5NT Pick-a-Slam

By Larry Cohen

Everyone has no doubt run into this one at one time or another: you and partner have reached 5NT, known at one time as Josephine or, more recently. Grand Slam Force. You now stew for some minutes before bidding the wrong slam. Worse, you bid the grand in the right strain and go down.

To save the grief this sometimes entails with various forms of descriptive Blackwood more popular these days, 5NT now lets you and partner decide what slam to play in.

This method grows in popularity every year. It has pretty much made the Grand Slam Force obsolete. (It used to be that 5NT asked partner to bid a grand slam with 2 of the top 3 honors, but in the days of Keycard Blackwood, that method is no longer needed).

Since 5NT is almost never a contract you want to play in, bids of 5NT are used as artificial and say: "Partner, I'd like to be in a small slam, but I am not sure which one -- you choose." This tool can be useful on many auctions, for example, consider that responder holds:

S A 2
H K 5 4
D K J 8
C A K 10 7 2

His partner opens 1D and he answers 2C.

Opener rebids 2NT. Now what?

Opener	Responder
1D	2C
2NT	5NT

Responder is not interested in 7 (with 18 opposite maybe 13), but probably is willing to play a small slam. But which one? He could belong in 6C if opener holds:

S Q J 4 3
H A 7
D Q 10 7 2
C Q J 3

opposite

S K 8 2
H K Q J
D K J 9 6 4
C 8 5

What else must you know about The LAW?

the right contract is 6D.

And, facing:

S A K 2
H Q J 3
D A 6 4 3
C Q 5 4

6NT is where you belong.

In all cases above, over the 5NT "pick-a-slam" there is a good chance that opener would indeed pick the right slam.

There is some judgment involved in when to make the 5NT bid and how to respond to it. The responder should take into account the previous bidding and try to make an intelligent decision (no snide remarks or thoughts about your partner are needed).

While Larry has currently left the competitive bridge arena, he continues to write for the ACBL, puts out a newsletter with upcoming lectures, appearances and bridge cruises (including several Sectionals at Sea). He also sells copies of To Bid or Not to Bid and Following the LAW on his website, www.larryco.com, where you can check out articles from NABCs, USBC qualifiers, and topics of interest to all levels of bridge players.

Also announced is a reunion lecture session with Marty Bergen June 22-24 in Las Vegas. Check Larry's site, as well as Marty's website, www.martybergen.com for more information.