfied to reach a good six opposite a passed hand. A A K Q 8 6 A 9 K A K Q J 1 4NT 5 7 nd Upon hearing 1 ast counts losers because of the good support. ast has 4 losers. 4 + the 7 for est s opening = minus 11 = 13 tricks potential. ast checks up on aces. ast knows that there are no aces missing and is staring at the K-Q of trumps. Therefore ast knows enough to bid the grand slam. Since the king and queen of trumps are an essential ingredient for bidding a grand slam, it is worthwhile for you and partner to adopt Roman Key Card Blackwood (see later). One huge benefit is that you can use the Losing Trick Count even if partner has never heard of it. The LTC is not a convention but simply a better means of valuing hands where a trump fit exists. As long as you know partner s approximate point count, you can apply the LTC. SYSTM MTHODS You and partner should bid the test hands using your regular methods. It is not possible to cater for every system. In giving example auctions, the system adopted will be 5-card majors, strong 1NT. hile there are plenty of pairs playing 4-card major, the majority of pairs in world championships play some system revolving around 1 and 1 openings promising at least a 5-card suit. 8

9 Similarly while the weak 1NT is popular, a strong 1NT opening has more adherents on a global scale. xtended Stayman and transfers will be used if needed. More information on these can be found in the Guide To Better Duplicate, published by Modern Bridge Publications. To show a strong hand with trump support, the Jacoby 2NT and splinters are used. These are also in the Guide To Better Duplicate. Jacoby 2NT after a major suit opening Responder is showing 13+ HCP (or an excellent 12 count), 4-card or longer support and no singleton or void. ith only 3-card support, choose a chance of suit. ith 4+ trumps and a singleton or void, choose a splinter response (see later). Opener s first duty is to show a singleton or void by bidding a new suit at the three level: 1 : 2NT 1 : 2NT?? 3 /3 /3 = singleton or void 3 /3 /3 = singleton or void There is one exception to this. Opener s jump to 4-minor shows a strong 5+ suit (source of tricks). K-Q-x-x-x or better in the minor bid. 1 : 2NT 1 : 2NT?? 4 /4 = strong second suit 4 /4 = strong second suit ith no singleton or void, opener bids 4-Major if minimum. 1 : 2NT 1 : 2NT 4 4 ith a strong opening hand and no singleton or void, opener bids 3NT with a or and rebids the major with a 6+ suit. After opener s jump to 4-major (weak opening, no short suit), responder will often pass. If wanting to bid on, responder can cue bid or ask for aces / key cards. After opener s 4-minor reply, responder can sign off in game, make a cue bid or ask for aces / key cards. If responder signs off, opener may still push on. After opener s 3NT or rebid of the major, showing extra values in each case, responder may sign off if minimum, bid a new suit as a cue bid or ask for aces / key cards. After opener s 3-level bid showing a singleton or a void, responder may bid game with a minimum if opener s short suit has been a disappointment. ith extra values or with nothing wasted opposite the short suit, responder may bid a new suit (cue bid), bid opener s major at the three-level with no convenient cheaper cue bid, or simply ask for aces / key cards. A K 2 A K Q 8 6 A 6 5 K Q J 3 9 A NT 3 4NT 5 7 nd 3 = singleton or void in clubs 9

10 Knowing est can ruff ast s club losers, ast can bid grand slam after locating three aces with est. The jump-raise of opener s suit (1 : 3 or 1 : 3 ) is used as a limit raise, around points and eight losers. Jacoby 2NT after a minor suit opening Responder has 13+ points with 4+ support for opener s suit, no 4-card major and no singleton or void. Opener bids a singleton at the 3-level, 3NT to show a minimum balanced hand, 4- Major with a 6-5 pattern or repeats the minor with no shortage and a strong hand (or not so strong a hand but with 5+ in the minor and some reservations about 3NT). If opener has repeated the minor, bids at the 3-level are stopper bids angling for 3NT. ith other strong balanced hands, responder can change suit or respond 3NT which shows points and a pattern with stoppers in the unbid suits, whether the opening was a major or a minor. Splinter bids after a major suit opening A jump-response of 4-minor or 1 : 4 or 1 : 3 is a splinter, showing a singleton or void in the suit bid, 4+ support for opener s suit and usually 12+ HCP. ith excellent support, HCP is acceptable. The hand will have at worst seven losers and more commonly six. Opener should discount the value of a king, queen or jack opposite the singleton suit ( duplication and hence wasted values most of the time). ith a subminimum opening or a hand that has fallen below 13 HCP after deducting the discounted values, opener should sign off in 4-Major. ith a strong opening after discounting or even a modest opening with an ideal holding in responder s short suit, opener should head for slam, either with a new suit (cue bid) or asking for aces / key cards. Responder s splinter indicates sufficient high card values for game. If opener can visualize two useful ruffs in responder s hand, that should be enough to bring the tally from ten tricks to twelve. Ideal holdings opposite the short suit are x-x-x, x-x-x-x, A-x-x or A-x-x-x and J-x-x or J- x-x-x has very little wasted. Poor holdings are K-x-x, Q-J-x (deduct three points for each of these holdings), K-Q doubleton (almost wholly wasted), A-x or x-x (only one ruff available opposite a singleton) or a singleton opposite responder s short suit. The location of the short suit can make a vast difference: K Q 8 A 6 2 K Q J A A J NT 5 6 nd 4 =singleton or void in clubs. 6 should be an easy make, but suppose the hands were: J 5 3 A 6 2 K Q J A A K Q

