Grand Slam Dunk

Posted by Rakesh Kumar on Friday, 31 October 2014 at 09:50

According to Wikipedia, the phrase 'slam dunk', meaning a 'sure thing', entered popular usage in American English courtesy of the LA Lakers. Most dictionaries offer a 'traditional' definition of dunk along the lines of 'immersion in water' and that's certainly what it felt like at various tables around the room this afternoon, including ours.

The first grand slam to come along was on Board 13, which would usually be opened 1NT (15-17 hcp) by East. At our table, West bid 3♥ and East cued 3♠. West checked for aces and bid 7NT, which was cold.

Around the room, 30 of 48 pairs reached either 7♥ or 7NT. All of the EW pairs at the top tables were in a grand slam. Elsewhere in the room, for 14 pairs who bid the grand, there was a gain of 13 IMPs (or even more).

Things were a little less straightforward on Board 20, which might be opened in a variety of ways by North, depending on system.

Although the hand is cold for 7♦, 7♥ or 7NT, grand slam was bid by only 20 NS pairs. At the top tables, a grand slam was bid somewhat less than one-third of the time! Curiously 7♥ wasn't reached at any of these tables, with the usual contract being 7♦.

Our team had the dubious distinction of achieving the maximum adverse swing by not reaching grand slam in either direction, while our opponents reached both ....