Sometimes you play a hand and make an easy twelve tricks. Should we have bid a slam? Board 2 was one of these. The above bidding took place at Mary and Mark's table on their way to victory on the night.

 

South opens 1H and West overcalls 2NT to show the minors. What should Mary sitting North bid? If you pass now and the bidding comes back to you in 3C or 3D is it now time to bid or should we pass again? If we pass now and partner bids again do we raise? If yes how does our side ever get to play in a part-score? When you consider these possible continuations it becomes clear that we should say something now. As any bid makes no sense it has to be double to show a few points and nothing sensible to say.

 

East bids 3D to show his longer minor and lack of interest in bidding higher. Should the bid be 4D with a weak hand with 4 card support?

 

Mark as South opposite a passing partner rebid 4H a reasonable gamble as he nearly has game in his own hand. Mary passed 4H and Mark made the obvious 12 tricks just losing to the AS for an average result.

 

Suppose Mary had doubled 2NT. Now 4H is an underbid and Mark would have to try a cuebid of 4D over 3D. Mary would back-off with 4H as she could not have a weaker hand for her double. Would Mark have carried on? This time the slam in hearts would always make.

 

But do you want to be in a slam? It is no problem on a diamond lead unless the hearts are 3-0 in which case you need the SK to be an entry to dummy to finesse the hearts. On a club lead you need the queen to hold the first trick as there is no quick entry to dummy to throw the losing club on the AD ( notice the heart pips). A heart lead is no problem if you can get to dummy to cash the AD. On a very bad day West leads a spade to the ace and ruffs the return. So is it a good slam - no - but the bidding suggests it could well make.

 

Would you want your partnership to bid it? Well as nobody else reached it you get a top if it makes and a bottom if it goes down - it depends on partnership philosophy.

 

One East/West pair (Colin &Isi) bid on to 5D at favourable vulnerability and got out for 3 down (-500) for a top. Perhaps it should have gone down more but defence is tough. Given that fact the North/South pair could have bid on to 5H to get there average result back.

 

A final thought - if South was prepared to rebid 4H opposite a passing partner perhaps he was too strong to open 1H and should have chosen to show an Acol 2 in hearts if he had such a bid available.