Grand slams are not easy to bid. For they require precision and accuracy in locating the key cards and be able to visualise the proper distribution for 13 tricks to make. Many useful devices in systems of bidding have been developed for locating the ideal hand for bidding a grand slam.
But even in simple standard methods some hands are ideally placed in kings and aces encouraging players to attempt the finale in bidding by going for all 13 tricks, which would be a big natural gain in the hope that their opponents do not muster up the courage to do so.
Let us take a simple straight forward hand:
The bidding in natural standard American system would proceed straight and simple as under:
The bidding is typical of a grand slam. Knowing partner has both missing kings along with a 3 to 4 carder spade support, north could count straight away visually 6 spade tricks, 4 tricks in red suits aces and kings along with 2 in clubs adding to 12 tricks. The 13th trick would materialise if his partner held a queen, which would reflect his minimum 8 HCP for the 2NT balanced distribution that he was showing. Of course if he lacks any queen and has the useless 2 jacks, in the black suits, the grand slam could easily be threatened to doom. But what if he held the JD, then again a little hope lies in the finesse if nothing else would work. Well how would you in the north seat go about making the grand slam on a trump lead.
Counting only 12 sure tricks the declarer has to think hard. The diamond suit is a tempting one. But how are the diamonds placed. The simple diamond finesse of the queen is there as well as the inverted one of the 10D. Playing JD for Q to cover and then going for the finesse of the 10 diamonds. But a far better prospect lay in the QD dropping 3 times if declarer goes for AD, KD and a diamond ruff. Apart from these options, there was always a combination of 2 chances instead of one-going for the straight forward natural play of first hoping to drop the queen of clubs on the play of the AK, failing which the declarer has the diamonds options in reserve.
Well since the 7S was a courageous bid without enquiry whether partner held a queen or not the declarer was determined to give it a try. Well, we would certainly congratulate you if you took the natural line of play for in the actual hand played in an American National Tournament. One of the opponents held queen of clubs doubleton. Those who would go for the diamond finesse without trying the clubs first would fail for QD, 10XX, 4 times lay above the dummy. But let me reveal to you how the opponents under pressure of discarding make things easy for the declarer. For in the actual play, declarer tried for something spectacular.
He banked on some sort of squeeze and therefore began with an array of trumps running first. Cashing 5 trumps straight away, discarding 2 clubs from dummy, whereupon east holdin held on to his hearts, was reluctant to throw a diamond whereby declarer would know the diamond finesse not working and therefore encouraged by a club discard from dummy, discarded 3 clubs on the 3 trumps and gave declarer spectacularly the 5C as his last winner for the grand slam to make the hard way instead of the simple one.
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North South
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AKQ864 1073 92
A4 K62 10983
A5 KJ98 63
AK5 J63 109842
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W N E S
- - - Pass
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Pass 2C Pass 2NT
Pass 3S Pass 4S
Pass 4NT Pass 5C
Pass 5NT Pass 6H
Pass 7S Pass Pass
Pass -
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