11 4 nd 4 =singleton or void in clubs. ith such wasted clubs, est signs off and ast does not have enough extra to justify going further. On a spade lead, 5 could be in jeopardy. Splinters after a minor suit opening 1 : 3 / 3 / 3 and 1 : 3 / 3 show opening values, 5+ support for opener s minor and a singleton or void in the suit bid. Splinters after a minor suit opening are not common since responder will tend to show a major before supporting a minor. 1 : 4 is also a splinter but even rarer as it bypasses 3NT. After 1 : 3, you are not looking to play in 3NT but after a splinter response to a minor suit, 3NT is within opener s field of choices. ith a moderate opening and a double stopper (or potential double stopper) in responder s short suit, opener will usually choose 3NT. Later splinters Opener may make a splinter rebid via an unnecessary jump after a one-level response or by a jump in a new suit after a two-level response. Thus, 1,3 would be taken as a splinter (as 2 is strong and forcing). Likewise, 1 : 2, 4 would be a splinter as 3 would be strong and forcing. A delayed splinter by responder (e.g., 1 : 2, 2 : 4 ) shows a good hand with a shortage in the suit bid but only three trumps. Roman Key Card Blackwood One great advantage of RKCB is that you discover not just how many aces partner has but also whether the partnership holds the king and queen of trumps. There are five key cards, the four aces and the king of the agreed trump suit. If the trump suit has not been specifically agreed, the last suit bid before 4NT is taken as the relevant trump suit for RKCB. In reply to 4NT: 5 = 0 or 3 Key Cards 5 = 1 or 4 Key Cards 5 = 2 Key Cards but no queen of trumps 5 = 2 Key Cards plus the queen of trumps 5NT = 5 Key Cards, no queen of trumps 6 = 5 Key Cards plus the queen of trumps 5NT and 6 are extremely rare responses. hen they occur, partner should have enough information to make a sensible decision. Replies of 5 and higher indicate also whether the trump queen is held. The 5 and 5 responses do not include information about the trump queen. After the reply to 4NT, a bid of 5NT asks for kings outside the trump suit. The replies are standard, 6 = 0, 6 = 1, 6 = 2 and 6 = 3. If the reply to 4NT was 5 or 5, the cheapest non-trump bid asks whether partner holds the queens of trumps. In reply, cheapest bid = No, next higher bid = Yes. For example, if spades are trumps: 11

12 NT 5 5? 5 = Do you have the queen of trumps? 5 by ast = No, I don t. 5 by ast = Yes, I do. If you know the partnership must hold at least ten trumps, give the reply that shows the trump queen. The chance of no loser with ten trumps missing the queen is very good, within the 78%-89% range. If the reply to 4NTwas 5 or 5, you can almost always tell from the earlier bidding whether partner has the lower or the higher number of key cards. If you cannot tell, assume the worst and sign off in the agreed suit. After the signoff over 5 or 5, partner will: Pass = lower number of key cards (you are probably in deep trouble) Cheapest bid = higher number of key cards but no trump queen Next cheapest bid = higher number of key cards plus the trump queen For example, if hearts are trumps: NT 5 5? 5 = Signoff, assuming Past by ast = 0 key cards ast has 0 key cards 5 by ast = 3 key cards, no Q 5NT by ast = 3 key cards + the Q If 3 key cards (5 ) or 4 key cards (5 ) is not enough for the slam, one might surmise that the 4NT ask was probably misguided. A weak hand, known to be below 10 HCP (a 1NT response or a simple raise to the two-level or a negative response to a demand opening) cannot use 4NT asking. A bid of 4NT by a known weak hand is a slam suggestion indicating that the weak hand s cards are all working. After the reply to 4NT, a new suit bid which is not the trump queen ask is an asking bid for your holding in that suit bid other than the ace. These are known as Control Asks and the answers are: Step 1 = no king, no queen Step 2 = queen, but no king Step 3 = king, but no queen Step 4 = king + queen Step 5 = king + queen + jack A 5NT ask for kings or a Control Ask is looking for a grand slam and promises that no key cards are missing and that the trump queen is held. If on the bidding a singleton or void is possible, the replies to the Control Ask are: 12

