North, your favourite partner, opens 1. How would your partnership develop the auction? Choose any methods you like. Rate the likely contracts, with 10 the top score.

Neither side vulnerable North deals

A K Q 2 K Q 9 7 5 3 J 7 6

J 10 9 5 A Q 2 J 10 2 A K 10

 If you respond 1, North would raise to 3 and the auction would continue with a couple of cue-bids - 4 and 4. With topless trumps South would not go past 4 when North denies the A and shows first-round control of hearts (the marked heart void does not improve South's hand). If North elects to continue with 5 (second-round control) South will bid a slam because he can almost "see" North's magnificent trumps to justify a move beyond game.

West	North	East	South
	1	Pass	1
Pass	3	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	5	Pass	6/6NT
End

 If a 2NT response (13-15 points, stoppers, balanced) may contain a four-card major in your style, South will look no further. It is up to each partnership to choose a follow-up method to unearth a major-suit fit or to reveal a weakness for notrump. Naturalists would rebid 3 or 3 with the North hand while more scientific partnerships favour an artificial checkback mechanism (usually 3 or 3) or use new-suit rebids to show shortage.

 In a natural approach North should rebid 3, showing at least six cards in the suit. South could continue with a natural 3. North might bid 4 to show a control, inferentially agreeing spades (South won't have four hearts when he bids 3 so it's pointless to introduce hearts in a natural sense). Or he might jump to 5, depicting a short holding with a spade fit; that won't excite South, who has weak trumps, wasted strength in hearts, and no top honour in diamonds, so perhaps 5 is the wrong bid.

 6 may go down on a diamond ruff and 6 might go down on a less likely (second-round) spade ruff. Best of all is 6NT by South, which is ice cold.

 6NT (South): 10; 6: 9; 6: 7; 3NT (South): 2; 4: 1.