Short Shrift

We are taught when we first learn bridge that we need about 32-33 points to make a slam. As we play more this estimate is lowered, with controls and shortage playing a bigger part. The above slam was only reached by four pairs at the Woodberry Weekly competition, but the chances of success, just looking at the NS hands alone, is around 77% (according to my bot) so you definitely want to be there. If trumps are 3-2 you have 11 top tricks with many chances for a twelfth, such as the ace of spades onside, clubs 4-3 or various squeezes. And you might be able to cope with trumps 4-1 as long as there is a singleton jack or ten.

The opening bid on the North hand is the first choice. Playing four-card majors and a weak NT you should open 1D, as you can rebid 2NT if partner bids 2C.  Playing strong and five, you have to open 1D and then rebid 3NT if partner bids 2C, assuming 2NT shows a weak NT. I am sure that Zia would open 1NT as he usually does on this sort of hand, but 1D is normal. South has a choice between 1H and 2C. The former is my choice; it keeps the bidding lower and whatever partner bids we will be able to describe our hand well. On this occasion, North will bid 3H, showing about a 6-loser hand, assuming that one does not have elaborate methods here. In spades one has 1.5 losers, in hearts 2.5 losers, and in the minors one loser each. South also has about 6 losers, although the club suit is more than one loser, so should be thinking of slam.

One method here is to use the next suit up, which also works after 1H-3H or 1S-3S, as an enquiry. It is variously called a short-suit slam try, which is too much of a tongue-twister, or a WET, which is a wastage enquiry try. North responds with the lowest suit in which a shortage would interest him. If, in this example, North bids 3NT that would say, "I would accept a slam try opposite short spades, I have no wastage there". Similarly for 4C or 4D, but they "refuse" the suit bypassed. If you would accept all slam tries, then you just bid it or RKCB if that is preferred. The beauty of the method, is that you don't have to have a shortage at all to make the bid, and it can be used as a general slam-try. Of course, partners never remember the methods, and North's 4C was just intended as a cue-bid. I bid slam anyway as I was accepting unless partner signed off in 4H, and the good slam was reached, but our auction was far from convincing.  Of course if you are in slam you have to make it, and when one declarer was North on the lead of the queen of diamonds (obviously top of a sequence), he drew two rounds of trumps and played a spade towards the KQ. West hopped up and gave his partner a diamond ruff for all the matchpoints. North should start trumps with the ace and then the queen, and can draw the third round before playing a spade.

Doug opened the North hand 1NT, Zia-style, and Chantal bid Stayman. Now North bid 2H and South should have employed another 3S "toy". Here 3S is either a splinter for hearts or a hand too good to raise to 4H. North puppets with 3NT and South bids 4H with the splinter, or cues with a hand too good to raise to 4H. Here that would be 4C, and the North hand is now very big, and he can bid 6H.