NEW CANADIAN BRIDGE

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

South discarded a club from dummy, topping the queen with the king, to continue with a low heart for the king and ace. He could now claim twelve tricks, N-S +1440. The decision to respond 2NT worked like a charm when North rebid three diamonds as a feature revealing the king of that suit. South then asked for controls to discover that partner owned either the ace of king of hearts. North was very unlikely to have opened with a vulnerable weak two bid based upon king sixth of hearts. He, therefore, leaped to 6NT, the highest scoring contract, based on the assumption that partner also held the heart queen. He could have continued with five diamonds in the auction to ask for the heart queen. In this scenario, North would jump to six hearts, admitting to the queen, which South would convert to 6NT. Suppose that South immediately bids 4NT to ask for controls where North discloses only one control. South will be leery of bidding a slam fearing that partner might have opened a weak two-bid with virtually nothing of value in any side suit.