Slams 03
These East-West hands were close to a slam, but should a slam have been bid or avoided, and how should the EW hands have been bid? Those are good questions that may not be easily answered, even after you see the full deal. The deal will also provide the reader with an excellent ‘double dummy’ problem.
Board 9 from Thursday 12-09-24
Dealer N EW Vul
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3
Q97
Q975
J8654East opens 1H and West bids 1S. First question: what does East rebid? The answer is not straightforward because 3D is now game forcing and overstates the hand and 2D is a slight underbid.
There is another alternative that most readers would not consider: 2NT. Or, if EW are playing a 1NT rebid as 15-17, 1NT might get the best message across if West can then bid 2C as ‘checkback’. But that might lead to 6H which, as can be seen is not at all a good slam and requires a lucky position in the heart suit, and no luck this time. I have a certain degree of sympathy for the pairs that did bid the 6H slam, but in a match point game avoiding dubious slams and then making twelve tricks will score well anyway. There is no way that 6H can be made here but Deep Finesse says that 6NT can be made. But that is not going to happen unless you are Deep Finesse, so here is the readers’ double dummy problem: East is in 6NT and receives the lead of the four of spades. How does East make 6NT given best defence?
The answer will appear in Slams 4. How about sending me YOUR solution? No prizes but think of the satisfaction of being able to match Deep Finesse!
