ACES ON BRIDGE

To do a great and important work, two things are necessary: a definite plan, and not quite enough time. — Anonymous

When South heard his partner show a limit or better spade raise, he took control with Key-card Blackwood. The response showed two key-cards and the trump queen, so South explored for the grand slam, then decided to account for diamonds playing better than spades by offering the choice at the seven-level. You can imagine that if North’s spade four were the diamond four, the grand slam in diamonds would be where you wanted to play, absent a spade ruff.

After West’s top heart lead, it might have seemed to declarer that he could claim 13 tricks. But it never does any harm to take a second or even a third and fourth look at your chances when playing a grand slam. The dangers of a 4-0 trump break were not all that significant, but South realized he could eliminate that risk by thoughtfully ruffing a heart to hand at trick two. Then he cashed the spade king, observing the bad break, and led a spade to the ace.

A second heart ruff allowed him to unblock the spade jack. Then he could lead a diamond to the king. The spade queen drew the last trump, and South was able to discard his losing club, then claim the rest with diamond and club winners. The 13 tricks came in the form of seven winners in the side suits, two heart ruffs and four spade tricks in dummy. If declarer doesn’t take his heart ruffs at once, he does not have the communications to do so later in addition to drawing trumps.

ANSWER: There is a simple choice between bidding one spade and one notrump here. In favor of bidding the fourcard major is that you might miss the fit if you don’t. Against it is that when partner responds one diamond, he probably does not have a major suit unless he has enough values to bid again over one notrump. I would prefer to have real clubs before introducing spades in this auction.