Slam
Bidding When a Slam is Likely
0
53
2
Conventional
bid ?
5
Did partner just make a Grand Slam Force bid, or did you make a Grand
Slam Force bid at your last turn, or did partner just make a Voluntary
Five-Major bid, or did you just make a Voluntary Five-Major bid at your
last turn and then hear 5NT from partner, or did partner just make a
Control Asking Bid?

2
Are you
doubled ?
1
Have the opponents doubled you in an 8-card fit ?

2
Use
Gerber ?
2
Are you in a Stayman auction such as 1N-2$C-2$H, or
have you used a Gerber 4$C already ?

2
Gerber
yet ?
1
Have you used Gerber yet ?

2
Too
high ?
1
Is the bidding too high to bid 4$C ?

2
All the
Aces ?
1
Do you and your partner have all four Aces ?

2
Enough for
Grand Slam ?
1
You need 37 Total Points between you to bid a Grand Slam

1
5$C yet ?
1
Have you bid a Gerber 5$C yet ?

1
Blackwood Yet ?
1
Have either you or partner bid Blackwood yet ?

2
Ready to
sign off ?
1
Do you have all the information you need to place the final contract?

2
Place
contract
1
Place the final contract based on all the information you have.

3
Grand
Slam
Force ?
5
Do you have at least one of the top three trump honors, no quick
losers outside of trump, and strength for a grand slam ; also, can you
bid 5NT?  Don't bid a Grand Slam Force, though, with all three of
the top three trump honors, or with two of the top three trump honors
if clubs are trump, or with Ace-King of trump if diamonds are trump.

2
Bid Grand 
Slam Force
1
Bid 5NT as Grand Slam Force.

3
Voluntary
Five-Major
Bid ?
15
Do you know that you and partner have first-round control of every
suit but the inquiry suit, with partner possibly having first-round
control or second-round control in the inquiry suit, and with you
having neither first-round control nor second-round control in the
inquiry suit?  If so, is the trump suit a major suit, and could you
bid four of that major (or pass a bid of four of that major if
you are not already in a cuebid auction)?  If so, bid five of that
major to ask about control in the inquiry suit.  (If the opponents
have bid, the inquiry suit is the highest-ranking suit that they have
bid naturally and in which neither you nor partner has shown control.
If there is no such suit, the inquiry suit is the only suit in which
neither you nor partner has shown control.  If there is no such suit,
but there are two suits in which neither you nor partner has shown
control, and one of them is trump, the inquiry suit is the non-trump
suit.  If there is no such suit, the inquiry suit is the trump suit.)

2
Five of
major
1
Bid your major trump suit at the five level.

3
Control
asking
bid ?
10
Do you know that you and partner have first-round control and
second-round control of every suit but one suit, with partner possibly
having first-round or second-round control in that suit?  If so, can
you jump to the five-level in that suit (or bid at the five-level in
that suit if partner just made an opening bid of 4$H or 4$S), and has
that suit not been previously bid?  If so, bid that suit at the five
level.  However, don't make a Control Asking Bid in spades if your suit
is clubs, unless you want to be in a grand slam if partner has a first-round
spade control (because partner's 6$D response will force you to bid the
grand slam.) 

3
Bid 5 of
suit lacking
control
2
Bid 5 of the suit in which you do not know that you and partner have
first-round control and second-round control.

2
In cuebid
auction ?
2
Are you already in a cuebidding auction?  (You are if you or partner has
already made a control-showing cuebid.)

2
Easy
cuebid ?
2
Can you make a cuebid without raising the level of the cheapest final
contract in the agreed trump suit?

1
Below 4NT ?
1
Can you still bid Blackwood on this auction?

2
Make
cuebid
1
Make your cheapest cuebid.

2
Make
cuebid
4
Make your cheapest cuebid.  Cuebidding Notrumps shows a trump control.
(Skip one strain over a second-round control to bid a first-round control
if you know that neither you nor partner will bid beyond five of the trump 
suit otherwise.)

2
Bid
trump ?
7
Consider bidding trump in preference to going beyond trump.  If your
cuebid would be beyond four of the trump suit, but would skip a suit above
the trump suit, just bid the trump suit, since partner will bid again
anyway.  If your cuebid would be beyond five of the trump suit, but
would skip a suit above the trump suit, bid the trump suit only if partner
is guaranteed to bid again; that is, if partner knows that there is
first-round control in every suit.

2
Bid
trump
0

2
Strong
cuebid ?
4
You may not cuebid above six of the trump suit.
If you cuebid above five of the trump suit, you show that you know that
there is at most one quick loser.
You may cuebid above four of the trump suit at will.

2
Bid
trump
4
Return to the agreed trump suit.  If already in the agreed trump suit,
bid the agreed trump suit at the six level if you can guarantee
at most one quick loser; bid the agreed trump suit at the five level
to keep the bidding alive; otherwise pass.

1
Cuebid ?
14
Can you make an initial control-showing cuebid?  You must be playing 
control-showing cuebids; you must have agreed on a trump suit; the
initial cuebid must be above three of the agreed suit but below five of
the agreed suit; if the agreed suit is a minor, the initial cuebid must
be above Three No Trump or must be the only unbid suit; the initial cuebid
must be in an unbid suit; you can't cuebid the trump suit; you must have
first-round control in the cuebid suit.  Don't make an initial cuebid
at the five level, however, if you hold first-round control in every strain
between your initial cuebid and the suit below the trump suit, and if you
have more than one quick loser: in this case, the bidding is certain to die
at five of the trump suit.  Also, don't make an initial cuebid at the five
level if you have exactly two quick losers, at least one of which is in
the suit above the trump suit: you might end up in five of the trump suit
without ever finding out whether partner has the control that you need.

