This hand shows that I could stand to review some fundamental principles of Standard American bidding.
Board #12 from last week's student game: Dealer W, N-S vulnerable.
S: T853 H: J7 D: QT954 C: 53 S W N E S: 6 S: AKQJ94 ---------------- H: KQ84 H: A965 1D -- 1S D: KJ876 D: -- -- 2D -- 2H C: QJ7 C: KT2 -- ? S: 72 H: T32 D: A32 C: A9864East-West have lots of tricks, and only one top loser: 6H is on the 3-2 heart split. (Even if spades are 5-1, east can ruff one spade to set up the long one. Note that, if you're in 6S, you need the spades to split 3-3 or 4-2, and then either need to pick up the hearts or force out the diamond A. If someone has at least Axx, you can't do that unless spades split 3-3, and Axx is pretty lucky. So, while spades are more solid than hearts, 6H is a better contract. On this hand, hearts split and both make.) Even if the hearts break 4-1, you have a chance if the T or J is a singleton. All in all, you want to get to slam, either at IMPs or at match points.
Once West opens, East is very happy; there's some chance of wasted values in diamonds, but slam is a definite possibility. After West bids 3H, letting East know about the 4-4 fit, the only real question is trump quality. (East doesn't have to worry about two top club losers, since the lead is coming from South's hand; if West has no club honors, he probably has enough points in diamonds to pitch the clubs.) East can bid 5H immediately, a bid which usually indicates slam interest and denies problems with any particular suit--hence partner can go to 6H with good trumps. It's possible my partner would have cue-bid as East, trying to find out about the club ace, and, for all I know, we might have stopped short of slam.
I have no idea, since I passed the 2H bid. Despite the gadgets Chris and I play, a new suit by responder is still a one-round force, but this escaped me. (It would be inexcusable for me to pass on a misfit sort of hand, say with 1 spades, 3 low hearts, 5 diamonds, and 4 clubs. With heart support, my inaction was truly bizarre.) My partner stared at me for a little while, and then calmly made 6. For a bottom.
One final comment: many players might be tempted to double 6H with South's hand, since you're on lead and seem to have two top tricks. This is not really a good idea. If your opponents know what they're doing, one of them is likely to have a void. (There are exceptions, if on the bidding both show flat hands, but on this auction that hasn't happened.) If the opponents don't know what they're doing, then they are going down, but in that case there's a good chance everyone else will stop in game, and you'll get a good score no matter what. (Even at IMPs, +50 and +100 are the same if everyone else your way goes -450.) If you double and they make, you're getting a very bad score.