The unlucky number can be lucrative

Louis Armstrong said, “I do believe that my whole success goes back to that time I was arrested as a wayward boy at the age of 13. Because then I had to quit running around and began to learn something. Most of all, I began to learn music.” Today, South must not be wayward in winning 13 tricks. How did he play to make seven spades after West led the heart jack? What better lead did West have? In the auction, North’s two-heart response promised at least a five-card suit and eight highcard points. His raise to three spades was stronger than a jump to four spades would have been. This is called the principle of fast arrival. When you are in a game-forcing auction, the quicker you bid game, the weaker your hand. The declarer saw 11 top tricks: five spades, two hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. He thought that two club ruffs in the dummy would be perfect. So, South took the first trick on the board, drew two rounds of trumps, then tried to cash his top clubs. However, West’s ruff defeated the slam. A preferable line was to take three heart ruffs in hand. Win with the heart king, ruff a heart high, play a diamond to dummy’s king, ruff another heart high, return to the board with a trump, ruff the last low heart with South’s remaining high spade, draw trumps and claim. It is a textbook dummy reversal. Consider that technique whenever dummy has strong trumps. But if West had led a trump, the communications would have been ruined.