13 Strategy for small slams Step 1 = no king, no queen Step 2 = queen, but no king Step 3 = king, but no queen Step 4 = singleton Step 5 = king + queen Step 6 = void Assuming the values for a small slam arepresent: 1. If two key cards are missing, stop out of the slam. 2. If one key card is missing, but the trump queen is held, bid a small slam. 3. If one key card and the trump queen are both missing, bid six with any ten trumps or with nine trumps including the jack. Stay out of the slam with nine trumps if you are not holding the jack or with fewer than nine trumps. Strategy for grand slams Assuming the values for a grand slam are present: 1. If you hold ten or more trumps together, you should hold between you all five key cards but need not have the trump queen. 2. ith nine trumps or fewer, you need all five key cards plus the queen of trumps. 3. If you can count thirteen tricks, bid seven. ith thirteen winners in top cards, bid 7NT. ith a strong trump suit and no losers in the first three rounds of any suit, bid seven. You may need to check via a Control Ask to ensure that there is no loser in the first three rounds of a suit outside trumps. Cue Bidding There are various styles of cue bidding. hen cue bidding is used in a recommended auction in this book, the first round of cue bids may be first or second controls. This allows the partnership to ascertain quickly when a suit lacks control. Bypassing a non-trump suit denies control in that suit. Control in this sense is used to mean first- or second-round control.hen the partnership has control in a suit, the opponents cannot quickly cash the first two tricks in that suit (although you could suffer from a first or second round ruff in that suit). e have found this style of cue-bidding ( multi-cues ) highly effective. After cue bidding has commenced, a bid of 4NT is still RKCB. A common scenario is to start with a round of cue bidding to ensure every suit outside trumps is controlled and then to launch into RKCB to make sure the partnership has enough key cards. here a cue bidding sequence has started at the three-level, a bid of 3NT is used as a temporising bid, often with the aim of allowing partner to make a cheap cue bid of 4. here 3NT is available, a cue bid of 4 or 4 indicates control in that suit only. For example: 1 2NT

14 2NT Jacoby agreed spades as trumps. 3 showed extra length in spades and extra values and no singleton, no void. ast s 4 shows the ace or king of diamonds (2NT denied a singleton or void) and no ace or king in hearts or in clubs. ith club control, ast would bid 4, not 4 and with diamond and heart control, ast would temporize with 3NT. This style also works very well, particularly when responder is known to hold a weak hand such as a negative response to a 2 opening. A cue bid in the splinter suit by the splinter bidder show a void. The 5NT grand slam trump ask here cue bidding has gone beyond 4NT so that RKCB is not available, a bid of 5NT indicates grand slam aspirations and asks for the trump holding. A jump to 5NT by a very strong hand after a genuine suit bid is also asking for partner s trump holding. hen playing pairs, the 5NT ask for kings (when 4NT has been used) or the 5NT trump ask (when 4NT has not been used) sometimes has 6NT in mind rather than for grand slam purposes. The 5NT trump ask is seeking the A, K, Q of trumps. The replies are: Bidding the agreed trump suit = no A, no K, no Q. The other replies show: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 5 = queen or trumps only = ace or king or trumps only = K-Q or A-Q in trumps = A-K in trumps 7 = A + K + Q in the trump suit Before invoking 5NT, you need to be sure that you can handle a reply that takes you beyond six of your trump suit. ither that reply will be enough for you to bid seven or you are confident that 6NT will be all right. This is especially important when the trump suit is a minor. 14

15 Hands Dealer North : Nil vulnerable Best: 5 South overcalls 2 (weak) A J 8 4 A J 9 6 Q A J 8 K Q 5 2 K 9 3 A Q K Q 4 K J N S No 1 2 Dbl (1) No 3 (2) No 3 (3) No 4 (4) No 6 No No No (1) Negative, 4+ spades, 6+points (2) Not enough for 3 as est may have a weak hand (3) Asking for a heart stopper (4) Void or singleton in hearts NT() 4-12* 7 *Assuming you mispick the heart position 1 time in 3 to go three down. Source: 1960 Olympiad: France vs. North America. 6 both tables. NA South led K. After trumps and diamonds ending in dummy, ast led a spade to the The French South led a heart. ast ruffled, drew two rounds of trumps, ending in dummy, heart ruff, diamond to the jack, heart ruff, diamond to the ace, low spade to the 9 and queen. South returned a spade, ducked to the jack If South plays a heart instead of a spade back, the slam is defeated. 15

