Monday, March 12, 2007 9:55 PM

Hand Evaluation – Multi Purpose 5NT

PITBULLS:

A leap to 5NT as the grand slam force is an old convention. The convention pre-dates KCB & exclusion KCB , both of which do the same job. 5NT as a GSF is virtually extinct. If you had a chance to use KCB & did not , 5 NT can not be the GSF. We repeat , if 4NT was available , 5NT means something else. The most common modern meaning of 5NT is “pick a slam” . The auction usually dictates the suits & if NT was bid previously bid , 6NT may be one of the choices for slam.

Exclusion KCB has really made 5NT as the grand slam force extinct. Whatever reason in the old days you had for leaping to 5NT , exclusion KCB does a better job in this day & age. Playing with an old partner , I held ♠Q9x ♥void ♦AK1098x ♣Qxx , they opened 1♥ to my left. Vulnerable , partner overcalled 1♠ . You want to be in a grand slam if partner holds the AK of spades so do you jump to 5NT ? We have decided that 5NT is extinct so we do not use the bid. A leap to 5♥ exclusion does a better job as there are bids ( suit or King ask etc) that can be used after. He shows a high spade honour so we get to our baby 6♠ which is worth +12 IMPS ! Do not forget that a leap to 4NT is not KCB in this auction. If you are too lazy to Q bid 2♥ first before leaping to 4NT KCB, that is your problem . A leap to 4NT shows 6-5 in the minors.

Tom Gandolfo held a hand recently that shows why 5NT should be extinct as a GSF in favour of Exclusion. ♠Q10xxx ♥AQJxxxx ♦Q ♣void. Vince opened 1♦ , Tom replied 1♥ with Vince surprising with a 1♠ rebid. They now backed in 2♣ so what do you bid ? In the days before Exclusion KCB , you would have to take a silly shot & bid 5NT. This of course risks the opponents cashing the ♦A on the go as partner bids 7♠ with ♠AKJx ♥Kx ♦KJ109x ♣xx. A 5NT bid is certainly risk taking & placing cards at its worst. Tom instead bids 5♣ exclusion so with the hand Vince actually held ♠AKxx ♥Kx ♦Axxx ♣xxx he shows 3 Aces outside of clubs . You can now bid 6♣ which is king ask & find the heart king so 13 tricks counted before the lead. Single handed guessing eliminated.

Here is an expert auction in a Bermuda Bowl utilizing the modern meaning of 5NT as “pick a slam” . They open 3♦ , partner overcalls 3♠ & you hold ♠x ♥AKQxxx ♦A ♣KJxxx. 4♦ would imply a spade fit & 4NT KCB is not the bid you want to make. 4♥ is not forcing as we are in game so is this hand unbidable ? No , leap to 5NT saying partner pick a slam from the two unbid suits. 5NT cannot be the GSF as you had 4NT available. Partner had ♠AJ1098x ♥x ♦xx ♣AQxx so 7♣ makes.

Partner pre-empts 4 of a major . What is 5NT ? You still have room for 4NT KCB so 5NT is not the GSF. 5NT asks for solidarity of your trump suit with these responses:

· 7 of the major means I can make it opposite a void

· 6 of the major means we could be too high already

· 6♦ is the trump queen ask – Partner bid 7 with Qx or xxx as I will now have a solid suit

· 6♣ asks for your length 2,1,or 0

o With 2 small bid 7

o With a singleton bid 6♦ & I will decide

o With a void return to the trump suit

What if you are interested in a Grand Slam after partner pre-empts at the 4 level in a major ? We do not need 5NT as a Grand Slam Force in the traditional sense as KCB is sophisticated enough for the old purpose. We need to re-define 5NT to ask the question is your suit “solid” ? If you have a solid suit that can play opposite a void , leap to 7 of your major. We further define the pre-empters “solid suit” the following way – solid with help from your partner. Solid opposite xxx or Qx from partner & next a solid suit opposite 2 small or singleton from partner. A return to the trump suit means no solid suit , period (KQJ10xxx(x) or AQJ10xxx(x) ) . This scheme allows hand evaluation by the pre-empter with regards to the length of her suit ( 7, 8 , 9 card suits) also.

If the pre-empters suit is “solid” with help from partner consisting of 3 small or the Qx , this means AKxxxxx or AKJ10xxx , she bids 6♦ after the 5NT question. Partner will take it from there and place the contract. If the pre-empters suit is “solid” opposite xx or a stiff , the pre-empter bids 6♣. Here is where partner gets into the act & returns information to the pre-empter. If partner has a void in the trump suit, she signs off in 6 of the major. If partner has xx of the suit , she bids the grand slam as partner has announced an 8 card suit to the AKJxxxxx or the like. If partner has a singleton , she bids 6♦ after the 6♣ response & in this one case only , the pre-empter places the final contract. AKxxxxxx is not good enough opposite a stiff but AKQxxxx is good enough for the grand. I guess , even 9 card suits can be evaluated in accordance with these solidarity rules.

Partner opens 4♠ , you hold ♠x ♥AKxx ♦Axxx ♣AKQx so you bid 5NT . If partner bids 6♦ , you sign off because she needs help from you that you do not have. If partner bids 7♠ , you correct to 7NT in case of a ruff. If partner bids 6♣ , you toss the ball back to her court with a 6♦ bid. She bids 7 or 6 depending on whether your singleton will make her suit solid. If partner bids 6♠ , hope that she holds her trump losers to one J.

Established partnerships should have this “solid suit” check back in their system. The death response after 5NT , is returning to the trump suit as you probably have a trump loser. 4 of a major varies so much in trump quality , you need a bid like this for correct slam bidding. In my opinion , anyway.