Dear Experts,

This was a hand our opponents bid.  In our game not one pair playing this hand found game - a few bid 3NT and went down - most pairs played some Diamond part-score contract and took 5, 6 or 7 tricks.  

My partner and I felt this was the most interesting hand of the night - It can make slam in Spades, Hearts, or Diamonds.

What should East second bid be?  

How do the East/West find Slam? 

Penny S

Expert #1

The bidding goes something like this:

1D - 1H

1S - 2C (4th suit Force)

3D - 4C (Cue bid, D fit)

4D (Minorwpod, asking for KC in D) - 5C (4 steps: 2 KC + Trump Q)

6D

Expert #2:

Missing minor suit slams with combined 26 high card points is not uncommon but finding them is truly expert bridge. Here the focus is clearly on the responder. Faced with two choices, is bidding 1 H with 6 to the Q or an inverted 2D GF better?

The two auctions would proceed as follows:

1D 1H 1S 2C (4th suit GF) 2D 3D (trump suit is now set) cue bids to follow 3S 4C 4H now what? Spade K is key, H K on side is key.  Being tapped in clubs at trick 1, trumps 3-1, this slam is low percentage. 

OR:

1D,1H, 1S, 2C (4th suit GF) 2D, 2H - Opener probably thinks playing H in a 6-2 fit is better than NT and bids 3H 4H all pass.

OR:

1D 2D (GF) 2S 3H has us pretty high pretty fast and unable to show the 6th H. Opener probably bid 3S versus 3NT then 4H all Pass. 

Like I said minor suit slams with 26 HCP not easy to find for a reason.

Expert #3:

My auction would be along the lines of what Expert #1 has proposed.

Unless you play minorwood, this maybe a tough slam to explore.

If you use regular Blackwood, you may end up too high, with no way to sign off in 5D.

Hence, Larry's comment that getting to a minor slam is not always easy with 26 points.

Incidentally, with your hand, I would try 2C (instead of a takeout double - the spades are missing AKQJ) - that is, if at all I come into the auction.