Board  5 (Hand rotated for convenience)

Vul:  NS

Dlr:  S

		♠	2
		♥	Q8
		♦	A10762
		♣	AKQ82
♠	K863			♠	J10984
♥	J932			♥	106
♦	K94			♦	QJ853
♣	74			♣	5
		♠	AQ7
		♥	AK754
		♦	--
		♣	J10963

                                    NORTH          EAST              SOUTH           WEST            

                                         1♥               Pass                    2♣(?)             Pass

                                         (?)6♣            End

            Opening Lead:  C4, Result, Making 7!

Only one pair got to the slam on Board 5 last Thursday evening and even they got there the wrong way!  First, they did not get to the cold Grand Slam that was a claimer on the opening lead, second they misbid the hand.  South’s first response should have been 2♦, not 2♣.  With 10 + points and two five card suits, you bid the higher ranking regardless of quality.  North fell in love with a pretty suit instead of bidding the length.  (I admit the clubs are prettier than the diamonds)  Still, South had a real problem when North responded 2♣ as Blackwood was not possible inasmuch as a one Ace response would not tell South whether the Club Ace was missing.  Remember, one of the rules for NOT using Blackwood is when you have a void in an unbid suit.

          South’s actual choice of 6♣ was the best compromise he could devise.  North now failed to use his imagination to realize that he had promised only a 10 count and that South had just bid a Small Slam missing the ♣AKQ and the ♦A and the ♥Q!  A little thought would have had North bidding 7 with all of these extra important cards that South knew nothing about.

          Now.  How should the slam have been properly bid?  Easy.  South opens 1♥, North correctly responds 2♦ and South now shows a “top-of-the-wedge” hand by making a “high reverse” of 3♣.  This should get North excited enough to Blackwood and in the process upgrade his ♥Q as a good working card and continue with 5NT when he finds that we have all four aces.  Whichever K South shows with 5♦ has to be a good card for North and North should bid the almost certain Grand Slam.

\                  So,                                 South                   North

                                                             1♥                     2♦

                                                             3C                      4NT

                                                             5H                     5NT

                                                             6♦                      7♣

                                                            Pass

          is an excellent auction.