For several years, I’ve been writing analysis for the Common Game. Occasionally, a really instructive deal like this one comes along. Here are my teaching points.

Vul:South Dlr: None	KQJ87  AJ8  A6  KQ6
1065  74  KJ872  J72		92  Q632  10953  1053
	A43  K1095  Q4  A984

West	North	East	South
			1
P	1	P	1N
P	6N	All Pass

1) Should West overcall 1? No. Maybe with the 10 and a little more in the way of high-card points, but not with a flat 5-count and  only a so-so suit.

2) North shouldn’t get excited right away by the great 20-count. Some players use “premature Blackwood.” There is no hurry. 1s is forcing. Sure,  I advocate 2-over-1 game forcing, but there is no such thing after a 1 opening. If strong, 2 is possible, but most play it as a weak jump response.

3)  As opener, I would raise spades with only three if my doubleton were x–x. With Q–x, I prefer the 1NT rebid shown.

4)  Conventions are overrated. Sure, North could use all sorts of toys like new minor forcing or Gerber. However, adding 20 to about 13 gives you 33. Just blasting to 6NT at matchpoints (without giving away information) is practical.

5) Opening lead? Against small slams in a suit contract, I like aggressive leads, often from kings. But not against 6NT. I’d try to make the safest
lead possible. Suppose West leads a spade, dummy’s suit (not completely safe, but nothing is).

6) How should declarer play 6NT? With spades running, there are 11 top tricks. Declarer shouldn’t run spades immediately (it wouldn’t be fun for South to find discards). Should declarer work on clubs or hearts? Hearts. Why? Because if clubs are played first and they don’t behave (split 3–3), it sets up a potential winner for the defense. If an early trick is lost to a heart misguess, declarer has 12 tricks set up.

7) How to play hearts? We want to start with a high honor in case there is a singleton queen. Then, we finesse. Because we can’t pick up four or more hearts with West, it is best to start with the hA and then lead the jack for a finesse. If it wins (as here), we have 12 sure tricks. When the clubs behave, we end up with 13. 

8) The “double-dummy” analysis will say that South can make 7NT (not to mention seven of anything but diamonds). But please don’t ask, “How
do we get there?” What we can make is not the same as what we should bid.