KHATIB KIBITZER
First Play

Variations of this hand has been around a long time, usually to be slipped into a social game to challenge an unsuspecting North-South Pair.
 
When it sneaked into one home game, North pushed through the East-West interference bidding and ended in grand slam when in the Key Card Blackwood auction South admitted to two aces and the King of Clubs.
 
Dummy's Two of Hearts was discarded on the opening diamond lead as South won her Diamond Ace and led a spade toward Dummy. But at this point, the slam was already lost.
 
South first realized her problems (and suspected trickery) as she observed the 4-0 spade split. The blocked position in clubs, combined with the bad trump split, meant that a round of clubs had to cash with a trump still out. If all followed once, South would cross to Dummy with the 4th round of trump, discard her remaining high club from hand on Dummy's Heart Ace, and finish with her Ten of Spades as the final trick. But the end came swiftly. South played a club to her Ace at trick five, and West ruffed. Down One.

Kibitzer's Replay

South did not recognize that the contract was cold as long as East followed to the first Diamond trick. The challenge was to unblock the Club suit without risking an opposing ruff. For that, Dummy needed two winners for Club discards from the South hand. One could be made on the Ace of Hearts. But what about the other?
 
To enjoy the last laugh, South's first play needed to be to discard a club rather than a heart from Dummy at trick one. A spade could then be led to the Ace, followed by ruffing the Two of Hearts. Another trump to Dummy's King would be followed by the Queen of Hearts, ruffed. South could then lead her final trump to Dummy's Spade Queen, and the Jack of Spades and Ace of Hearts would allow both of South's high clubs to be discarded, leaving Dummy high.
 
This deal demonstrates what is referred to as "Dummy Reversal", a method where declarer plays to establish Dummy's long suit or add to the trick total - perhaps with multiple ruffs - by trumping losers in the closed hand. Less spectacular Dummy Reversals come up regularly in play. Watch for situations when your hand is short in Dummy's side suit, and Dummy's trumps are strong, if not very long.

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