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Deal of the Week
by Mitch Snyder
Grand Slam Force
The 5NT bid, located in an obscure part of the bidding box in between major suit games and the slam level, has several uses. The most common is as the King ask in a Blackwood sequence. Sometimes, rarely, it is to play. This usually occurs when you’re heading towards slam but have to put on the brakes.
A modern use for 5NT is ‘pick-a-slam’. In an auction such as:
1S-----2D (game forcing)
3D----.3S
5NT
5NT asks partner to bid slam in diamonds or spades.
A more traditional use of 5NT is the Grand Slam Force (GSF). Specifically, it asks partner to bid 7 of an agreed suit if holding two of the top three honors, otherwise bid 6. In the auction above, if 5NT is not pick-a slam, it would be a GSF in spades.
But what if there’s only one place to play? Then there is no reason not to use 5NT as a GSF.
I played this hand in a recent robot game: click here
After a routine 1H opening bid, north splintered to show 4+ hearts, a singleton or void in clubs and about 11-13 HCPs. North could have bid spades but with such an excellent heart fit and an easy way to describe it, why muddy the waters?
East doubled to suggest a club lead.
I took the opportunity to show my diamond control and suggest slam interest to partner. I am only marginally interested in slam, but this is a free control bid, as partner can still stop in 4H. It often pays to bid aggressively with a fit, especially in a robot game.
My robot took me seriously and bid 5NT. What could it be, other than a Grand Slam Force? With KQ of trump, I accepted.
I ruffed the opening club lead in dummy and paused for thought.
I can try to ruff 3 clubs but even if successful I’ll still need the diamond finesse. What else, I don’t want to rely on a finesse.
If spades are 3-3, I can pitch a diamond and a club but will still need to ruff another club. That works if hearts are 2-2, if not I’ll have to pitch 2 clubs and take the diamond finesse.
If spades are 4-2 I’ll have to go back to plan A.
I tested spades first and got the bad news. So I trumped 3 times and eventually took the finesse. (If east had followed to the third spade, ruff high, you can afford to use an honor and can’t risk an overruff if west has a doubleton).
A longtime partner from years ago used to always say ‘I’d rather be lucky than good’.
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