Slam Bidding Workshop

By Bill Treble
Platinum Life Master and author of Two Over One: A First Course

For this discussion, I’m going to incorporate some elements from my Two-Over-One and The Big Payoff books, along with a fair number of hands that have come up recently.

We’ll start with you having picked up:

A K J 8 6 5
7 5 3
6 3
A 10

Partner has opened 1NT, showing 15-17 HCP and balanced distribution. Here you are looking at a hand that you yourself would have opened, with a fine six-card suit. Your options would be to either settle for game via a Texas transfer bid of 4, or alternatively to go with a Jacoby transfer followed by a raise to 4, which is a mild slam invite. What is the right choice?

When you count the number of losers in this hand, they add up to seven. Partner will have to be able to cover six of them for slam to have a decent play. Opener has shown a very nice hand, though. Can he have enough for you?

One of the tools that I mention in my book Winning at Matchpoints is the “4-point principle”, which is very effective when you know partner has a balanced hand. You can place a dream card for every 4 points that he has shown. In this case, when he has 15-17 points, he will produce four useful cards. If his hand contains a lot of queens and jacks, he might only have three. If he has a “perfect” hand, there is an outside chance that he’ll have five useful cards. But most times, he’ll have exactly four.

Now it becomes a matter of addition. With seven losers, the 4-point principle says opener cannot have six of them covered. You should therefore settle for game with a 4 Texas Transfer bid.

Now let’s make your hand just a fraction better:

A K J 8 6 5
7 5 3
J 3
A J

You have two extra jacks, and the chances are that one but not both might be useful. Does that improve the hand to the point where you can now issue that mild slam invite? Possibly, but 6S still might be a favorite to make.

Finally, we’ll give ourselves:

A K J 8 6 5
7 5 3
6 3
A Q

What we’ve done here is take the two jacks and replaced them with the queen of clubs. Now let’s apply the 4-point principle again. Give partner AK in one red suit, the A of the other and the K. Now you have six outside tricks and if the spades come in for six winners, then you have a play for twelve tricks. Also, it’s barely possible that opener could have your Q.

The hand actual hand was the second one, and we can look at the entire layout:

		North
		AKJ865
		753
West		J3		East
4		AJ		Q932
963				K108
Q8742		South		1095
10854		107		Q97
		AQ42
		AK6
		K632

6 by South makes on a diamond lead away from the Queen, but will otherwise go down.

Replace the two minor-suit Jacks with the Q and the slam is now a decent proposition, needing either major-suit honor to be onside.

On our next hand, both N-S pairs missed slam. We’ll examine each of the auctions, as the bidding was not the same.

		North
		AKQ985
		A107
West		Q9		East
107		64		4
92				8654
85		South		KJ763
QJ108532		J632		AK9
		KQJ3
		A1042
		7

Auction 1
West 3 All Pass		North 3		East Pass		South 4

Auction 2
West Pass Pass Pass All Pass		North 1 2 4		East Pass Pass Pass		South 2 3 4

At the table where there was a 3 pre-empt by West and North overcalled 3, the South hand has four-card support, shortness in the enemy suit, and a source of tricks in the heart suit along with a side ace. He should cuebid 4 to see if partner has any higher aspirations than game. With a solid suit, North will show his ace of hearts and advancer can then take over with a 4NT keycard enquiry. Over 5, showing 0 or 3, he then asks for the queen of trump with 5, and the slam will be duly reached.

When N-S had a free run, South began with a 2 response. A 4 splinter was also an option. While the point-count is “only’ 11, he has first- or second-round control of all side suits. Had he done that, North would have cuebid 4 as he did in the competitive auction.

As it turned out, once the fit was confirmed, opener showed the outside ace, at which point South could have launched into the keycard ask. Once he subsided in 4, though, North was done, having shot his bolt.

There are times when a player can, with a little thought, come up with a descriptive bid that makes a good slam far easier to reach. Here is a case in point:

		North
		7543
		7
West		QJ53		East
AKQ10		KQ65		J
Q108				AK96542
K10986		South		A7
3		9862		J82
		J3
		42
		A10974

West 1 1 2 3 4

North Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

East 1 2 3 4 6

South Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass

E-W got to the nice 6 contract, but opener had a superior alternative at his third turn after partner’s 4th-suit forcing bid of 2. He could have jumped to 3, which confirms shortness in clubs with at least a king better than a minimum hand. If East had one less heart and an extra card in a pointed suit, he might not have considered looking for slam.

For our next example, both opener and responder can do their part to get to the promised land:

N-S vulnerable		North
		AQ98
		K765
West		1098		East
2		53		653
94				A1083
A75		South		KQJ64
AQJ8764		KJ1074		K
		QJ2
		32
		1092

Table 1
West 2 3 4 6		North Pass Pass Pass All Pass		East 1 2 3 5		South Pass Pass Pass Pass

Table 2
West 2 3		North 2 All Pass		East 1 Pass		South 1 Pass

At the first table, since the partnership was using 2/1 as their system, West could afford to rebid 3 knowing it would not be passed. Opener was unable to bid notrump without a spade stopper and therefore marked time with 3. Now responder jumped to 4, agreeing diamonds and advertising shortness in spades. With that news, East’s hand has improved considerably since he has no wasted values in spades and what may be a useful card in the king of partner’s long suit. He dutifully shows it with a 5 cuebid, and that is all that West needs to hear.

