Source: 69th Summer North American Bridge Championships • July 24-August 3, 1997 • Albuquerque, New Mexico
This deal from the first round of the 1997 Spingold was routine for Ralph Katz of Burr Ridge IL, but the handling of the trump suit provides a good lesson in technique.
Katz, South, had an awkward hand to bid. After opening a strong 2
, he chose to show his sturdy fourcard spade suit first. This struck gold with a 4
splinter raise, and the excellent slam was quickly reached.
West led the 
9 to the 10, jack and ace. Then Katz sailed the 
10 as West played low. Next came the 9, taken by West, who returned the 8, covered and ruffed. The A was followed by the 8 to the king (note the unblock) and the last trump was drawn with the J, making six.
It is important to note that if Katz won the A on the first or second round, he would have gone down. West would take his K on the third round and lead a fourth trump, denying declarer the one ruff he needs. If Katz took his ruff early (either a heart or a diamond) he would lose trump control with a subsequent diamond tap