What does Five Spades mean?
Bridge Column for September 17, 2004, Harvey Bernstein
Special To The Plain Dealer
East-West vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: K Q 10 7 2        
                              H: Q 10 3      
                              D: Q 3 2       
                              C: J 4 
            West                             East
            S: Void                          S: J 9 4   
            H: K J 8 7 6 5                   H: 4 2        
            D: K J 10 9 4                    D: 8 7 6 5           
            C: Q 8                           C: 7 6 5 3     
                              South                         
                              S: A 8 6 5 3
                              H: A 9        
                              D: A         
                              C: A K 10 9 2
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                    1S      2H      3S      Pass
                    4H     Pass     4S      Pass
                    5S     Pass     6S      Pass
                   Pass    Pass
     This hand is from a rubber bridge game where the
participants were all playing a standard bidding system.  The
bidding was excellent.  Three spades by North was a "limit raise"
showing nine or ten points and four card spade support.  South's
four heart bid showed slam interest with first round control of
the heart suit.
     Even with the fifth spade, North doesn't have any other bid
than four spades.  South's five spade bid now asks a specific
question:  How good is your spade support?  
     North has excellent spade support and bids the small slam. 
West led the jack of diamonds.  With the queen of clubs falling
doubleton, South was able to make all thirteen tricks.
     It should be noted that a five spade call does not always
ask the same question.  In the sequence shown above, if South, at
his second turn to bid, went directly to five spades, he would be
asking about control of the heart suit - the suit bid by the
opponents.
     These types of bids don't come up that often and it is good
to take the time to discuss them with your regular partner.  It
would be a shame to hold cards like these and not get to the lay
down slam.

     The American Bridge Association Summer National Tournament
was held in Indianapolis, IN from July 28 to August 7.
Congratulations to the following local Players who were
successful in their respective events.

July 29. Gwendolyn Gresham of Warrensville Heights finished 5th
in the Afternoon Open Pairs.  James Hunter, Cleveland, was 12th
in the Evening Open Pairs.

July 30. Gresham was 5th and Al Freeman of Cleveland was 8th in
the Belsaw Open Pairs.  Pamela Bradford, Cleveland and Winifred
Wright, Shaker Heights finished 8th in the Evening side game.

July 31.  Gresham and Lily Cleveland of Chagrin Falls, finished
13th in Flight A of the Christina Jones Women's Pairs.  Alice
Redd and Lillian Hale of Warrensville Heights were 5th in Flight
B of the same event.  Elistene Fields, Lucille McGhee, and Ruth
Hunter of Cleveland with Ernestine Mapp of Shaker Heights
finished 5th in the Morning Knockout Teams.

Aug 1. Al Freeman was 1st in Flight A and Opal Taylor of Solon
was 4th in Flight B of the Sunday Evening Open Pairs.

Aug 2. Lily and James Cleveland of Chagrin Falls, Alice Redd,
Lillian Hale, and Sara Seals of Shaker Heights with Georgia
Doggett of Cleveland, finished 5th in flight B of the Victor Daly
Knockout Teams. Jean Pinkney of Cleveland, Pearl Buchanan of
Chagrin Falls, and Opal Taylor of Solon were on the team that
tied for third place in Flight F of the same event.  Freeman and
Gresham were members of the team that was first in Flight A of
the Second Chance Knockout Teams.  Frederick Jefferson of
Cleveland Heights was a member of the team that finished 2nd in
Flight B; James and Sara Buford of Lorain, Winfred Wright and
Pamela Bradford were 1st in Flight D; and Olive Deany Tabor of
Cleveland was a member of the team that was 2nd in Flight D of
the same event. 

Aug 3. James Hunter was 2nd, Geraldine Jones, Cleveland was 12th
in Flight A and Ruth Hunter, and Ernestine Mapp of Cleveland were
8th in Flight B of the Stratified Open Pairs.  Vidella Vinson,
Warrensville Heights and Jeanette Avery, Shaker Heights finished
3rd in the New Players Open Pairs.

Aug 4. Al Freeman was 5th in the Flight A P.W. Goode Open Pairs

Aug 5. James Hunter was a member of the team that was 1st in
Flight A and James and Sara Buford, Pamela Bradford and Winifred
Wright were 1st in Flight B of the A.M. Zip Swiss.  Sara Seals
and Georgia Doggett were 2nd and Elistine Fields and Al Freeman
finished 4th in the Continuous Pairs.  Lily Cleveland and Gwen
Gresham finished 10th.  Al Freeman was 14th and Olive Deany Tabor
were 15th in Flight A while Ruth Hunter and Ernestine Mapp
finished 11th in Flight B of the National Scholarship Open Pairs.

Aug 7. James Hunter was a member of the team that was 1st in the
Board a Match Mixed Teams. 
______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.