Last time we talked about the hold-up play to effectively sever the communication link between your opponents and minimize the number of tricks they can take. This time, we will talk about one of the most exciting auctions in bridge: bidding for slam. It’s not always the most comfortable process, but it’s definitely more exciting because the stakes are very high.
In order to bid and make a slam (six-level bid) you need a total of 33 points between your two hands … or a really fantastic distributional fit. The same constraints hold true for a grand slam (seven-level bid), except you need a total of 37 points between both hands. Since it is extremely unlikely that just one hand will hold 30-plus points, the real key to slam bidding is communication between the two partners. Trusting your partner is also significant to successful bidding.
For example, let’s say partner opens one heart (13 to 21 points) and you happen to hold 16 points. There are several things that must happen for this to be a successful slam try. If partner holds just 13 points, then game is a pretty much guaranteed, but slam is out. But, if partner holds 17 points, then you have the combined total of 33 points – good enough for a small slam. And, if partner holds 21 points, then, with a total of 37 points, you have a good chance for grand slam. So how do you know which way to go? A lot depends on the composition of your hand, and the communication link between you and partner.
The first question that comes to mind is can you support partner’s suit? If you hold four hearts, then you have one set of responses; if you hold three hearts, then you have a different set of responses; and if you have only two hearts, then you have a third set of responses.
With four hearts, you have the Jacoby 2NT response to guarantee game, and you and partner still have plenty bidding space to explore other suits. With three hearts, you can use conventions such as two-over-one to convey that information. With only two hearts, you probably will end up in notrump, so you might use techniques such as strong jump-shifts to let partner know your strength.
Somewhere along the line, either you or partner will have to start thinking of slam … which brings up the question of how many aces (and possibly kings) does the partnership hold? There are two different conventions to use asking for aces (and kings) – the blackwood 4NT and the gerber 4-club.
Clearly, I have covered a lot of ground, so these “missing conventions” will be the topics for the next few columns.
Good luck and good bridge.
For entry level instruction or formal play, contact Al at [email protected] or (408) 779-7122.
