Bridge

We are looking at slam deals this week. In preparation for tomorrow’s column, here is a bidding problem. You pick up (SPADES) A-K-Q-J-9-4-2, (HEARTS), (DIAMONDS) A-K-Q-J-10, (CLUBS) A! With neither side vulnerable, partner passes, and righty opens four hearts. What would you do? Now for today’s deal, with a North hand bearing some similarity to the one just given. After West opens with a weak two spades, what should North do?

This deal occurred at Bridge Base Online. Almost every North made a threespade Michaels Cue-Bid, showing at least 5-5 in hearts and either minor. Then, when South advanced with four hearts, 12 Norths passed. Only one North jumped to six hearts, hoping partner had something useful in diamonds. If West had led the spade ace and shifted to, say, a trump, declarer, after drawing trumps, would have had to guess diamonds. Given West’s bid, the normal line would have been to start with dummy’s ace, planning, if West dropped the 10, to run the jack through East next. Here, of course, that would have succeeded. However, West chose to lead the diamond 10. Now dummy's spade loser disappeared on the club king, and South collected an overtrick. At two tables, South advanced with four diamonds over three spades. The Norths bid four no-trump, Roman Key Card Blackwood. One South passed, and four no-trump was a very lucky make. The other South answered and ended in six diamonds. West led a club. Declarer crossed to his trump king, failed to discard the spade six on the club king, and surprisingly played a trump to dummy’s jack. East won and shifted to a spade to defeat the slam.