Bidding a minor suit slam.
Bridge Column for January 30, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
Neither side vulnerable.  East deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: A K Q 2          
                              H: A           
                              D: 9 8 7       
                              C: K 10 8 3 2 
            WEST                             EAST
            S: 5 4 3                         S: J 10 9 8 7 6
            H: 7 6 5 4                       H: K 9 8      
            D: 3                             D: Q 10              
            C: J 9 7 6 4                     C: A Q         
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: Void  
                              H: Q J 10 3 2 
                              D: A K J 6 5 4 2 
                              C: 5        
          The Bidding://
                   EAST   SOUTH     WEST   NORTH                  
                    1S     2D       Pass    2S  
                   Pass    3H       Pass    3NT 
                   Pass    4H       Pass    6D  
                   Pass    Pass     Pass 
     This hand is from a rubber bridge game.  I held the North
cards and the two spade bid at my first turn was a cue bid to
inform partner that we had game values.  After three hearts,
three no trump was an effort to play in a nine trick game as
opposed to five diamonds, which would require that our side take
eleven tricks.
     Partner's four heart call pretty much told me that he held
nearly all red cards.  I really did not want my hand to be the
dummy because of the potential for a club lead through the king,
but I could not justify insisting on a no trump contract.  Any
additional tricks would probably come from trumping hearts in my
hand.
     I had been sitting and thinking about this for at least a
minute and I realized that it would not be fair to bid five
diamonds.  Partner would realize that my hesitation concerned the
question of bidding the diamond slam, and he might take action
then, based on my slowness in bidding.  I did not want to place
him in the position of having to pass because it would be
unethical to bid.  With this in mind, I simply bid the small
slam.
     The opening lead was the nine of clubs.  Declarer played the
king and East won the ace.  He attempted to cash the queen but
declarer trumped.  The ace of diamonds revealed that there would
be no problem in that suit and the king pulled the last
outstanding trump.  A heart to the ace provided the entry for
three top spades, declarer discarding hearts.  
     The fourth spade was trumped in hand and declarer's last
heart was trumped in the dummy, at which point, declarer was able
to claim.  It is interesting to note that six no trump will only
make if East cashes his ace of clubs as the opening lead.
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