Friday, October 28, 2005 12:33 AM

Minor Suit Slams

PITBULLS:

An expert partnership needs tools to get to minor & major suit slams after a 1NT opener. Tom had a hand that fits a systemic toy tonight against Maurice & Susan. Tom held Kxx x Kxxx AKQxx after I opened 1NT. Playing with Kiz , Tom bids 3♥ and they get to a baby 6♦ because the NT hand held the perfect heart holding Ax including a 4 card diamond suit. How do you get to the 4-4 diamond fit instead of the 5-4 club fit ? Over the 3♥ bid , the 1NT bidder knows enough to take control and bid 4♦ KCB which sets the suit as diamonds . There is a case for double agreement KCB here but lets assume normal KCB applies. Tom bids 4NT showing two Aces without the diamond queen. I did not have the diamond queen so we are no longer interested in 7♦. The NT bidder jumps to 6♣ giving responder choice of contracts. Tom bids 6♦ and that is cold without a finesse as I held AJx Ax A1098 J1098 .

BJ & I bid the hand slightly differently. I open 1NT and BJ bids 3♠ .As with Kiz , 4♦ is KCB and we duplicate their auction. Tom & I do not play that toy so we need to use the Re-stayman tool. Re-Stayman is not quite as good on this particular auction because knowing about the stiff heart is the key to the hand. Can we find out about Tom’s stiff heart ? 1NT-P-2♣-P 2♦-P-3♣*-P 3♦ Since I do not have a major , this secondary reply to Stayman shows 4-4 in the minors. A major bid by responder in these minor auctions is quite often a stiff. Tom bids 3♥ so I reply 3♠ saying I do not have wasted points in hearts or I would have bid 3NT. Tom now takes control of the hand . Since he knows we have a 4-4 diamond fit , he places the contract in 6♦ so we do not need the spade finesse.

Tom and I did not have the specific toy that BJ & I or Kiz & Tom have for 5-4-3-1 slam tries in the minors. However Re-Stayman always works in the pinch for finding minor suit fits. Even with Re-Stayman , a direct bid of a major by responder should be shortness in most cases. This is a default understanding in these minor suit auctions. The NT hand should judge the auction based on duplication in that major. KCB always applies when you bypass 3NT. Minor suit slams depend on your minor suit KCB understandings !

There is even another way to bid this hand which is not as good. Treat the 5 card club suit as a single suit and bid 2♠. Partner bids 2NT as a super accept in clubs and then you bid 3♥ again showing your stiff. How about one last way of bidding this hand ? 1NT-P-4♠-P 5♣-P-6♣-P . 4♠ is a slam try in the minors. Opener can bid 4NT if not interested or start bidding suits up the line. You find the 5-4 club fit but do not get to the optimum 6♦ contract.