Contract Bridge
Steve becker
1. Four spades. The moment your partner opens the bidding, you know there’s a game in the combined hands. The only problem is to find the best contract. Your first two responses were directed toward locating a major- suit fit, and now you’ve found one.
Partner’s preference bid of two spades should indicate three- card support, although on a rare occasion it might be made with a doubleton honor. Given the very probable 5- 3 fit in spades, that game rates to be safer than three notrump, especially in view of your singleton diamond, which might make it difficult to establish partner’s suit.
2. Pass. Game prospects are poor, given partner’s minimum rebid of two diamonds and his belated spade preference. You should therefore settle for a partscore.
3. Four diamonds. Despite your partner’s minimum rebids of two diamonds and two spades, there is still a reasonable chance for a slam. You should therefore do everything possible to try to reach it.Your leap to four diamonds implies a singleton (or void) in clubs as well as good diamond support. If partner holds ♠ J63 ♥ 6 ♦ AK9852 ♣ A43, he should have no compunctions about bidding six diamonds even with his minimum opening values. But if his hand consists of ♠ 1063 ♥♦ 7 AK10964
♣ KQ2, he should sign off at four spades because his club honors are virtually worthless opposite a singleton or void.
4. Three clubs. There is a good chance for a slam here also — this time in spades — but again you should not make the final decision yourself. Partner might have values where you don’t need them and lack values where you do, in which case a slam could work out badly. So you consult partner by cuebidding your ace of clubs.
How far you go depends on what partner does next. He will know from your cuebid that you are angling for a spade slam, and he will presumably react accordingly. If he shows a lack of interest by bidding either three diamonds or three notrump, you will have to settle for game in spades. But if he cooperates by making a constructive bid (such as three hearts or four spades) over three clubs, you should head directly for slam.