Hand of the Week
| West | North | East | South |
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♠ | |
| Pass | 1NT(1) | Pass | 3♥ |
| Pass | 4♣ | Pass | 4♦ |
| Pass | 4♠ | Pass | 5♦ |
| Pass | 6♣ | Pass | 6♦ |
| Pass | 7♥ | All Pass |
(1) 15-17.
The jump to 3♥ promised at least 5-5 in the majors with game-going values. After that, cuebidding saw the good grand slam reached.
How do you plan to make this contract after West leads the ♣Q?
Solution
You have 12 winners, and the way to make a 13th is to reverse the dummy and ruff two diamonds in hand. You should begin by winning the first trick with the ♣A and ruffing a diamond. Next you cash the ♥K. If all follow, draw the remaining trumps, organize a second diamond ruff and claim. You make five spades, four trumps, two diamond ruffs and two clubs. When the hearts 4-0 there is a problem. Suppose the full deal is:
If you ruffed the first diamond with the ♥ 4, you will go down because you will have to use a spade to get to dummy either to draw trumps or take a second diamond ruff.
While a singleton club occurs more often than a void in spades, West is highly unlikely to have led a singleton queen against a grand slam. So, when West has four trumps, you should plan to use the ♣K to get back to dummy to draw the last trump. The play is ruff the first diamond with the ♥ 9, cash the ♥ K and ♥ Q, then lead the ♥4 to finesse West’s 10. After a second diamond ruff follows, you cross back to dummy with a club and draw the last trump with the ace, throwing the ♣8 from hand. As the spades are solid, you have 13 tricks.
What would happen if it was East who had four trumps? Then you would have to hope East began with at least two clubs and one spade, for you need the two remaining black-suit entries to ruff a second diamond and draw the last trump.