[sceptic]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     -     -     1♣
 Pass  1♥    3♠    4♥
 Pass  4NT   Pass  5♦
 Pass  5NT   Pass  7♥
 Pass  Pass  Pass  

[mr1303]

I want to be in 7NT, as I have 13 top tricks in 7NT.

How you get there of course is another matter.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

The bidding was fine, but North should have
checked for the Queen of hearts.
North knows, that the partnership will have
only a 8 card trump fit.
And if you miss the Queen, the Grand will be
on a finesse.

Another possible improvement would be 7C,
instead of 7H, South showed astrong hand,
but partner does not know about the strong
6 card suit.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ArcLight]

I dont think the bidding was fine.

Why was 1♦ not the response by North?

If playing Walsh responses to 1♣, then 1♦ is bypassed in favor of a 4 card major with non GF hands.
North has a monster so should respond 1♦ then later can show his hearts. That will let opener know responder has a big hand.

[ArtK78]

Obviously you want to be in 7NT.

South's last action was an error. If he is going to bid 7♥ he might as well bid 7♣ on the way. Now North might either pass or bid 7NT rather than 7♥. Of course, 7♣ is in jeopardy due to the opening heart ruff.

Just as obviously North should have asked about the ♥Q for grand slam purposes. However, his failure to do so could have saved the partnership by getting South to bid the grand in something other than hearts. If North asks about the ♥Q and finds out that it is missing, the partnership will get to 6♥ which will only make if declarer guesses which way to play the first round of hearts.

[P_Marlowe]

ArcLight, on Jun 29 2008, 11:56 AM, said:

I dont think the bidding was fine.

Why was 1♦ not the response by North?

<snip>

A matter of partnership agreement.

[gnasher]

ArtK78, on Jun 29 2008, 06:33 PM, said:

6♥ which will only make if declarer guesses which way to play the first round of hearts.

Given East's 3♠ bid, declarer would play the hearts the right way around.

In an uncontested auction on a non-club lead, there is a safety play against 5-0 hearts - take a first-round finesse into the hand that was on lead. That guards against Qxxxx in either hand, and loses only if they can win and take a ruff. The point of finessing into the hand that was on lead is that you'll suffer a club ruff only if the other hand omitted to make a Lightner Double.

[kenrexford]

ArcLight, on Jun 29 2008, 11:56 AM, said:

I dont think the bidding was fine.

Why was 1♦ not the response by North?

If playing Walsh responses to 1♣, then 1♦ is bypassed in favor of a 4 card major with non GF hands.
North has a monster so should respond 1♦ then later can show his hearts. That will let opener know responder has a big hand.

Walsh reverses show 5♦/4M.

[kenrexford]

The auction was decent up through 5♦.

My guess is that North was afraid 5♥ would be passed with three (apparently playing 1430). If North asks for the heart Queen, South bids 6♥.

North now must do his homework. south is known to have something like:

♠Ax(x) ♥A10xx ♦x(x...) ♣A(x...)

A 12-count ain't enough for a 4♥ call. Opener cannot have anything more than the Aces in the majors, it seems. He must have extra club length. As north can count five tricks outside of hearts and clubs, there are no outside losers.

A mere fifth club take away one of the heart losers, and a sixth club takes away a second heart loser. So, 6NT seems vastly superior to 6♥.

But, North should think even harder. If Opener has solid clubs, sixth, then 7NT should make. North can count seven tricks in the majors and diamonds, so the grand turns on the quality and length of the clubs.

If South had something like ♠Axx ♥Axxx ♦x ♣AQxxx, he might be kind of boxed into a 4♥ call. With one fewer spade and one more club, that's a solid 4♥ call but still not enough for the grand.

So, North needs something like the actual hand for the grand, which is a fairly strong hand, but very plausible.

So, let's suppose North pushes this to 6NT but takes a stab at the grand by cuebidding 6♠, kind of a LTTC grand try.

With the actual hand, South would have no problem with what to do. The question for North would be whether South would move with solid but one fewer club or six clubs but not solid. Well, both should be on somewhat the same page. North seems to have an agenda that involve ditching slow heart losers. That obviously is in the form of the AKQ of diamonds. With grand interest, North needs the heart King as well. If North also holds the club King and the spade King, that's a huge hand. So, South should be somewhat conservative in accepting such a move.

This, of course, all boils down to partnership trust and understanding, but I think some would get to the grand after the auction up through 5♦, a queen ask, a 6♥ call, and a clever 6♠ call on route to the clear notrump conversion.