16 2. Dealer ast : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: K 5 2 K J Q A Q 3 2 J A Q A Q K J 5 A 10 9 K J * *nough opposite 10-12, 8 losers France : NA NT ith the spade finesse losing and North able to overruff the fourth spade, 6 should fail. 3. Dealer est : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: K J 5 2 J K 9 A Q J A Q A Q K Q 10 4 A J K NT(1) 4NT(2) 5 (3) 5NT(4) 6 (5) France 6NT -50: NA 6NT -50 (1) Jacoby, game force in clubs (2) RKCB (3) 2 key cards, no Q (4) Asking for kings (5) No kings outside trumps 6 () () NT Games by est is cold. After trumps, cash spades, finesse Q and ruff the third diamond, then lead a heart to the 10, endplaying North. 6 by ast is cold on a non-heart lead and will fail on a heart lead. If est opens 2NT, ast could bid 3, 3, 4 natural, 4 cue, 4 cue, 4NT RKCB etc., landing in 6 by ast. 16

17 4. Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: 5 North bids 1 K A Q 8 A 6 A J 9 K Q A K J 6 2 K Q J Q 10 8 J N S No 2 (1) No 5 (2) nd France 6, spade lead, NA 6 X, heart lead, -200 (1) Not enough for 2 (2) ven opposite 2 or 3 aces, slam could fail. Very hard to avoid 6 spade lead.. 3NT would fail on a NT * 2 *Assuming 6 has 25% success 17

18 5. Dealer est : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: Q J 7 J 4 2 Q 9 7 A A J K 10 7 A K Q K Q K J A France ; NA and 3NT would both make. 1 (1) (2) 4 (3) 4NT(4) 5 (5) 6 (1) veryone opens these today (2) Game force, slam interest (3) Cue bid (4) RKCB (5) 2 key cards, no Q. Do not show a void in reply to RKCB NT Dealer South : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: 6 /6NT K Q 4 3 A K 7 K 2 A Q A K J A J 4 Q 6 2 J 10 5 J Q France 6NT 990: NA 6NT NT 3NT(2) 4NT (3) 6 No (1) Jacoby 2NT, game force with diamond support. (2) Minimum, balanced (3) Invitational; ast could cue or bid 4 as a prelude to RKCB NT 9-7* 6 Games *Assuming 6NT has 50% success In 6, best is to play North for Q-x-x by cashing A first. If North shows out, cash K, strip spades and hearts and throw South in with the third diamond. This works when South also has K. (To throw North in is almost futile.) The French declarer in 6NT picked the diamonds. 18

19 7. Dealer South : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: 6NT 5 K Q J 2 A 6 2 K Q 8 Q 4 3 A 10 8 A K 5 2 J A K Q 7 3 J J France 6NT 1440: NA NT(1) 4NT(2) 5NT(3) 6NT (1) Minimum and balanced (2) Inviting slam (4 would set clubs and start cue bidding) (3) 13 points, and only two clubs, or 3 clubs in a pattern. 6NT Games NT makes on any lead. Against 6 by ast, South will lead 6. hether you play low in dummy or not, you rate to fail. 8. Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: J 9 6 J A Q J A K Q J 9 7 A 8 5 K A Q 5 Pass 2 2 (1) 2NT(2) 3 (3) (1) ith and borderline values, choose the 2 negative. (2) 2 would be OK but prefer 2NT to show balanced. (3) 5-card major Stayman K 8 3 Q 7 K France ; NA NT Games ith hearts friendly, slam is easy. If there were a loser in hearts, you would need some luck with your finesses. 19

20 9. Dealer ast : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 France 3NT +690 NA 6NT A Q 10 4 J 5 A K Q J 6 3 Q A J 8 3 A Q K K J 6 3 K 1 1 (1) 2 (2) 4 4 (3) 4NT(4) 5 (5) 6 No (1) Do not bid a bad suit with a strong hand, so not 1. (2) 2 would be conservative. (3) Cue bid (4) RKCB (5) 2 key cards + trump queen NT 7-6* 7 Games *Assuming 6NT is beaten 1 time in 3 by a diamond lead A diamond lead would defeat 6NT in practice but the French North led a heart. 6 slam, requiring either spades or clubs to behave. is the best 20

21 10. Dealer est : Nil vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Britain NA A Q K Q J 10 A K J 8 A 4 K K Q A Q J 7 6 J (1) 3 (2) 3 4 (3) 4NT(4) 5 6 (1) 4 th -suit-forcing. A touch too strong to jump to 4 (2) Artificial, strong with no stopper in hearts (3) Cue bid (4) RKCB NT 7-7* 5* Games *Assuming 6NT is beaten 1 time in 2, misguessing hearts. 11. Dealer North : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: 3NT Britain NA 3NT J K J A K Q 3 Q J 6 A K 10 9 Q A K A Q 4 J (1) 3 (2) 3 (3) 4 4NT(4) 5 (5) 6NT No (1) 4 th -suit-forcing (2) No spade stopper, no 3-card support for hearts, no extras (3) Implies 6 hearts (4) RKCB (5) 2+ trump queen 3NT /6NT Games

