| West | North | East | South |
| 1♠; | |||
| 2NT(1) | 3♦(2) | Pass | 3♥ |
| Pass | 4♣ | Pass | 4♦ |
| Pass | 4NT | Pass | 5♣ |
| Pass | 6♠ | All Pass |
1. Showing at least 5-5 in the minors
2. Limit raise or better in spades
West leads the ♣Q against your slam. Do you think you can make him pay for being a nuisance with his 2NT bid?
Solution
West’s 2NT bid was a bit thin and, worse, it provided too much information about his hand. North cuebid 3♦, the higher suit, to promise a limit raise or better in spades.
South showed extras with control bids of 3♥ and 4♦. North concluded the auction in 6♠ after asking for key cards with 4NT. After winning the opening lead in dummy, declarer counted the usual 11 winners. The saving grace was that he knew that West would not enjoy the run of the major suits. After winning the first trick with the ♣A, declarer drew trumps in four rounds, throwing a low diamond from dummy. West threw two diamonds and a club. When declarer played a fifth trump, West threw a club, reducing to two hearts, three diamonds and two clubs. Declarer then cashed the ♥A and ♥Q, revealing that West began with 1=2=5=5 shape and was left with 3=2 in the minors.
A heart to dummy’s king drew a third club discard from West. Declarer reacted to this by cashing ♣K, reducing West to three diamonds only. Declarer called for dummy’s ♦J and ran it to West’s queen. Declarer made the last two tricks on the forced diamond return for his contract: he made eight tricks in the majors and four in the minors.
West could not have done better by discarding a diamond on the ♥K. Declarer would simply play ace and another diamond. West would win a diamond trick but dummy would take the last two tricks with the ♣K and the good ♦J. jack of diamonds. The full deal: