All of the panel bid their way to 7NT. This is impressive as I’m fairly sure I would have bottled it somewhere during the auction. As seems to be the case on the slam hands in this feature – the number of different auctions equals the number of answers I was sent and the auction I have given I think is the most useful. The key as always is to have discussed what different bids show.

I think the key bid which gets EW on the path to a grand slam is East’s rebid of 3♥ which I’m not sure everyone would make and is arguably borderline but after 3♥ with a 17 count and a good six card suit opposite a jump rebid West will take some stopping. 

The auction starts 1♦, 1♥, 1NT (the 1NT rebid showing 15/16). East knows she wants to be in game. Does 1NT promises at least two Hearts? (for the answer to this question see hand 5) If it does she could bid 4♥. No one on the panel bid 4♥. Nearly everybody bid 3♥with some commentary to the effect that this shows six Hearts and then everybody bid 3NT. 

The exception to East rebidding 3♥was someone using a (useful!) bit of system whereby bidding 2♣over 1NT is checkback asking the 1NT for some more clarification as to what she has – when the 1NT bids 2♦, it denies three Hearts. 

Checkback is a bit of a theme of this set as it has potential use on this hand and hands 5 and 6. If you want to know more about this email me. For the three hands where it might be used I’ve assumed its not part of our tool kit. Hopefully you will see that without such a method some hands are tough to be with some guessing required.

Assuming 3♣ is passed around to West I think she has three options – Pass, Double and 3NT. The vulnerability should play some part in your thinking. Pass may well work when game is not on and you get 3♦ two off. Double seems the most flexible and would land well if partner has four Hearts or five Spades – the problem with Double is illustrated by the actual hand – its very likely that East will want to show she has decent cards and bid something at the 4 level – probably 4♣ giving West some choices of where to play. East / West will then finish in 4♥ or 4♠ - and when dummy goes down someone is going to realise that 3NT is better. My usual take on these sorts of hands is to bid rather than pass and err towards 3NT if that is possibly a good spot and to bid it now if this is the last chance we are going to have to play there.

Another Grand Slam – this one seems easier than hand one – i.e. is one I would expect to be in. On a normal Diamond split (4-2 or 3 -3) you seem to have 17 top tricks – how hard can it be? This is a hand from the Abbeygate Shield (Suffolk Teams of 8) and any Grand Slam was bid 9 times out of 24 confirming I think that Grand Slams are just tough to bid

One of the things I know I don’t do enough of is make jump bids in new suits over partner’s opening bid. Its like I’ve forgotten that such bids are even possible. If you respond 2♥(as East) over 1♦the 1♦ opener could (should?) bid 7♥ as it's hard to imagine a hand worth 2♥ that is not cold for the grand slam. Most of the panel (like me) bid 1♥ and then it’s a question of what you have agreed and let’s be honest most of us haven’t discussed what bids like 4♦ (as per my suggested auction) or 5♣ (one of the other suggestions) mean and its easy to see how the pair could get somewhat tied up in knots.

In the auction I have chosen 4♦ shows great Diamonds and agrees Hearts. 5♣ is a cue bid and 5NT is a grand slam force - asking the 1♥ bidder to bid 7♥ if she has two of the top three honours in Hearts.

After 1♣ ,1♥ what should West rebid? Everybody bid 1NT showing a “balanced” 15/16. This answers the question I posted on hand 2. Does a 1NT rebid promise at least two cards in partner’s suit and clearly the answer is no. The 1NT rebid seems right to me as it gets the point count across (2♣ is not enough and 2♦ is a reverse and we’re not good enough for that). 

Over 1NT, I bid 2♠ to show the 5-4 shape and without a major suit fit but the points for game we arrive in 3NT.

Another hand - like 2 and 5 where West get’s to rebid 1NT showing a balanced 15/16 leaving East to decide where to go from 1NT.

Most of the panel started 1♣, 1♦, 1♥, 1♠, 2♣. The 1♠ is 4^thsuit forcing and 2♣ denies a Spade stop. Everybody thought rightly that they are worth a move after 2♣ and they then tiptoed to 5♣ . Both have better hands than they might so are ready to accept an invite when one is made.

A dreaded 4441 hand! No one likes these and it gets its own section on the EBU course which is mainly about how no one likes these hands. The course says you open these hands 1♥ (the middle suit of three). Only one person on the panel opened 1♥. Everybody else bid 1♦. 

One comment which I agree with is that 4441 hands often involve a small lie and that their approach is to never lie about a major suit (i.e. if you bid 1♥ and rebid 2♦partner will think you have at least four Hearts and you’ll be in 4♥ with your 4-3 fit). If you agree with this logic you will open the West hand 1♦.

Over 1♦ what does East respond? There were some votes for 1NT but as someone who primarily plays Teams I’d be worried about missing game even though it’s a fairly poor 10 count so I bid 2♣ . Over 2♣ I upgraded my 14 count and finished in the thin game - perhaps I should have bid 1NT after all. A hand which illustrates why no one likes these 4441 hands.