22 It is hard to avoid slam. 6NT and 6 fail unless you guess to finesse the 10. 6, tough to find, is respectable and makes easily as the cards lie. 12. Dealer ast : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best: J 5 K J 8 5 A Q J K A K Q 9 6 Q 10 3 A 8 K J 5 4 A Q NT(1) 4 (2) No (1) balanced (2) Opposite a maximum of 18 points balanced, slam will usually not be a good bet. Settle for 4. Italy ; NA NT/ On a club lead, 6 is easy. On a diamond lead, take A, cash A, Q, A, K, ruff a heart high, K, discard diamonds, rely on the club finesse. 13. Dealer ast : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 N.doubles a heart response by. K K K Q J A Q 9 K Q A J A Q J (2) No 6 (3) nd (1) Splinters raise to 4 with 4+ trumps and singleton / void club. (2) Justified by the two extra hearts and the ideal club holding. (3) ast s cards are well-placed J A Italy 6 X +1860; NA N S 1 No 1 Dble 4 (1) 4

23 14. Dealer est : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Italy ; NA A A K 9 6 J J 8 6 A K Q 7 5 A Q 9 3 K 7 J 3 K 6 Q 10 2 J Q NT 2 (1) 2 2 (2) 4 (3) 4NT (4) 5 (5) 6 (1) Transfer to hearts (2) 5 hearts, 4 spades, game force (3) eaker than 3 (4) RKCB (5) 0 or 3 key cards, clearly three 6 / NT Games Any slam is better by ast to protect the club king. 6 is best at pairs since spades were 3-2, queen onside, and you escape a club lead, you can make 13 tricks by discarding two clubs from est on the hearts. 15. Dealer North : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:4 Italy 6 S 300; NA 6 S A Q 9 6 K J 9 5 A K Q K J A J 8 3 A K Q J Q No (1) 4 (2) 5 (2) 5 (2) 5 (3) nd (1) Splinter raise to 4 with 4+ trumps and singleton / void club. (2) Cue bids (3) ast has no more to show. est can tell hearts are a problem NT Both Italy and North America had interference from North-South. 23

24 16. Dealer South : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:4 Q Q 5 A K J A K Q 10 2 A J A J 4 K Q K J NT (1) 3 4 (2) nd (1) Could bid 4 to show support and no controls but this is weaker. (2) Still weaker than 3. Italy ; NA NT ven on a trump lead, 4 makes by leading clubs at every opportunity and scoring a ruff in dummy. 17. Dealer est : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:4 / K Q A J 6 A Q 7 J K Q J 7 A A J K 10 3 K Q France ; NA N S 1 No 1 No(1) 2 No 4 (2) nd(3) (1) South might well bid 3. (2) eaker than 3. (3) ven opposite K-J-x-x-x in spades and A-x-x-x in hearts, 6 could have no play Two rounds of clubs by the defence put paid to 6. 24

25 18. Dealer est : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:4 3 2 K Q 5 4 K 5 4 J A Q 6 4 K A Q 3 A J 10 6 A Q 3 5 J 9 5 J K NT 2 (1) 3 (2) 4 (3) 4 No (1) xtended Stayman (2) Maximum with both majors (3) Transfer to spades France ; NA / Playing simple Stayman, the auction might well go 1NT : 2, 2, : 4. France made 6 when North led the K. As the cards lie, 4 is likely to play one trick better than 4. 25

26 19. Dealer ast : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 France 6 10 lead, -100; NA 6 spade lead, J K K Q 10 3 A K Q 9 A K Q 4 3 A J 6 2 A J 10 2 J 10 3 Q NT(1) 3 3 (2) 3NT (3) 4 (4) 4 (4) 4NT(5) 5 6 nd (1) balanced, game force (2) Cue bid with heart support (3) Temporizing (4) Cue bids (5) RKCB. ithout slam interest, est would bid 4 over * 8* NT Dealer North : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Britain 7-50; NA *Assuming c.75% success rate A K Q A 6 5 Q J A K Q A K Q 9 J 4 2 K J J No (1) 5NT (2) 6 (3) 6 No (1) Leaves est room to bid 3 to ask for a spade stopper. (2) Grand slam trump ask in hearts. (3) Q, no K, no A (see p.20)

27 7 is particularly poor since it would require South to hold king doubleton in hearts if a spade is led. The British ast opened Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6NT J K Q 10 8 A J 3 2 K Q 6 2 A 10 4 K Q J 2 K 9 2 A Q A 7 5 J (1) 1 1 (2) 2 4NT (3) 5 6NT (1) No rush. ast needs to know est s strength. (2) 1 is still wide-ranging. 1 is natural, 4+ spades,6+ points. (3) RKCB (2 was a minimum.) 6NT Britain ; NA 6NT Had est shown two key cards plus the Q. ast would head Dealer ast : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Britain 6-50; NA K J A J A K Q A Q A K J 7 5 Q Q 7 J K No (1) 5 (2) 6 (3) No (1) ith three losers for a 2 openings, 4 is enough. ast might have no useful values at all. (2) Cue, 1 st or 2 nd round control (3) Needs little encouragement 6 / * 5* Games / *Assuming 50% success rate 27

