A lot of travel this week so I will just bring you a really interesting declarer play hand, the sort that turns up often at the table — so study it well!

Dealer South, N/S Vul

NORTH(/b>

S J852

H 64

D A1062

C K43

EAST

S 3

H Q10932

D 743

C AQ102

SOUTH

S AK764

H AK87

D 5

C 876

WEST

S Q109

H J5

D KQJ98

C J95

South opened a spade and when North made a limit raise the 3 Spades he was happy enough to accept the invitation based on his great shape and two Ace-Kings.

West led the King of Diamonds. Declarer saw that if trumps were 2-2, ten tricks would be routine: five trumps, two Heart ruffs and the Ace of Diamonds.

Similarly, he would make ten tricks if he had a trump loser but the Ace of Clubs was onside.

So he turned his attention to what he could do if he had to lose a trump trick and the ace of clubs was offside.

After a little thought, he concluded he would have to make his own low trumps separately. Consequently, after winning the first trick with the ace of Diamonds, he ruffed a Diamond.

Declarer then cashed the Ace and King of trumps, discovering that West had a trump trick.

Continuing with his plan to make as many low trumps as possible, declarer took the Ace and King of Hearts and led the eight of Hearts.

As declarer would throw a Club from dummy and later ruff a Club if West ruffed in with the Queen of trumps,

West followed the normal good practice of discarding, this time a Diamond.

Declarer ruffed the heart in dummy then ruffed a second Diamond in hand.

When declarer next led the ten of Hearts, West discarded a low Club as he could not afford to throw his last Diamond, the Queen, for that would make dummy’s ten of Diamonds a winner.

So declarer ruffed the Heart in dummy then ruffed dummy’s last Diamond to make his contract.

Notice that, on the above layout, declarer would not have made his contract if he had failed to ruff a Diamond at trick two — it is one of those seemingly pointless plays but with a bit of planning declarer showed just how to make the contract.

A really neat play!