What’s your call?
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Pass |
Sanborn leads off the 4♣ brigade. “Not even close. Partner has a good hand without four hearts and is probably unbalanced because of the failure to bid 2NT earlier. I can picture a grand in either clubs or notrump, and I’d bet good money on slam. It’s also possible that partner is asking for a partial stopper with solid clubs and the ♦ A, e.g.,
♠J 10 x ♥Q x ♦ A ♣A K Q x x x x.
We still have slam here.”
According to Rigal, “Partner has shown a good hand with clubs. I have a good hand with clubs. Put them together and what do you get? No, you don’t get ‘bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.’ You get a club slam.”
Korbel says he’s never held a hand this strong on this auction in his life. “I think partner’s hand includes solid clubs and a spade stopper, maybe:
♠A x x ♥x x ♦ A x ♣A K Q x x x.
If that’s his hand, we make 7♣ very easily. I will bid 4♣ now to try to set trumps, and then I hope to be able to key card at my next turn to see how high we belong.”
Robinson assigns the same hand to partner and makes the same call. “4♣. Partner cuebid to show a good hand. I’ll support his clubs now. We could easily belong in 7♣.”
4♣ by Abdou, who asks: “Why did partner cuebid before bidding 3NT?” He answers, “Either he has a single spade stopper or, more likely, non-solid clubs. He has extras in both cases and therefore, slam will be a favorite unless we are missing two key cards, which is unlikely.”
Boehm likes 4♣. “7♣ is possible facing a distributional one-suiter, e.g.,
♠A x x ♥x x ♦ A ♣A K Q x x x x.
My second choice would be a forcing 5NT to allow for 6♣ or 6NT.”
Cohen bids 4NT of the non-Blackwood variety. “Partner should have bid 3♥ with four, so it sounds like his 2♠ was based on long clubs. I’d like to use Roman Key Card Blackwood for clubs, but without agreements, I suspect my 4NT is quantitative. With long running clubs and a side ace, I hope he accepts my invitation.”
Stack, too. “There is a lot of extra strength that partner doesn’t know about. My non-forcing 4NT shows the extra goodies.”
Falk volleys a spade cuebid right back at partner. “Holy moley! I have an ace and a queen and a good suit more than I promised (plus the ♠Q and three clubs). Because North doesn’t have diamonds or hearts, what’s left is a huge hand with clubs, and 6♣ ought to be cold.” He sees seven opposite the exact same hand that Korbel and Robinson visualize above. “If we do not bid the grand, I’m not yet certain whether to play 6NT or 6♣. I think 6NT.”
Hampson is the other 4♠ cuebidder. “Partner has shown a game-going hand facing a one-level negative double, and I have a monster and a spade control. So I show my spade control on the way to slam.”
Colchamiro is the lone passer. “Partner’s delayed 3NT screams ‘diamond singleton,’ so I don’t think there is a club slam. Even if there is, I’m probably in for a 35% to 40% board. If my diamonds were headed by the ace, I’d think differently.”
The Sutherlins move forward with 4♥. “We have 14 points and we’ve shown only 8 or so. 4♥ is a descriptive call which should be forcing.”