28 6 is better than just the heart finesse since a non-club lead will see you home. On a diamond lead, say, draw trumps, discard the club on the fifth diamond, ruff the club and lead the 10, ducking it to North. 23. Dealer South : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 S passes. N bids 2 (weak). K Q Q 10 Q J 5 A 6 A K 7 2 Q J K 5 2 A J 7 K J 10 2 A N S No 1NT 2 3 (1) No 4 No 4NT (2) No 5 (3) No 6 nd (1) ith Lebensohl, 3 is forcing. (2) RKCB. ast is worth 6 but it costs nothing to check first. (3) 2 key cards, no trump queen. France ; NA Games * *Assuming 50% success rate The North American declarer drew trumps, finessed in diamonds and played North for the Q to obtain a spade discard. 24. Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 France ; NA Q J Q 3 J 5 J K A 7 K A K Q 7 3 A K 9 Q A J (1) 2NT 3 (2) 4 (3) 4NT (4) 5 6 nd (1) Fourth-suit forcing (2) Strong, suggesting slam in diamonds (3) Cue-bid (4) RKCB NT

29 25. Dealer est : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:3NT Q 3 K J Q 10 2 J 5 4 A K 9 8 J 4 2 A Q A J K Q 8 A K N S 1 No 2 No 2 No 2NT No (1) 4NT (2) No No (3) No (1) Reverse, 16+ points, game force after a 2-over-1 response (2) xtra values, inviting 6NT (3) Minimum, no fit with opener France ; NA Games * 5* *Assuming 50% success rate The French declarer drew trumps, played a heart to the jack (North exiting with a diamond) and later took the ruffing finesse in hearts. The NA declarer drew trumps, ducked a spade and later finessed diamonds. 26. Dealer South : Nil vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:3NT North opens 2 (weak) K Q Q A Q 6 J 8 A 7 3 K A Q J 10 6 K J 9 A J K J requires the spade finesse, likely to fail on North s weak opening. N S No No 2 Dble No 3 (1) No 3NT nd Playing 2NT as Lebensohl, 3 show values, c points. The NA North opened 3 and ast s 3NT ended the bidding. The NA - had a free run to 6NT. 3NT NT

30 27. Dealer est : Nil vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:4 Italy 6-50; NA K J 10 6 A K K Q J 9 A 5 3 K J 10 3 A Q 7 Q 7 4 A Q J N S No No 1 No 2NT (1) No 3 (2) No 3 No 4 (3) No 4 (4) No 4NT No 5 No 5 (5) nd (1) 2 Drury would be attractive (2) 3 would not be forcing (3) Cue, 1 st or 2 nd round control (4) Heart control, no control (5) Missing A and K ven if ast bid 5, trump queen ask, over 5, ast should sign off in 5 when est denies it. Against 6, South would lead the A. 28. Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 8 4 K Q 3 2 A J J 5 4 A Q A K Q A Q (1) 3 (2) 6 (3) nd (1) Change of suit forcing (2) Having limited the hand. est can now afford jump preference. (3) nough for six, too many problems for seven Italy ; NA K J 8 3 K J Games As the cards lie, 6 will almost always make and while 6 can be made, it is likely to fail in practice. 30

31 29. Dealer ast : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:4 Italy 6-100; NA Q 4 K A K J 6 3 A K J Q 8 J A K 10 8 J 10 Q 8 3 Q A 9 2 1NT (1) 2 (2) (3) 4 (4) nd (1) (2) Transfer (3) Cue, shows diamond control, denies club control (4) From 4, ast knows the partnership is off the A-K of clubs. Games Slam makes, thanks to the diamond position, if you escape a club lead. The suggested auction is a good example of the benefit of showing first or second-round controls on the first round of cue-bidding. Although six may make on a non-club lead, you are better off avoiding a slam. 30. Dealer North : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Q J J A K Q K A Q A Q K 6 K A J J N S No 1 No 2 No 3NT No 4 (1) No 4NT (2) No 5 (3) No 6 nd (1) Strong, suggesting slam (2) RKCB on diamonds (3) 2 key cards, no diamond queen France ; Britain NT /6NT

32 31. Dealer est : N-S vulnerable Best:7NT France 7NT 1520 Britain A Q J 9 K 10 6 J 10 5 A 6 K J A Q K A K Q Q J 7 1NT 2 xtended Stayman 2 (1) 3 Forcing, slam going 4 (2) 4NT RKCB 5 5 Ask for trump Q 5NT (3) 6 Ask in diamonds 6NT (4) 7NT (1) Minimum with four spades, denies four hearts (2) Cue bid, spades set (3) Yes, I have the Q (4) Shows K, denies Q 7NT Small slams After 1NT, ast is worth six. The challenge is whether seven is a good bet. Finding est with 4 spades is a plus. After 6NT, ast knows est has A Q x x, K, K. That s 12 likely tricks and est has 3-4 more points. 32

