[bftboy]

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Imps. What is the best way to reach the slam after 1♠ and 2♥? I'm sure you've noticed that the slam is in serious trouble if two rounds of ♥ are led, and in fact there was no lie that would allow it to be made, absent a discarding error. Nevertheless, we probably want to be in this one, don't we??

[manudude03]

For me, a likely sequence would be:

1S-2H
2S-3H
4C-4D
4S-5C
6H

It's not completely without play after 2 rounds of hearts. The king of spades could be doubleton. Also suppose West holds the king of spades, and only East guards clubs (QJT or having 6 of them). Then you have a non simultaneous double squeeze:

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Declarer plays a club to the ace. West can't afford to discard a spade, so comes down to 2 diamonds. Then the ace of spades squeezes East.

[keylime]

I'd bid it something like this.

1S-2H
2S-3H
4C-4D
4NT-(whatever response you have for odd KC with a void - probably a 6H call)

So, we get to 6H. You can make this if you realize that even a 4-0 trump break won't doom you barring something really unusual. So, use those KQ of hearts to ruff your minors out if needed.

[bftboy]

Actually I don't think the slam is very hard to bid, and of course it is nothing to make if they don't lead two rounds of ♥ to start. That alone means the slam should probably be bid. But there is a pretty good chance that good defenders will lead trumps, especially if the bidding pinpoints that lead. On the actual hand there wasn't a lucky layout that would allow it to be made after that start. So I guess I am ambivalent about whether it should be bid after all.

[ahydra]

keylime, on 2012-July-31, 23:35, said:

I'd bid it something like this.

1S-2H
2S-3H
4C-4D
4NT-(whatever response you have for odd KC with a void - probably a 6H call)

So would I but I think one should only show useful voids. A void in partner's suit is rarely useful. Hence the response should be 5C/5D depending on which shows 1 KC. North still goes to slam with his 3 KC + trump Q, of course.

ahydra

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Not sure I'd do it:
1S - 1NT!
2S - 3H
4H - 4NT
5C ( 0/3 ) - 6H ( assuming ♥Q or enough ♥ length )
........... - 5D ( ♥Q-ask )
5NT ( ♥Q but no outside K ) - 6H

This post has been edited by TWO4BRIDGE: 2012-August-01, 11:19

[Yu18772]

bftboy, on 2012-August-01, 08:52, said:

Actually I don't think the slam is very hard to bid, and of course it is nothing to make if they don't lead two rounds of ♥ to start. That alone means the slam should probably be bid. But there is a pretty good chance that good defenders will lead trumps, especially if the bidding pinpoints that lead. On the actual hand there wasn't a lucky layout that would allow it to be made after that start. So I guess I am ambivalent about whether it should be bid after all.

The fact that the slam goes down, should not in any way influence your assessment wether its a good slam to be in. In fact if you dont go down in slams thats a very bad sign.....as long as you fail in less than 50% of them

My favorite saying on it was mikeh (a GREAT player imo) after his team did not do well in the bermuda bowl:
"…..we didn't fail in any slam, which shows how badly we bid them!"
http://www.bridgebas...%2Bbowl__st__40
Yu