With the summer slumber well and truly here, I’m going to use the column to hammer home some basic advice, concentrating on the plays that come up often and on the ones you refuse to put into practice no matter how often I write about them – this is one of those.

Dealer South N/S vulnerable

S732

HAQ765

DK4

C652

SJ954 SQ106

HJ1094 HK

D1052 DQ9863

CA9 C8743

SAK8

H832

DAQJ

CKQJ10

You open the South hand 2NT showing 20-22 HCP and end up playing in 4 hearts after a transfer from partner — west leads a small spade.

It all looks pretty normal and easy — one club loser and one, possibly two, heart losers, so it is just about overtricks. You win the spade and then do what 99 out of 100 players do in your seat, you lead a low heart to the queen. Nice, thoughtless, reflex play, but down one.

The full hand:

S732

HAQ765

DK4

C652

SJ954 SQ106

HJ1094 HK

D1052 DQ9863

CA9 CQ32

SAK8

HAK32

D86

CKQJ10

Unlucky? At a beginner or intermediate player level, yes, at an advanced player level, perhaps, but at an advanced plus/expert level absolutely not, it’s bad play.

Look at that heart suit again carefully — you have AQ765 opposite 832. Is it possible to play this suit for no losers? No, not on any distribution of the opposing cards — try it.

Given that, your sole focus should be to avoid two or three losers in that suit and to do that, you must start by cashing the ace of hearts.

Now come back to your hand and lead a heart towards the queen. If the king goes up on your left, all is well and you can sort out the suit. If LHO, however, plays smoothly low, you might decide to not put up the queen and go low from dummy, playing RHO to have started with Kx in hearts – that allows you to hold your losers in the suit to one.

Exactly the same play applies when you have AQ76 opposite 8652. Again, you have a minimum of one loser in the suit so to avoid two or three losers cash the ace first, then lead towards the queen and make your decision then.

The play would be different, especially at pairs if the North hand had AQ1075 or AQ107, but that is for another day!

No worries, I’ll repeat this column again next year ??

Bridge results (week of July 2)

Monday afternoon

North/South

1. Molly Taussig/Diana Diel

2. Marsha Fraser/Annabelle Mann

3. Alan Douglas/Jean Johnson

East/West

1. Jane Clipper/Caroline Svensen

2. Peter Donnellan/Richard Gray

3. Janice Trott/Michael Bickley

Tuesday evening

1. Nick Kempe/Samantha Pickering

2. Katyna Rabain/Louise Payne

3. Heather Farrugia/Michael Farrugia

Wednesday morning

1. Tony Saunders/Charles Hall

2. Janice Trott/Heather Woolf

3. Desmond Nash/William Pollett

Thursday evening

North/South

1. David Sykes/Charles Griffiths

2. Michael Tait/Jane Clipper

3. Rachael Gosling/Simon Giffen

East/West

1. Margaret Way/Diana Diel

2. Scott Godet/James Fraser

3. Inger Mesna/John Rayner

Friday afternoon

North/South

1. Stephanie Kyme/Jean Johnson

2. Tony Saunders/Molly Taussig

3. Patricia Colmet/Elysa Burland

East/West

1. Charles Hall/Margaret Way

2. Elizabeth McKee/Diana Diel

3. Joyce Pearson/Julia Patton