[jdeegan]

I certainly agree with: 1♦ - 2♥ - 2♠ -pass. But now opener is looking at a hand worth 18ish pts for spades opposite a 12ish (at minimum) partner. That makes me the best informed player at the table, just now, and suggests that I ought to take control of the auction. A 3♥ bid invokes a game force and says (unless contradicted later) that spades are the trump suit.

Partner has an easy 3♠ bid which suggests, but does not promise, a sixth spade. Now, using RKC, I am in a position to identify virtually every important card in partner's hand. 4NT - pass - 5♠, showing two key cards and the trump queen.

Bingo, slam is on. I bid 5NT looking for kings. 6♦ shows the diamond king and denies the club king. Now I can count five spades in partner's hand, the heart ace, at least one heart ruff in my hand, three top diamonds plus at least one long diamond in my hand, and the club ace. That's 12 tricks with numerous chances for the 13eener. With a pick up partner I would bid 7♠ straight away. With a good partner I bid 6♥ saying that seven is a live option if you can find another trick (controls are not a problem). Partner has the sixth spade and should bid seven. He would also bid seven with KJx in diamonds.

To me the key elements are north's establishment of a game force with 3♥ (I am not hard core enough to play 2/1 game force in competitive auctions), and north's recognition of the need to take control of the auction with RKC.

My goodness, how can one stay out of seven on these cards? The lesson here is, probably, the opponents' failure to jam the auction holding ten hearts. We might have still bid seven, but not with such confidence.