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Slam Bidding Part I

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Slam Bidding Part I BETTER BIDDING by BERNARD MAGEE leaps in value because you have a fit. You have 17 high-card points, can add two for your excellent long suit and also two for your singleton (with the long trumps); that makes a total of 21. Your partner’s bid shows 10-12 points so that puts the Slam partnership in the range of 31-33, which certainly has slam potential, and there- fore you should try for slam. A 4♥ bid would finish the auction, so West must Bidding do something else to try to find a slam. We will discuss the conventions availa- Part I ble in the forthcoming two articles. Layout B ♠ A 10 4 2 ♠ K Q J 6 ♥ 9 6 4 N ♥ A K 5 3 W E idding slams is not easy, but of the approach followed in this article, ♦ A 9 7 2 S ♦ K 4 there is no doubt that bidding readers who use this method of evalua- ♣ A8 ♣ K 5 3 B and making a slam is one of the tion should stick with it, and when it sug- great joys of bridge. The first important gests that a slam might be on, they should element in slam bidding is trying to explore its possibility. identify when a slam might be on. Note that although you may have 30 Layout C points between you (or the Losing Trick ♠ A10 ♠ K Q J 6 Count might suggest that a slam is on), ♥ 9 6 4 N ♥ A K 5 3 Basic identification W E but without the necessary controls (aces, ♦ A 9 7 2 S ♦ K 4 Slams are a lot easier to make if you kings, singletons and voids), you may ♣ A 8 4 2 ♣ K 5 3 have a big trump fit, because you can still not be able to make a slam – there make extra tricks by trumping and so do is plenty of checking to be done! not have to rely on high cards alone. Let us look at some examples of To see how things differ between suit However, no-trump slams are rather dif- identification: contracts and no-trump contracts, take a ferent: you almost always need to rely look at Layouts B and C, where the East on a high number of points between you. hand is the same. The Wests in both lay- The points needed for a 6NT contract Layout A outs have the same point-count and are about 33 between the partnership, ♠ A K 5 2 ♠ 4 3 shape, the only difference being the club whilst for a suit contract, when you have ♥ A K 6 5 4 2 N ♥ Q J 10 3 and spade suits. W E a good fit, you are basically looking for ♦ K 6 S ♦ A Q J 3 This changes their potential alongside no more than a combined 30 and that ♣ 4 ♣ 9 7 6 the East hand in a big way: East-West in includes length and distribution. Layout B can play in 6♠ with a reaso- Adding on for length and shortage nable chance of making the contract by can be difficult when you are getting to Opener Responder ruffing two diamonds. But in Layout C the slam level and thus the Losing Trick 1♥ 3♥ East-West do not have a fit and there- Count is a great help when you have a ? fore have to play in no-trumps; with no big fit: it evaluates the whole shape of ruffing to supply extra tricks, there are your hand. Although the LTC is not part When your partner bids 3♥, your hand just ten tricks off the top with chances to make an eleventh if hearts or clubs break 3-3. Notice that East-West hold all the aces and kings in Layout C, but in no- DUPLICATE BRIDGE BOARDS trump contracts you need more than just aces and kings: you need the queens and Stickers included. Cards not included jacks too, to make the extra tricks. In 1-8 set. £22.50 the layout above the jack of spades is just as valuable as the ace – they will 1-16 set. £37.50 both make a trick. Once you have identified that a slam BIDDING BUDDY might be on, how do you decide whether Packs into a compact space. Ideal for use at home. to go for it? The answer is: by using the various £7.50 each. 4 for £28.95 conventions that are available, which Available from the Mail Order Service 01672 519219 should include an ace-asking bid. Continued on page 10 Page 9 BETTER BIDDING continued from page 9 East opens 1♥ and after his partner’s 3♥ response he re-evaluates his hand: 18 high-card points, a strong five-card Conventions for The only change is that the 5♦ response suit (worth one extra point) and a finding slams is used to show five key cards as well as singleton (with the long trumps, worth the normal one; the five option will not two points). That makes 21 points; I recommend the