Control slam bidding by showing controls

Samantha Stosur, an Australian tennis player who won the US Open women's singles in 2011, said, "It was a lifelong dream to win a Grand Slam, so when I was able to do that, it felt so good and I wanted to do it again. It's not that hard to stay motivated."

Inexperienced bridge players who bid a slam quiver like Bertie Wooster when faced by his Aunt Dahlia in the wonderful books by P.G. Wodehouse. One fear is that if you go down in a slam, a game bonus has just gone out of the window. But as we gain experience, we reach a slam and feel as excited as a young child who has just learned to ride a bicycle. Also, the play is not normally difficult.

When thinking about bidding a slam, you need to consider three important factors: combined high-card power, trump fit and controls (aces, kings, voids, singletons). In today's deal, North-South have only 28 points, but with an 11-card fit and the necessary controls, six spades has play.