At the other table, matters were complicated by South’s enterprising (some might say suicidal) overcall of 1 at adverse colors. Responder bid 2, but the difference is that in competition it’s merely a one-round force, not an absolute game force. This led to the tragedy of opener passing when West repeated the clubs.

Responder needed to establish a game force, and the only one available is to cuebid the enemy suit with 3. East likely bids 4, after which his side will at least play in game, although getting to slam is a tougher assignment. Those cursed opponents!

We can move on to another hand where the auction might be different but the same result should be achieved:

		North
		K876
		Q10742
West		J8		East
Q942		J6		A103
J8				A
Q7652		South		AK109
K3		J5		AQ954
		K9653
		43
		10872

Auction 1
West 1 3 4		North Pass Pass Pass		East 1 2 3 6		South Pass Pass Pass All Pass

Auction 2
West 2 3 5		North Pass Pass Pass		East 2 3 4 6		South Pass Pass Pass All Pass

The burning question is what East should open. With all four aces, some might open 2 although the loser count is four, which is too many if the long suit is a minor.

There are players that might get the ball rolling with 2NT even with the singleton as it happens to be the ace. Still others would take the low road with 1, figuring there won’t be a game if partner can’t muster up a bid.

When the bidding starts with 1, most 2/1 partnerships will bypass the longer diamonds to respond in the major suit. East now reverses into 2, gets a bump from partner, and then shows the three-card spade holding with 3. We are now at the crucial point in the auction, and West should take a rosy view of his club holding. The king of partner’s five-card or longer suit is the equivalent of having the Ace, and responder should cuebid 4 since he can make one encouraging noise and then subside. As it turns out, that is all East needs to bid the slam as 6 should have an excellent play for twelve tricks.

Where the initial salvo is 2, we now have a 2 waiting response followed by 3 when opener shows the clubs. Since we are in a game-forcing auction, East can raise and find out if partner has an outside card. Once again, West should appreciate the value of the king of partner’s suit and show it with a 4 cuebid. That will suffice to propel E-W into 6.

Finally, if East opens 2NT, the result won’t be so good as West will use Stayman and then park the contract in 3NT when partner denies holding a major suit.

Our next hand features a 2/1 auction where opener’s rebid hinges on whatever the partnership agreement is:

		North
		A75
		A
West		Q1086		East
9864		K8742		J2
J9853				KQ1072
A4		South		95
63		KQ103		QJ105
		64
		KJ732
		A9

Auction 1
West Pass Pass Pass Pass		North 2 3 4 6		East Pass Pass Pass All Pass		South 1 2 3 5

Auction 2
West Pass Pass Pass Pass		North 2 3 4 6		East Pass Pass Pass All Pass		South 1 2 3 5

What does the South hand rebid after partner’s 2 response? The partnership in Auction 2 had the agreement that either major suit by opener would show extra values, and therefore bid 2 on this minimum hand. The pair on the left has opener bidding out the shape naturally regardless of strength and therefore the 2 rebid just showed a two-suited hand with any point-count.

At any rate, responder supports diamonds next in both auctions and South does not have a full heart stopper, so he continues with 3. Now we see a 4 cuebid from North and opener should reciprocate with 5 as the ace of partner’s long suit will be a useful value and a card responder likely wants to hear about. That does the trick and N-S land in a very good 6 contract with 26 combined HCP.

Some hands take a lot of faith in partner’s bidding to make a move in the direction of slam:

Both vulnerable		North
		Q10
		Q9
West		Q10842		East
8		J1086		AKJ97643
108762				—
K53		South		A9
AK93		52		542
		AKJ543
		J76
		Q7

West Pass 5 6

North Pass Pass All Pass

East 1 4 5

South 2 Pass Pass

West passes the 2 overcall, intending to penalize the contract if partner re-opens with a double. Instead, East jumps to 4 opposite a hand that might have been bereft in high-card values. Since partner is going to have a 7- or 8-card major, spades is going to be the trump suit, period. That being the case, West needs to show he has a pretty good hand so he bids 5, suggesting the Ace of that suit.

That is decent news for opener, but not enough for him to commit beyond 5. He can bid 5, however, to keep the train in motion.

This is excellent news for responder, who is now confident that he’ll have three tricks for partner. Seeing ten or eleven hearts between his and RHO’s hand, its almost a certainty opener will have a singleton or void in that suit. West should therefore bid 6 with a reasonable degree of confidence.

Now we can move on to one of those tricky fourth-suit forcing auctions:

		North
		J3
		J10863
West		Q986		East
K52		A7		AQ64
AQ75				K4
A72		South		5
QJ5		10987		K108432
		92
		KJ1043
		96

West 1 2* 4

North Pass Pass Pass

East 1 1 3 ?

