This hand was played 40 times. Players were either in

4♠ on 21 tables

5♠ on 8 tables

6♠ on 11 tables

How do we bid safely and correctly to 6♠?

West's hand evaluation would be something like: 6 2 4 1 shape, Losing trick count of 5, 14 High Card points (HCP)

East's hand evaluation would be something like: Balanced 17 High Card points (HCP)

West opens the bidding with 1♠ and East gets excited with the spade fit and the 17 HCP and adds the 17 onto partners minimum of 12 and says we have 29 between us and many of us would just bid the game 4♠

Some East may use the principal of a "Delayed Game Raise" by bidding 2♣ , however both West and East have a suit where they are missing the Ace and King where they may have 2 "Quick Loser " in a slam. Therefore they do not use Blackwood and remain at 4♠, since it is not safe to use Blackwood!

However there is a lovely Convention called Jacoby, a bid of 2NT after 1♥  or 1♠ which is used when there is suit agreement a definite Game and Slam interest.

In this example East would bid 2NT and West would describe the hand and be able to show the singleton in Clubs (a Splinter bid), East would be able to Cue bid the ♦ Ace, and West could even Cue the ♥ Ace. It is safe to use Blackwood when you have the 1st or 2nd round control in each suit.

The full auction would be:

1♠ P 2NT P

3♣ P 3♦ P

3♥ P 4NT P

5♥ P 6S P  Note 5♥ is 2 Aces Simple Blackwood. If using RKCB it would be 5♠ 2 Key Cards plus the Queen of trumps

P P

We will cover more details of Splinters, Jacoby and RKCB in our Online Club Seminars and you are all welcome to Register and attend.

On Board 24, West as dealer is happy to pick up the a 14-point hand with a substantial five-card major, a singleton, and a well-guarded queen, and no chance of being pre-empted by that pesky weak-no trump. Surely great things lie ahead.

The bidding starts 1♠ - (2♣) - 2♦  - (P) - 2♠  - (P).

Over to East - and three different scenarios.

• Scenario I: You are playing your first round at Guildford Café Bridge at the Coppa Club. Your diamond suit is lovely - but, oh dear, a probable misfit, and your partner has denied the values for game. Bidding 3♦ could get partner over-excited - or they might just repeat their spades, and you'll wish you'd stopped in two. You pass.
  
  The defense play Ace, King and a club, ruffed, but now partner can win the heart return, draw trumps in three rounds and take the promising diamond finesse to pitch two hearts.
  
  2♠ plus two.
  
  And when asked why you didn't bid game, you simply point out that 'it doesn't make double dummy'. How convenient.

• Scenario II: You have just had lunch at the Three Pigeons accompanied by a large glass of Merlot. Oh dear, a probable misfit. But, your diamond suit is lovely, partner definitely needs to know about it. Your 2♦ bid only showed four small diamonds, and you have six, mostly large ones. You bid 3♦ .
  
  Partner concedes that your diamonds are probably better than his spades, and, eyeing your empty glass suspiciously, passes.
  
  You grimace as the defence take the first three tricks with high clubs and lead a fourth, threatening a trump promotion. But you work out that your best chance is to ruff with the ten (it's just like taking a fairly promising finesse after all) and you then cross to the ace of hearts, finesse trumps again and mop up the rest.
  
  3♦ plus one.

• Scenario III: Despite a large teatime glass of Sauvignon Blanc at Pizza Express, you have remembered to arrow-switch at Blue Sardinia. With such a source of tricks in diamonds, it's surely worth trying for 3NT - it just needs partner to be able to cover the clubs. Yes he might not have hearts, but surely they won't lead hearts, they bid clubs. And yes he might not have multiple entries to your diamonds, but they're almost self-sustaining.
  
  What could possibly go wrong.
  
  You bid 3♣ to ask for a stopper in the opponents' bid suit.
  
  Partner duly obliges with his own rosy view of his clubs, and bids 3NT, realising seconds later with regret that he will be declarer.
  
  North tries to get to his partner's hand to lead clubs through. Hearts - the unbid suit - looks like the best chance.
  
  Good idea - immediately declarer's situation looks precarious. The queen of diamonds absolutely must be onside and the diamond suit must split evenly. And the spade honours must all make separate tricks for the suit to have a chance of running, but after the ♠Q is cashed, there is no route back to declarer's hand. There isn't even any point in holding up - declarer takes their ♥A and tries the diamond finesse immediately.
  
  After your partner runs the next six diamond tricks and three spades (he overtook the queen), you congratulate yourself mightily on your courage and brilliance, oblivious to North-South's dark looks. 3NT plus one.
  
  In the distance, a you hear a squid, giggling.