33 32. Dealer North : - vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 /6 Italy ; NA K Q 4 J A Q J A K J A Q 10 5 A K Q 9 J K (1) 4 4NT (2) 5 6 nd (1) Forcing (2) RKCB Vulnerable against not, 3 is a serious bid. 3 change of suit is forcing. est plans to stop in 4 if ast has no spade support but to try for six opposite 2-3 spades. 6 / * Games *But 6 may fail some of the time The Italian est played A first; the NA est lost two trump tricks. 33. Dealer est : N-S vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Q Q Q J 3 K 6 A 10 8 K J A 9 6 Q 9 A K A K 8 J J Britain ; NA (1) 2NT Ogust enquiry 3 (2) 6 (3) (1) eak two (2) Maximum values but lacks 2 of the top 3 honours in hearts (3) est s suit should be no worse than Q-10-x-x-x-x. 6NT Games A maximum weak two facing a 2NT opening = slam. At teams or rubber bridge. est should safely play the hearts by cashing the king first. 33

34 34. Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 Britain ; NA 6-50 A J 4 3 K K Q 5 J 8 4 Q J 9 A K Q A A Q J K (1) 4 (2) 4NT 5 (3) 6 (1) Forcing (2) Cue, 1 st or 2 nd in spades, no A or K. (3) 1 key card ast continues with 4NT in case seven is possible. If est has: A K x x K Q J x xx K x x or similar, est bids 5 and 5NT by ast finds the two black kings. 6 /6NT * Games *Assuming about 25% success 6 makes on a club lead. 6NT ast makes on a club or a heart lead. The NA North cashed A and played a low club at trick 2. This gave declarer a free finesse and two hearts were discarded on the clubs. The British North led a trump and did not shift to a club after taking the A. 34

35 35. Dealer ast : Both vulnerable (1960 Olympiad) Best:6 North bids 4 if available. Britain 6 X +1540, NA A K Q Q 3 K J A K A K J A Q Q J 3 J N S 2 No (1) No 5NT (2) No 6 nd (1) This is the actual auction by Schapiro () and Reese (). 5 shows slam values with at least a two-suiter. (2) Pick your better minor Games will need the club finesse most of the time, 6 will usually not. 36. Dealer North : Both vulnerable (1961 Bermuda Bowl) Best:6 Italy ; NA Q A K Q 3 9 A K 9 Q J A K J 5 6 K Q J A J No suit cue 4NT key cards 6 No Over 2 est might bid 3 and support hearts over ast s 4. A better move might be 2NT by est, intending to finish in hearts anyway, and bidding 3 over Games In 6 declarer has ten top tricks plus one in clubs. A club ruff = 12. Against 6 a spade was led. The best move is a club next but the NA declarer played off the ace and king of diamonds, ruffled, one down. 35

36 37. Dealer South : Both vulnerable (1961 Bermuda Bowl) Best:6 Italy ; NA 3NT J A 4 Q J 7 2 A A Q K J A K Q 7 6 K 9 5 K Q J (1) 3 3NT 4 ---slam interest 4 4 (2) -- (2)Cue bids 4 (2) 4NT ---RKCB 5 6 nd (1) 2 or 2NT are options but with a strong minimum, prefer to raise. ast s 4 confirms that 3 was support showing and so est could remove 6 to 6 at the end Games Italy bid to 6 after South opened 1. NA had no interference. 38. Dealer est : Both vulnerable (1961 Bermuda Bowl) Best:4 / J 7 5 K Q A K Q 9 3 A 8 Q A 9 Q J 4 3 A K 7 6 J (1) 2 3 (2) 4 (3) 4 (4) nd (1) ast has 8 HCP and might bid 2NT but no ace, no king, prefer the negative if borderline. (2) Stronger than 4 (3) Cue (4) Denies A, K, A, K J 4 2 K Italy ; NA Games A favorable lead might allow 6 to make. At both tables a spade was led. Q lost to North s king. The NA North switched to a club, the J held, 6 made. The Italian North continued with a spade. One down. 36

37 39. Dealer North : N-S vulnerable (1961 Bermuda Bowl) Best: Q J A K 10 9 J 7 6 K A 5 2 A A 4 K Q Q Q J 7 K J 2 No 1 (1) 2 3NT (2) No (3) (1) 18 HCP in aces and kings is a bit too good for a NT. (2) balanced (3) 4 here could lead to 6. Italy ; NA Games Italy bid to 6 after ast passed initially. The NA ast opened Dealer North : N-S vulnerable (1961 Bermuda Bowl) Best:6 Italy ; NA NT K Q K A J 4 Q A K 10 7 A Q A K J 5 4 Q 10 7 J 6 2 J Super accept 2 (1) or 3 key cards 4NT king outside trumps 5NT (2) 6 6 nd (1) Transfer to hearts (2) est bids 5NT to show all key cards and the trump queen are held in case ast has a source of tricks for the grand slam Games On a club or trump lead, ast would draw trumps and play A, K, J to set up a spade winner on which to pitch a diamond. Against 6, both Souths led a diamond. The Italian ast played low in dummy and made the slam. The NA ast played the Q and went one down. 37