South Pass Pass Pass

Some Wests might decide to sign off in the notrump game after partner repeats the clubs over responder’s 4th-suit forcing bid of 2. As you can see, 3NT has only seven or eight tricks on a diamond lead, which you are getting from either side. The culprit here is responder, who should be thinking in terms of slam after partner has shown an unbalanced hand. The only questionable value in his hand is the Q; the rest of his cards are gold.

What happens next depends on which the partnership uses as its keycard ask in clubs. Some pairs keep it simple and use 4NT as the enquiry. Others use Minorwood, in which case 4 by responder serves as the way to check out the keycard situation. There is also a contingent that uses Redwood, where the bid directly above the presumably agreed suit would be the request. If clubs is the suit where is a fit, it would be 4 and if diamonds is the trump suit, it would be 4 unless 4 is a possible contract.

We’ll assume that this partnership was playing Redwood, in which case 4 by West indicates some slam interest. East should co-operate in some way because partner has avoided notrump and despite having a minimum hand, the King of partner’s major is a nice card to have. The question now is whether he should take a cuebid and if so, what outside value to advertise.

If opener were to bid 4 at this point, responder should assume it to be a high card since partner did not show three-card support one round earlier. Alternatively, East could show his Ace with 4. Either way, that should be enough for West to vault into 6, which is an excellent contract.

We haven’t had a Jacoby 2NT raise sequence yet. All right, now’s the time for one of those:

N-S vulnerable		North
		5
		KJ9742
West		1076		East
KQJ92		KQ6		A87643
1085				—
K3		South		AQJ54
AJ5		10		42
		AQ63
		982
		109873

West 2NT 5 6 7

North Pass Pass Pass All Pass

East 1 4 5 6

South Pass Pass Pass Pass

Because shortness is bid at the three-level after a Jacoby 2NT response, opener’s jump to four of a new suit promises five or more of them and at least two of the top three honors. With this information, West can now assume there will be no losers in that suit and is worth a slam try. However, he just has the one unbid suit controlled so this is not the time to be asking for keycards. Since the five level is almost certain to be safe, though, he can show his outside Ace with a 5 cuebid. Now when partner bids 5, his concern about that suit is alleviated and now he'll drive to at least a small slam, taking the opportunity to show his K along the way with 6. East now makes one last try with 6H and responder can take the final plunge with 7.

Auctions that begin with 2NT are sometimes cumbersome with regard to finding slam as the bidding starts at a higher level. But even so, its still achievable when the limited space is used effectively. Here is an example of how it can be done:

		North
		A
		K10876
West		J102		East
J94		J1063		86532
53				J94
KQ963		South		754
A52		KQ107		97
		AQ2
		A8
		KQ84

West Pass Pass Pass Pass All Pass

North 3 3NT 4 5

East Pass Pass Pass Pass

South 2NT 3 4 4NT 6

North wasn’t really thinking in terms of slam when he picked up his hand and partner opened 2NT. He merely transferred to his five-card major and offered a choice of games. The singleton spade should not be a deterrent to playing in notrump since its the Ace.

Opener has three cards in partner’s major and is slightly worried about diamonds, so he’s going back to hearts. He should bear in mind that partner could have been on the verge of a slam try, however, and therefore can try a 4 cuebid. This is not a long suit with only two hearts. Responder has given us the choice between notrump and hearts, nothing else. If we bid over 3NT, then, it agrees hearts and typically shows the Ace of that suit.

North can’t take control and drive to slam, but he can play along with a 4 cuebid and find out if that turns opener’s crank. Indeed it does, as South now launches into a keycard ask and bids the slam when responder shows two of them without the Queen.

Unless the defense has a club ruff available, 6 is a contract you want to be in as two diamonds from the North hand can go away on the KQ of spades and you’ll make if trumps are 3-2 or even 4-1 with West having four to the Jack.

To conclude, we’ll go back to our friend the splinter raise:

		North
		10863
		J9
West		104		East
AQ4		KQ964		K7
7				AK8654
AQJ863		South		K975
1072		J952		3
		Q1032
		2
		AJ85

West 1 2 4 5

North Pass Pass Pass Pass

East 1 4 4NT 6

South Pass Pass Pass All Pass

In a pairs game, responder would be more inclined to strive for a heart game, which pays higher than the minor-suit contract. In teams, however, you don’t care as much about which red-suit game to play as you expect 5 to be an easy make. Aside from that, slam may be possible of opener has good diamonds and first-round spade control. East can take a step in that direction by jumping to 4, which agrees diamonds and shows shortness in that suit.

Opener’s hand is a mixed bag, but the pluses outweigh the minuses. He is short in partner’s major, but has no wasted values in clubs and is in possession of two high cards in the unbid suit. He can therefore offer a co-operative gesture with a 4 cuebid, which improves East’s K into a sure trick. He takes it from there with a keycard ask, and puts the contract in slam when partner shows two of them along with the Queen of trump.