This Real Deal comes from partners Catherine Francis and Mary Scharf.

Vul:E-W Dlr: South	AQ K1098652 A4 J3
K109864 Q7 1092 74		J7532 J43 85 Q86
	-- A KQJ763 AK10952

West	North	East	South
			1
Pass	1	Pass	3
Pass	3	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	6
All Pass

What a wild deal—the most dramatic I can remember since I started writing this column in 2009.

With a huge 2-suiter, it is best not to open 2; it gets the auction too high too quickly—and the opener will have trouble mentioning both suits at a reasonable level. Accordingly, South opens 1 (with equal-length suits, always open in the higher-ranking one). At this vulnerability, West doesn’t have enough to enter the auction, and we will assume East-West are silent throughout.

North has enough for game, but has no choice but to respond 1 for now (2/1 GF is not a jump; 1-2 would not show this kind of hand). South bids clubs next, but jumpshifts to show the powerful hand. 1-1-3 is natural and forcing to game.

North wants to repeat the hearts and since the partnership is forced to game, there is no need to jump; so North bids 3. South now repeats the clubs (bidding 4). This shows at least 5 clubs and 5 or more diamonds. Now what?

North expects at least a small slam (with 14 HCP facing a game-forcing opener who has about 18-20 in playing strength). For now, North should take a preference back to opener’s first suit by bidding 4. This is the first time a trump suit is agreed in the auction. Sure, North could use Blackwood over 4, but without a trump suit set, it would just be a guess as to how to follow up.

With South facing diamond support, he wants to be in 7 if partner has the A (hoping there is a way to deal with the third round of clubs). How can opener find out about the key A? It isn’t easy. One way is to use Blackwood (something we try not to do with a void). If North shows no aces, South knows to stop in 6. If North shows 2 aces, South knows to bid 7. But, what if North has only one ace? South wouldn’t know which one. If it were the A and South bid 7, he would find out before the auction is over that he made a mistake (he would get doubled by the player holding the A). This is why Blackwood with a void (though it would work here) is not a good idea.

There are two scientific ways to find out about specifically the A, but both are fraught with memory danger. I don’t even want to explain them, because they come up once a decade and it is impossible to remember such things. If anyone simply must know, I recommend googling “Grand Slam Force” or “Exclusion Blackwood.” If you have any questions, send them to my Antarctica office. Some things in bridge are just not practical to learn/study. Students always ask me: “but how?” I don’t think it is practical to learn things that never will come up—it just clutters the brain and gets students mixed up about really important things.

I think the practical approach at this point is for opener to settle for 6. Even if responder has the A, there is no guarantee that 7 will be laydown. If you think you can scientifically reach the grand slam, good luck to you.

The Play

How should the play go in 6? No matter what the lead, 12 tricks looks easy. Declarer can try to make an overtrick by not losing to the Q. Should he take a club finesse or try to trump a third club in dummy? If in only 6, laying down the AK is a big risk. What if an opponent trumps and returns a trump? Now, even 6 is likely to go down. So, in 6, I think I would draw trump and play clubs from the top—holding myself to 6 on the actual layout.

(After trumps are drawn, there is no dummy entry for a club finesse). One possibility is to draw only 2 rounds of trump ending in dummy and then running the J. This also risks the contract because it could lose to Qxxx and now a club ruff would be down 1. At matchpoints, though, it might be worth the risk. At team scoring, I would just draw trump and play on clubs.

In 7, it is a tough choice between a club finesse and playing clubs from the top. The problem with the ace-king of clubs is that when you play the next club, you might have to trump with dummy’s A and then 4-1 trumps could set you.

On the actual layout any reasonable line to try for all 13 tricks will work, but I’d be content to stop in 6 and not have to fret over the best way to play for 7.

Lesson points:

1) With a strong 2-suiter, try not to open 2.
2) With 5-5 or 6-6 always open in the higher-ranking suit.

3) Once in a GF, there is no rush to use Blackwood until a trump fit is found.
4) Don’t use Blackwood with a void.

5) It isn’t practical to study or learn about obscure conventions that never come up.
6) At team scoring, don’t risk your contract for an overtrick.