The diamond slam that wasn't.
Bridge Column for May 10, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
Both sides vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: 3 2          
                              H: 10 5 4 2    
                              D: 8 7         
                              C: A K 6 5 3 
            West                             East
            S: Q 10 6 4                      S: 9 7 5        
            H: Q 9 8 7                       H: J 6 3      
            D: 9 3                           D: A 5 4             
            C: J 10 7                        C: Q 9 8 2     
                              South                         
                              S: A K J 8
                              H: A K        
                              D: K Q J 10 6 2 
                              C: 4        
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                   1D      Pass     1H      Pass
                   2S      Pass     2NT     Pass
                   3D      Pass     3NT     Pass
                   4NT     Pass     5D      Pass
                   Pass    Pass
     Thanks to Mary Chilcote of Cleveland for this hand from
Bracket One of the Knockout Teams at the Hilton Head, SC Regional
Bridge Tournament that was held in February.
     Chilcote sat South and had to decide how to open this huge,
four loser hand.  If she bid two clubs, the almost automatic two
diamond response was going to make the subsequent bidding very
difficult.  With this in mind she opened one diamond.  North
showed a heart suit and Chilcote bid two spades, showing a very
good hand.  
     North, with seven points, and more importantly, two quick
tricks, should now know that there is a game in this hand.  I
think that it would be right to bid three clubs at this point,
but he decided to temporize with two no trump.  Chilcote's three
diamond bid shows her actual diamond-spade distribution.
     Three no trump by North was an attempt to end the auction. 
Had the hand been dealt at matchpoint competition, I would guess
that many pairs would play three no trump (making five) for a
very good matchpoint score.  But this was team competition and
Chilcote did not want to miss a potential diamond slam.  Four no
trump was not ace asking in this sequence.  It was not clear,
however, what North's five diamond response meant.    
     Chilcote decided that it was most likely a sign off and
passed.  The opening lead was the jack of clubs and Chilcote was
able to trump one spade in the dummy and make twelve tricks.
     What the average player has to realize is that when you are
playing in a team competition, you can't do everything yourself. 
You have to have some faith in your teammates at the companion
table.  In the replay, the North-South opponents bid six
diamonds.  Chilcote's teammate in the West seat found a diamond
lead.  East won the ace and returned another diamond, and all of
a sudden, declarer could come to only eleven tricks.
     Chilcote's team won the event.  Masterpoint awards are based
on the total number of teams entered in all of the brackets and
this was a very large tournament.  The win was worth 55 gold
master points for each member of the winning team.
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Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.