The Auction
Some experienced players might have upgraded the superb 19 HCP West hand and opened 2NT, but Gromit is a staunch Tory and opened 1♠ despite the risk of getting passed out to play it there. In spades, Wallace’s 11 HCP hand improved to game–going values, but with only three trumps he needed a temporizing, forcing response before showing support. Wallace is equally Conservative, and the partnership insists on no less than 12 HCP for a game–forcing 2/1 response, even with a fit. That left only a Forcing 1NT, after which Gromit rebid 2NT to show the balanced 18–19 HCP. After a brief reflection Wallace rebid 4♥, prompting a momentary, quizzical lift of Gromit’s furless clay brow, then comprehension dawned. It was a splinter raise, indicating heart shortness, 3–card support, and keen slam interest.
The partnership has an agreement not to splinter with a high heart honor, implying that Wallace’s values were in the minors, just where they would do the most good. Gromit made a 4NT Roman Keycard Blackwood ask, and Wallace’s 5♣ response (1430) located the ♣A. With all five keycards in hand, Gromit continued with a 5♦ trump queen ask, and when Wallace bid 6♦, confirming possession of both the ♠Q and ♦K, Gromit decisively nodded once and went all–in with 7♠.
The Play of the Hand
Shaun might have led an attacking ♥K against any other slam, but in light of the splinter a trump seemed mandatory, and after a “Ba–a–a–a–a” (Questions, partner?), the ♠3 fluttered down from a cloven hoof. Gromit won the queen in dummy to guard against a bad trump split, cashed the ♥A and ruffed a heart low, then unblocked the ♦A and ruffed another heart. Returning to hand with the ♣K, Gromit drew two more rounds of trump and cashed the ♦K and ♦Q, discarding the losing club. A Grand Day Out, bid and made!
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Closing Thoughts
Dear Reader, in notrump slams we usually need a solid 33 HCP for a small slam and 37 for a grand slam, or perhaps a little less with sufficient controls and a good 5–card or longer minor as a source of tricks. But in a suit contract, we can be more aggressive with less strength if we have a good fit and shapely hands that complement each other.
In this week’s Deal, Gromit recognized that heart shortness in Wallace’s hand represented a two–fold advantage; 1) There would be no heart losers, and 2) With no strength in that suit, Wallace’s values would productively reinforce those in the strong hand. Having identified all the keycards, Gromit needed only the queen of trumps for a reasonable moonshot at the Grand Slam on just 30 aggregate HCP in the E/W hands.
Finally, note that if Gromit does open 2NT instead of 1♠, Wallace can respond 3♣ (Puppet Stayman) and the spade fit will be found. If Wallace then cue bids an Italian–style 4♣ to show slam interest and first– or second–round control, Gromit can cooperate with a 4♦ cue bid, and since Wallace is looking at the stiff heart, a 4NT keycard ask from his side will again show all five keycards are in hand. Wallace is also looking at the trump queen, so if he can summon a stiff clay upper lip, the Grand Slam might still be found.
All the best,
Rex
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