Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - May 8, 2023 - Slam

 Question: This hand had 6NT.  How should slam have been explored?

Vic:

North & South both dropped the ball on this auction. Both players undersold their hand. 

North has an impressive full strength opener (14 HCPs including 3.5 Quick Tricks). Passing on their first chance to call was a shame. I would expect North to open 1C. If North had shown opening hand strength, I would expect South to immediately have major league interest in the possibility of slam. 

Given that South did not open, North (holding a 19 point hand that includes 1 length point + 3 Quick Tricks) is too strong to open 1NT. I would expect South to open 1D, planning to jump to 2NT over a one level response by North. If South had managed to show their point count accurately, I would expect North to have major league interest in the possibility of slam.

 Actually getting to slam would probably involve an aggressive jump to 6NT for all but the most experienced players/partners. 

Following is one possible auction:  P     1C     P     1D     P     1S     P     6NT     P     P     P

Note: Against experienced defenders, taking 12 tricks to make a small slam requires skilled  Declarer play. Against inexperienced defenders, maybe not so much.

 Ain't bridge a great game?