2
Initial
cuebid
1
Make your initial cuebid.

2
Blackwood
yet ?
1
Have you used Blackwood yet ?

3
Roman
Keycard
Blackwood ?
4
Are you playing the Roman Keycard Blackwood convention?  (The Keycards
are the four Aces and the King of the trump suit.  If no trump suit has
been agreed, the last suit bid is the trump suit.  If no suit has been
bid, there are only four Keycards.)

2
All the
Keycards ?
1
Do you and your partner have all five Keycards ?

2
Enough for
Grand Slam ?
6
You need 35 Total Points between you to bid a Grand Slam
(and a 10-card trump fit or the trump Queen).
If you can count 12 playing tricks, it is worth investigating with a King ask
as well.
Or if by examining your cards in each suit you are able to determine that you
should have at most 1 loser, it is also worth investigating with a King ask.

1
5NT yet ?
1
Have you bid a Blackwood 5NT yet ?

1
Above 5NT ?
1
Has 5NT already been bypassed?

2
All Aces
and Kings ?
1
Do you have all the Aces and Kings between you ?

1
4 Keycards ?
1
Are you only missing one Keycard ?

2
Too
high ?
1
Is the bidding too high to bid 4NT ?

2
Blackwood
safe ?
6
To use Blackwood with Clubs as the trump suit, you need at least 2 Aces.
With Diamonds as trumps, you need at least 1 Ace.
(Using Roman Keycard Blackwood, with Clubs as the trump suit, you need at
least 3 Keycards.  With Diamonds as the trump suit, you need at least 2
Keycards.  With Hearts as the trump suit, you need at least 2 Keycards,
or 1 Keycard and the Queen of Hearts.)

3
Bid slam
with extra
strength
3
With 34 or more Total Points, use Blackwood if possible, otherwise bid a
Grand Slam with 38 Total Points and a Small Slam with 34-37. With less than
34 Total Points, sign off at the 5-level.

2
All the
Aces ?
1
Do you and your partner have all four Aces ?

2
Enough for
Grand Slam ?
1
You need 35 Total Points between you to investigate bidding a Grand Slam

1
5NT yet ?
1
Have you bid a Blackwood 5NT yet ?

2
All Aces
and Kings ?
1
Do you have all the Aces and Kings between you ?

1
3 Aces ?
1
Are you only missing one Ace ?

1
Bid 6
1
(Bid 6NT if too high to bid (or pass) 6 of your suit)

1
Bid 7
0

2
Sign
off
1
Sign off at the 5-level

1
Switch Flowcharts
1
Go to the flowchart entitled "Responding to, and Rebidding after, Conventions"
Convresp
1
Pass
0

1
4$C
0

1
5$C
0

1
5NT
0

1
4NT
0

62
0 0 0 1 2 3 2
47 -1 0 -1 -1 -1 -1
1 0 -1 3 4 3 2
48 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
2 0 -2 5 18 1 2
3 1 -2 6 15 1 0
5 2 -2 7 13 1 2
6 3 -2 8 12 1 2
7 4 -2 9 11 2 1
42 4 -3 10 12 1 3
45 5 -3 -1 -1 -1 -1
50 5 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1
44 3 -3 -1 -1 -1 -1
43 2 -3 12 14 1 2
46 2 -4 -1 -1 -1 -1
4 1 -1 16 17 1 0
38 2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
49 1 0 -1 -1 -1 -1
8 0 -3 19 43 2 3
28 0 -5 20 39 1 2
29 1 -6 21 31 1 2
30 2 -6 22 30 1 0
31 3 -6 23 29 1 0
32 4 -6 24 27 1 2
34 5 -6 25 26 2 1
45 5 -7 -1 -1 -1 -1
44 6 -6 -1 -1 -1 -1
33 4 -7 25 28 1 2
51 4 -8 -1 -1 -1 -1
44 3 -5 -1 -1 -1 -1
35 2 -5 29 14 1 0
39 1 -7 32 37 1 2
40 2 -7 33 36 1 2
41 3 -7 34 27 2 1
42 3 -8 35 36 2 3
45 3 -9 -1 -1 -1 -1
44 2 -8 -1 -1 -1 -1
43 1 -8 36 38 1 2
46 1 -9 -1 -1 -1 -1
36 0 -6 40 41 3 2
38 -1 -7 -1 -1 -1 -1
37 0 -7 42 40 2 3
52 0 -8 -1 -1 -1 -1
9 -1 -3 44 45 0 3
10 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1
11 -2 -3 46 47 0 3
12 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1
13 -3 -3 48 49 3 2
14 -4 -3 -1 -1 -1 -1
15 -3 -4 50 51 3 2
16 -4 -4 -1 -1 -1 -1
17 -3 -5 52 60 2 1
18 -3 -6 53 56 3 2
19 -4 -6 54 55 3 0
20 -5 -6 -1 -1 -1 -1
21 -4 -5 -1 -1 -1 -1
22 -3 -7 57 58 1 3
23 -2 -7 -1 -1 -1 -1
24 -4 -7 53 59 0 2
25 -4 -8 -1 -1 -1 -1
26 -2 -5 61 19 2 1
27 -2 -6 -1 -1 -1 -1
4
1 18 19 2 2 0 -4
1 19 20 1 2 1 -5
1 39 40 3 2 -1 -6
0 60 19 1 1 -1 -5
