June 2020 - 41

slam try in spades without first-round
heart control. With a grand-slam try in
spades with first-round heart control,
I bid 5♥ and then 6♠. I think I have to
give up on diamonds if I want to get to
the seven level, but that should be just
fine most of the time, as partner has
promised spade length."
Cohen bids 5NT. "There's no intelligent way to reach seven, as I can't ever
find out about two aces (4NT wouldn't
be Blackwood). Sure, there will be
votes for 5♥, but how will that ever detangle the ♥A issue? Meanwhile, as to
which small slam, because it is IMPs, I
might as well bring diamonds into play
in case an opponent has ♠J 10 x x."
"I think this hand is perfect for 5NT,
pick-a-slam," says Shi, "correcting
clubs to diamonds, of course. I can't
really make grand tries lacking firstround heart control, so I'll settle for the
small slam."
Korbel agrees. "There is no 'bridge'
way that I can see to get to a grand
slam anymore. 4NT is not Blackwood,
it is asking partner to pick a minor. I
could get fancy and try some bizarre
sequence, but I'll just take a shot at a
slam, intending to pass 6♦ but correct
6♣ to 6♦."
Becker, 5NT: "Pick-a-slam for now. If
partner bids 6♣, I can bid 6♦, which I
think shows diamonds and spades. In
my dreams, partner cuebids 6♥ on the
way to 6♠ and we get to seven; in reality, it looks like we'll play 6♦ or 6♠."
Weinstein says, "5NT seems like the
practical bid without having the agreement that 4NT asks for aces."
Meyers invites partner's input on
strain with 5NT. "I'll correct 6♣ to
6♦. I'm not stopping short of a small
slam. If partner has the ♦K and two
aces, I certainly hope she can envision
a two-suited monster."
Donn's plan is similar. "I will pull
6♣ to 6♦, offering a choice between
diamonds and spades. 5♥ sounds like
a first-round control and might get us
into trouble."
Sanborn decides on 4NT after
weighing her alternatives. "Looks like
we have three reasonable advances.
We need to define 4NT, 5♥ and 5♠,

and which ones show or deny a control.
Also, which are slam tries or forces or
attempts to reach a grand. Most highlevel partnerships have agreements
on the meanings of the various bids. I
would say 5♠ is asking for a heart control; 5♥ probably brings two suits into
play - spades and a minor. And 4NT
should be old-fashioned Blackwood,
which, when followed by 5NT, asks
kings up the line. There is a lot of room
for discussion."
Lawrence's 4NT is key card, inferentially, for spades. "More difficult
decision coming - assuming I get a
key-card answer."
Lee's 4NT is neither, apparently.
"What I really want to bid is oldfashioned Blackwood, but without that
available, I'll just ask partner to pick
between 6♦ and 6♠."
Colchamiro bids 4NT, "then 6♠ over
5♣ - offering 6♠, 7♠ or 7♦, I hope.
Once I bid 6♠, partner should understand that I don't have first-round
heart control; 5♥ and then 6♠ would
show that."
5♥ is Rigal's way of asking partner
to pick his poison. So to speak. "Driving to slam with spades and another
suit. 5NT would be the minors. Not
sure how to bid this scientifically, but I
don't think partner will ever take us to
the grand if we can make one."

Panel's answers
Drew Becker
August Boehm
Larry Cohen
Mel Colchamiro
Josh Donn
Zachary Grossack
Daniel Korbel
Mike Lawrence
Roger Lee
Jeff Meckstroth
Jill Meyers
Barry Rigal
Steve Robinson
Kerri Sanborn
Sylvia Shi
Steve Weinstein

1
2♠
2♠
2♠
3♥
2♠
4♦
2♠
4♦
2♠
3♦
3♥
4♦
2♠
3♦
2♠
2♠

2
5NT
5♥
5NT
4NT
5NT
5NT
5NT
4NT
4NT
6♠
5NT
5♥
6♠
4NT
5NT
5NT

Boehm is right there with him. "5♥.
The real problem is yet to come."
Robinson takes the bull by the horns
and bids 6♠. "I would like to play 4NT
as Blackwood here, but I think it's a
choice of minors. Therefore I will assume we're off the ♥A and that 6♠ is
the limit. You really have to have clear
understandings here."
Meckstroth's 6♠, similarly regretful: "I would like to use Roman key card
Blackwood, but it's not available."
3. Matchpoints. North-South vul.
♠7 5 4 3 ♥K Q 10 ♦Q 7 ♣10 7 4 3
West
Pass

North
1♦
Dbl

Call
Pass
3♣
2NT
Dbl

East
1♠
2♠

Votes
11
3
2
0

South
Pass
?
Award
100
70
60
20

Green is the new 3NT
Sometimes it's fun to throw in a
problem that has the panelists - most
of them, anyway - renewing their acquaintance with the pass card in their
bidding box.
Robinson got it. "I don't have anything clear to bid, so I'll pass. (I think

3
Pass
Pass
Pass
2NT
Pass
3♣
Pass
Pass
Pass
3♣
Pass
2NT
Pass
Pass
3♣
Pass

4
5NT
5♠
5♠
5♦
5♠
Dbl
5NT
5NT
5NT
Dbl
5NT
5NT
Dbl
5♠
5♠
5NT

5
3NT
Dbl
Pass
3NT
3NT
Dbl
3NT
Pass
Dbl
3NT
Dbl
Dbl
Pass
3NT
Dbl
3NT

Total
500
450
460
360
490
420
500
430
470
390
460
400
420
440
450
500

June 2020 Bridge Bulletin

41
June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2020
