Before I get to the hand here is another card combination for you to handle: Q543 opposite K762 and you are trying for only one loser!

So, there is only one way you can avoid two losers or more — one of the defenders must have Ax in the suit and you need to guess which one!

Let’s say RHO has already shown an Ace, so, on the theory of “split Aces”, you decide to play LHO for the Ace in this suit making the layout:

Q543

A10 J98

K762

Having made the decision, you lead a low card towards the Queen — LHO has to play low and the Queen wins — now lead another one from dummy and when RHO plays the nine — you duck, and the Ace comes crashing down. Nice!

Now to the hand: there are many declarer plays where the Intermediate or newly-Advanced player will ask themselves, “Goodness, will I ever get there?” The answer to many may be “no”, but the answer to most will be: “Yes — if you are patient and make a plan.”

I think today’s hand (see Figure 1) fits the “yes” category, so I will take you through it.

South opened one spade and, after partner raised to two spades, South made the reasonable jump to four spades with his strong hand — West led the club Queen.

Declarer called for a low club from dummy at trick one and, after the Queen held, West continued with the Jack of clubs.

When that also held the trick and West played a third club — I can guarantee you that at this point most declarers have not even started to plan the hand — they will ruff the third club and then start planning — too late!

The thinking needed to start at trick one — once it looks like there are two club losers and then an unavoidable heart loser, declarer has to avoid a diamond loser, meaning that East has to have the King.

It also means that declarer will have to go to dummy twice to finesse the King and it looks like the only entry is the spade King — or is it?

Seeing that he could possibly create two entries in trumps, declarer carefully ruffed East’s Ace of clubs with the ten of trumps — now we are talking!

Declarer next cashed the Ace of trumps and then led the Queen of trumps to dummy’s King, pleased to see that the outstanding trumps were two-two. A low diamond was led to the Queen and, when that held, declarer played his carefully preserved five of trumps to dummy’s six.

After repeating the diamond finesse with a diamond to the Jack, declarer cashed his Ace of diamonds then ruffed a diamond to bring his total of tricks to eight. The Ace of hearts would be his ninth trick and the Jack of spades his tenth.

The main lesson for intermediate players is to unblock trumps in order to create entries — on this hand, by ruffing the third club with the ten. If you ruff with the five, the hand cannot make, and then, by playing the Queen of spades and overtaking with the King, all the time preserving the precious five.

Unblocking should become a standard play if there is no danger of creating a trump loser, especially if it may clear up some entry problems in the process — and the trump suit is so often a great method of transportation.

In this case, doing so paved the way to take advantage of the two-two break in trumps when East began with at least three cards in diamonds headed by the King.

• David Ezekiel can be reached on davidezekiel999@gmail.com