38 HANDS Dealer N: Nil S. overcall 2 (weak) A Q 8 5 A J 8 K Dealer : Both 9 7 J A Q 9 6 K J 5 3. Dealer : N-S K 9 A Q 10 8 A Q 2 K Q Dealer : Both North will bid 1 if available. 6 K Q 8 2 A K Dealer : - Q 9 7 A K A Dealer S: - Q 4 3 K 2 A A J 4 7. Dealer S: - A 6 2 Q 4 3 A K Dealer : Both North will bid 1 if available. J J Q J 9 7 K 9. Dealer : Both A Q 10 4 A K Q J Dealer : Nil K Q J A 4 K Q Dealer N: N-S K J 9 2 A K Q J 6 Q 12. Dealer : N-S A Q J Q 10 3 K Dealer : Both N. doubles a heart response by est. S competes to K Q Dealer : - A K 9 6 J 8 6 A Q 9 3 J Dealer N: - A K Q 10 2 K J A K Q

39 HANDS Dealer S: Both A K J A K A A Dealer : Both K Q 10 8 K Q K Dealer S: Nil North opens 2 (weak) 10 4 J 8 K K J Dealer : - A Q 7 K Q J 7 A J K 22. Dealer : N-S A K Q 8 A Q 4 A K J 7 5 Q 27. Dealer : Nil J 10 6 K 7 2 Q J 9 K J Dealer : - A Q 6 4 A Q 3 A Q Dealer : - 8 A A Dealer N: N-S A 6 5 A K A K Q Dealer S: - South passes. North bids 2 (weak). J 5 A K 7 2 K 5 2 K J Dealer : Both K A A K Dealer : N-S A K 9 8 A Q A J Q Dealer : Both Q 3 2 J 5 4 A K Q Dealer : N-S A A K J J J Dealer N: N-S K A Q

40 HANDS Dealer : N-S A Q J 9 J 10 5 K J K Dealer N: - A Q J A Q A K Q Dealer : N-S K 6 K J Q Dealer : Both K Q 5 Q J 9 K Q Dealer : Both North will bid 4 if available Dealer N: Both A K Q 3 A K 9 A K Dealer S: Both A 4 A 6 4 A Q Dealer : Both A K A 8 A 9 A K Dealer N: N-S A K 10 9 K A 9 3 A Dealer N: N-S K Q A Q 2 A 41. Dealer : Nil A K Q 8 K A Q Dealer S: Both A Q A A J Dealer : Nil 5 A K Q Q Dealer N: Nil A K J A K Dealer : Nil 2 Q 10 6 K A

41 HANDS Dealer : N-S K A J 2 A J 7 2 Q Dealer : Both A K K Q J A 2 A Dealer : Nil North passes; South bids 3 ; North 5. Q J Dealer : Both South will bid 3 if available. A J A 5 2 K Dealer : - North bids 4. A K 5 4 K 10 4 K J 51. Dealer : Nil A Q A Q Dealer : Both K J 6 A J 8 5 A Dealer : Nil North will bid 3 if available 6 5 K A K K Q Dealer : Nil A K A Dealer N: - South will open 1 if ast passes. A J 3 2 A 8 6 A Q J 10 4 A 56. Dealer N: Both A Q K 4 K J Dealer : Nil A J K Q K Dealer S: N-S A K J K K Q 6 5 Q 59. Dealer : Nil A J A K J Dealer : Nil A K A 4 A

42 HANDS Dealer N: Both North opens 1 and rebids 3 if possible Q J A 5 4 A K Q Dealer : N-S K A A Dealer : N-S A A K 3 K J 5 2 A K Dealer : - A K J 3 10 K J 3 A Dealer : - K A J A 4 K Dealer N: Nil North passes, South bids 3. A K 8 5 A Q J Dealer S: - South passes, North bids 2. 8 A K A Dealer : - South passes, North bids 2 if available. A K Q J A J Dealer S: Both South passes, North bids 2 weak. 4 K A K 7 5 A Q Dealer : - A K A Q 9 8 Q 10 4 Q Dealer : - A K Q 10 8 K 5 A K Dealer N: N-S J J Dealer : Nil A K Q 3 A 10 6 A Q 3 A J Dealer : Nil 9 Q Q J 6 3 A Dealer : Nil J Q 6 2 A Q K