| West | North | East | South |
| 1♦ | |||
| 2♦(1) | Dbl | Pass | Pass |
| 2♥ | Dbl | Pass | 3♦ |
| Pass | 3♥ | Pass | 3♠ |
| Pass | 4♦ | Pass | 5♣ |
| Pass | 6♦ | All Pass |
1. Michaels cuebid: at least 5-5 in the majors
The auction had some points of interest. Your pass, followed by 3♦, promised extras, You would have bid at your second turn with fewer values. You also judged that a vulnerable game or slam was more promising than a penalty from 2♥ doubled. After that start, you and partner were forced to game. Control bidding followed, and once you confirmed a club control, your partner ended the auction by leaping to 6♦. West leads the ♣K, which you win with the ace. When you lead a low trump toward the ace, West discards a heart. How will you cope with this development to get to 12 tricks?
Solution
Despite the bad trump break, declarer did not concede. He saw that he could make 12 tricks provided West had exactly five spades headed by the jack. Declarer won the second trick with the ♦A and continued with the ♦4 to the 3 and 8. Next, declarer cashed the ♦K, followed by the ♠A. Declarer then led a low spade and, playing with the odds when West followed low, finessed the 10. Declarer continued with the ♠K. East saw that ruffing it would allow the contract to make easily (declarer could overruff, draw trumps and claim 12 tricks). So, he threw a heart, and so did declarer. Next came the ♠Q, again eliciting heart discards from East and declarer. The ♥A saw club discards from East and declarer. Declarer ruffed a heart and exited with a club at trick 11. East was reduced to the jack-six of trumps, while declarer held the queen-ten of the suit over him, so declarer made the last two tricks and brought his contract home. The full deal: