Huge difference
Slams create the biggest swings and sometimes decide the outcome of a match all by themselves. Everything is decided by the bidding and then … the opening lead. When they are not reached by way of brute force, they are the culmination of long sequences, which, rich in clues, often put the defender on the right track. But only if he decrypts them correctly!
What do you lead as West?
Online bridge offers numerous possibilities for you to get some training. Among others, you can program hands or look them up in archives (for instance collected by The Bridge World) that are specifically aimed at slam bidding and then play them in “multi-duplicates” and be compared or associated with pairs from all over the world. Here are four examples of leads that have, or could have, provoked big swings during these encounters:
Number 1
See solution and score: number 1
Number 2
See solution and score: number 2
Number 3
(1) Strong.
(2) Asking for a Spade stopper.
(3) Yes I have it
See solution and score: number 3
Number 4
(1) Natural, singleton Spade.
(2) Game forcing raise.
See solution and score: number 4
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Really good explanations and reasoning. When I read the first sentences in the solution some “Yeah, but…” popped up in my head but when I continued to read all those “yeah, but…” vanished away. Thanks for a very good lecture.