In general, a slam should be bid whenever there appears to be a better-than-even chance of fulfillment. It is in this area that a partnership’s bidding skill is most severely tested.

The main question to be resolved in bidding a slam is whether the combined hands will offer a good chance to make at least 12 tricks. Bids devoted to finding out the number of aces held, such as Blackwood, all too often bypass this basic question.

South’s three-club rebid in today’s deal announces a hand containing 16 to 18 points. It asks North to continue bidding unless his first response was a dead minimum (six or seven points). A four-club response by North would indicate a hand such as the one he has, less the ace of diamonds. North’s five-club response described his additional values very precisely.

South’s six-club bid is automatic. North is bound to have strong diamonds and club support for the two bids he has made, and South has excellent control of the unbid side suits.

Twelve tricks can be made by taking ordinary care. South has two potential heart losers. He can avoid one of them in three possible ways: the diamonds may break 3-3; the heart finesse may succeed; an endplay may be arranged.

After winning the opening spade lead, declarer should cash the Q-J of trump and then ruff dummy’s remaining spade. Next, the A-K-Q of diamonds are taken, revealing that West started with four of them.

The six of diamonds is then led, on which South discards the seven of hearts. West wins but has no satisfactory exit. A heart return would be into declarer’s A-Q, while a spade return allows declarer to trump in dummy as he discards the queen of hearts.

Tomorrow: A giveaway plan.

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