Slam bidding - Spotting the chance

• Question 1 (of 3 on this page)

  What are the tell-tale COMBINED point-count signs of a possible Slam?
  
  

  1. 37+
  2. 33+
  3. 31+
  4. 29+
  5. 23+
  6. 10+
  7. All of these
  8. None of these
  
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• Answer 1 (of 3 on this page)

  What are the tell-tale COMBINED point-count signs of a possible Slam?
  
  

  ( 7 ). All of these
  
  Even 10 points is enough! But I know it's unlikely to have 13 cards from one suit!
  
  The 23+ HCP should probably be excluded from the list of combined points, but keep it in for evaluating your own hand.
  
  All the other numbers are valid, depending on the shape of your hands.
  
  The message is that although a Slam is somewhat rare, your combined point count doesn't always need to be very very high.
  
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• Question 2 (of 3 on this page)

  You opened the bidding with 2 clubs, and your partner replied 2 diamonds. You are not vulnerable and the enemy said nothing. You have this 20-HCP 3-loser hand
  
  A 8 7 6 5 4 3
  A K Q
  A K 5
  
  What should you bid next?

  1. 2 Hearts
  2. 2 Spades
  3. 2 NT
  4. 3 Diamonds
  5. 3 Hearts
  6. 3 Spades
  7. 3 NT
  8. 4 Spades
  9. 5 Diamonds
  
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• Answer 2 (of 3 on this page)

  You opened the bidding with 2 clubs, and your partner replied 2 diamonds. You are not vulnerable and the enemy said nothing. You have this 20-HCP 3-loser hand
  
  A 8 7 6 5 4 3
  A K Q
  A K 5
  
  What should you bid next?

  ( 2 ). 2 Spades
  
  Your partner knows that you alone have enough strength to get to Game, and will not stop until you get there. That's why you opened with 2 clubs.
  
  There's no need to jump in your preferred suit of Spades, since, being a little weak, it is not necessarily the only suit that could be the best.
  
  What if partner had Jxxxxx in Hearts, and a singleton Spade? His rebid of 3 Hearts, and it all looks quite promising for 6 or 7 Hearts.
  
  If you'd rebid 3 Spades instead of 2 Spades, your partner would probably have closed the auction at 4 Spades, and your opportunity for a Slam would have been lost.
  
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• Question 3 (of 3 on this page)

  You opened the bidding (with 1NT), and the enemy had nothing to say at any stage. Nobody is vulnerable. Your partner replied 2 Diamonds, so (of course!) you dutifully transfered to 2 Hearts. Your partner then rebids 3 Diamonds. You have this 14-HCP 7-loser hand
  
  A K 7 3
  Q J 7
  Q J 6 3
  J 4
  
  What should you now bid?

  1. pass
  2. 3 Hearts
  3. 3 Spades
  4. 3 NT
  5. 4 Diamonds
  6. 4 Hearts
  7. 5 Diamonds
  
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• Answer 3 (of 3 on this page)

  You opened the bidding (with 1NT), and the enemy had nothing to say at any stage. Nobody is vulnerable. Your partner replied 2 Diamonds, so (of course!) you dutifully transfered to 2 Hearts. Your partner then rebids 3 Diamonds. You have this 14-HCP 7-loser hand
  
  A K 7 3
  Q J 7
  Q J 6 3
  J 4
  
  What should you now bid?

  ( 2 ). 3 Hearts
  
  You know your partner has promised 5 Hearts, from his first 2 diamond bid. So the second bid in diamonds can only mean a second long suit of at least 4 diamonds. Not only that, but he is also interested in a further discussion, so therefore he must have game-going strength.
  
  By supporting his hearts now (for the first time where you had a choice to do so) you are allowing him to accept Hearts by bidding at the game level (4), or to explore Slam if he is very strong. In the latter case, if he cue bids 4 Clubs (promising 1st round control in Clubs), you could respond by cue bidding 4 Spades. Then maybe 6 Hearts will be possible.
  
  Let's not discuss whether you should have "super-accepted" the transfer by making your first rebid 3 Hearts instead of 2 Hearts. You WERE strong enough, assuming that you and your partner use this system.
  
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