following: come up very often and, rather like the adding this total to his partner’s 10-12 difference between 0 and 4, there should means East is definitely excited about Key-card Blackwood never be a problem differentiating be- the prospects of a slam. Cue-bidding tween the two possibilities. Splinters You will see that this addition to the Quantitative Bids Blackwood convention is invaluable for When contemplating the use of Grand Slam Force accurate slam bidding and yet, at the Blackwood, you need to make sure same time, there is nothing new to learn that you will know what to do after The Gerber (4♣) convention is omitted other than to remember to count the king any response. because to employ cue-bidding and of trumps in the responses! splinter bids you need to use the 4♣ bid There are two common fears with for other purposes. Over the next two taking on this new convention: Here East is basically missing four articles I will be covering these aspects important cards: the ace of spades, the of slam bidding. If after seeing them 1. How do you know which suit is king of hearts, the ace of diamonds, and you don’t fancy employing them, then trumps? the ace of clubs. He can find out about you could stick to Gerber, but otherwise 2. How do you know whether partner all these cards by using Key-card you should steer clear of using Gerber. has the aces or the king of trumps? Blackwood. If partner has two, he will sign off in 5♥; if partner has three, he Key-card Blackwood The trump suit should be obvious; in will go for 6♥, and if West has four, fact, you should never use Blackwood East would go for a Grand Slam (this Blackwood is the best method for slam unless you have agreed a suit, or you are last option is not really likely as West exploration. It is no coincidence that happy to play in the last-bid suit. has limited himself to 10-12 points). almost all bridge players use some form For example, in the auction 1♥ – Responding to 4NT, West must rem- of this convention: it is simply one of 4NT, hearts would be trumps, but more ember to include the king of trumps the best ideas in bridge – without the usually there will be explicit agreement (here hearts) in his response. He has aces, slams cannot be made. when both sides have bid the same suit: three key-cards: the ace of clubs, the ace I recommend using Key-card Black- in the sequence 1♠ – 3♠ – 4NT, spades of diamonds and the king of hearts, and wood – it works exactly like normal are trumps. So, if there is doubt about the so he responds 5♠. Now East carries Blackwood except that you count the trump suit, then the last-bid suit should be out his plan and bids 6♥. He bids it with king of trumps as an ace. The idea is the one you use. Remember that if you great confidence because he knows about that the king of trumps is a very impor- are aiming for a no-trump slam, then aces the king of trumps as well as the number tant card (as important as any ace) so and kings are not so important and you of aces. that it should be included in your Black- very rarely need to ask about them. More Compare this with the auction below wood calculations, e.g. with spades as important is the number of points you on Layout E, where West holds the king trumps the key-cards are: ♣A, ♦A, ♥A, hold and, as you will see, we will of spades instead of the king of hearts as ♠A and ♠K. consider quantitative bidding later. in Layout D: The beauty of this convention is that The answer to question 2 is that it the responses are almost exactly the same doesn’t matter! The king of trumps is as normal Blackwood: just as valuable as an ace so if you are Layout E missing any two of the five key-cards, ♠ K 3 2 ♠ 4 5♣ 0 or 4 key-cards you would not want to be in a slam. ♥ 10 9 5 3 N ♥ A Q J 7 2 W E 5♦ 1 (or 5) key-cards It is time to look at some examples: ♦ A 7 6 4 S ♦ K Q J 5 5♥ 2 key-cards ♣ A6 ♣ K Q 4 5♠ 3 key-cards Layout D ♠ 10 3 2 ♠ 4 West East HALF CUBE JOTTING PAD ♥ K 9 5 3 N ♥ A Q J 7 2 1♥ W E ♦ A 7 6 4 S ♦ K Q J 5 3♥ 4NT ♣ A6 ♣ K Q 4 5♥ End £450 CODE AF01 Once again East starts a Blackwood West East sequence, but this time West only shows 1♥ two key-cards (5♥): the king of spades 3♥ 4NT does not come in to the reckoning, it is from the Mail Order Service 5 6 01672 519219 ♠ ♥ only the king of trumps that is included.
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