If trumps were going to behave, he could count 6 trumps.

Well, I see only 5 trump tricks.

The 6th one comes through a dummy reversal

Dear Mr, Wolff,

I was just reading the current Bridge World for September 2010, and I love your treatmant of 1H-1S-3NT to show 7-4 or 6-4 in the majors with solid or semisolid hearts. Could you please tell me how you play the meaning of responder’s rebids after the opener jumps to 3NT? Thank you for your assistance.

Gonzalo: If trumps behave, then south draws trump in 3 rounds, leaving one in dummy. South thus has 5 trump tricks in his hand. He now runs spades, discarding a club from dummy, loses a club and then ruffs a club in dummy for his 6th trump trick.

Hi Gonzalo, Elliot and, of course, David,

David, my guess is that Gonzalo meant that in the beginning declarer thought he had, as you thoughtfully explained, 6 trump tricks, because he did not expect an unlikely 4-0 break. When the ugly break then appeared declarer abandoned his original plan and instead, executed a classic dummy reversal, producing the slam going trick. If that was, in fact, what Gonzalo meant, it is heartwarming to discuss this alternate line, since top-level declarer’s play is all about, if possible, seeing another successful line, just in case the first line becomes conflicted with poisoned flowers. And, David, thanks for your enlightened description of the dummy reversal producing the 6th trump trick.

Elliot, since 1H P 1S P 3NT has little utility for representing a normal suggestion of a 3NT final contract, it should be used for something more useful. Instead of requiring 7-4 or 6-4 hands, actually 7-3 or sometimes even 6-3 such as KQx, AKQJxx, KJx, x wherein a responder who happen to hold, J10xxxx, x, x, KJxxx or somesuch could convert to a much more playable 4 spades, but without this treatment would be stuck with trying to justify a final 4 heart contract.

Finally, Elliot, a return to 4 spades or 4 hearts would be to play, and anything else, such as a 4 of a minor bid would be a cue bid toward slam usually with spades in mind, but hearts could also be the final destination so that the responder must not return to hearts unless that is where he wants to play. Of course, 4NT by either party, usually by responder, is always Blackwood. If you are a theoretical player (sometimes nut) you may have fun devising special meanings for unusual responses like immediate jumps to the 5 level, but I am not advising you to do that, but only to suggest to you what other roosters in the chicken ranch may be thinking.

@ Gonzalo,

I think it would have been better to say: “If trumps were going to behave, then declarer could draw them, pitch one of dummy’s clubs on the 4th round of spades, and then ruff a club after conceding one.”

That is what was meant by ‘6 trump tricks’, but not written out.