Monday, July 24, 2006 2:13 PM

Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( 6NT Safety Play )

PITBULLS:

NT contracts in general play a trick worse than a suit contract. This is why 6 of a minor or major is preferred over a NT slam. However , reading the write up’s over 25 years of Bermuda Bowls , Spingolds & Vanderbilts , one comment comes time & time again by Edgar Kaplan – “6NT anyone ?” . He usually makes this comment when a slam is beaten on a ruff when there were 12 tricks in NT . He also makes the comment when the trump suit breaks badly & there were enough tricks in the other suits so that 6NT made. He also makes the comment when the contract in a major suit was wrong sided & 6NT to protect the king would have made. Sometimes 5-5 major suit fits should be played in 6NT !!

Seeing all these slam hands go down , when there is a good source of tricks in a side suit , has me thinking that bidding 6NT is quite often taking out insurance when you have most of the HCP’s. Here is a bad auction from a Spingold. You hold ♠ x ♥ Axxxx ♦AKQ109 ♣QJ , partner opens 1♠. You bid 2♥ so partner bids 3♣. You bid 3♦ , partner bids 5♥ so now what ? Partner is inviting to 6♥ if your hearts are good. Your hearts are not good so do you decline the invite ? You do in a way but since you have a source of tricks in diamonds & club fillers you accept the invite by bidding 6NT. 6♥ goes down & 6NT makes 7 !! They passed 5♥ at one table.

Sometimes you can “smell” the ruff coming in your slam. Partner opens 1♥ , they bid 3♦ , you have ♠KQJ10 ♥AJxx ♦Kxx ♣Ax . You show your huge hand & you have enough to bid a slam . Which slam to you bid though ? The diamonds are probably 7-3-2-1 , therefore your partner or your opponent has a stiff diamond. Why take a chance that it is your partner ? 6NT should make no matter who has the stiff diamond. 6NT is not just for matchpoint hounds. Sometimes it is bid out of necessity.

Opponents make bad trump stack doubles sometimes. They also make bad lead directing doubles sometimes. Why , because they are giving you an option to change the contract. In the 40 years I have played this game , I cannot count the times that the opponents doubled & beat slams that would have made in an alternate contract of 6NT. Always remember that the opponents double keeps the bidding open & your side is allowed another bid !!

The most common lead directing double is when they want to ruff dummy’s first suit. In the majority of cases I have had success in 6NT because I believed them. A 6NT “safety play” is like any other safety play. When you can afford the luxury of that contract , bid it. Edgar Kaplan would have approved.