Over the summer I’m going to use the column to emphasise important bidding and declarer play themes, many of which I will have covered before. Keep the July and August columns for a re-read every now and then and your game is guaranteed to improve.

The thinking behind today’s declarer play is one I’ve written about time and time and time again — so why am I writing about it again? Simple, because I want you to become so familiar with it that you will, before you pass away or give up bridge, use the play once at the table!

And when you do, and when you succeed, you will have one of the best sleepless nights ever ….

The play is not complex, it just needs you to recognise it and then — the tough part — be brave enough to execute it.

North’s 2NT response to your strong two-club opening showed values and the four-spade bid promised at least three. You bid 4NT (Roman Key Card Blackwood) and partner’s five hearts shows two key cards (there are five key cards the four Aces and the trump King) — knowing he must hold the Ace of diamonds and the King of spades you, with some trepidation, bid the spade grand slam.

One minor comment — instead of bidding seven spades you should bid seven hearts, giving partner a choice of slams — partner could easily have a four-card heart suit and a 4-4 fit will always play better than a 5-3, as the 5-3 will allow for discards.

Anyway, seven spades is the contract and West leads the club Queen — over to you dear one …

So, we know what you will probably do at the table …. you win, draw trumps, play two more trump winners and your three minor suit winners, hoping for some stupid discard, and then you play the heart suit … they don’t break 3-3 so you are down one.

Unlucky? A bit, but not really … the full hand:

Now, looking at all four hands, see if you can make it?

OK, we’ve been here before — if the hearts are 3-3 you will always make the hand so you must see if there is a play that allows you to make it if they are 4-2 or 5-1.

So here comes the bravery part — draw only two rounds of trumps and now play on hearts — if they are 3-3 you draw the last trump and claim. Here, however, West shows out on the third heart but cannot ruff and you are in great shape- ruff the last heart, come to hand and draw the last trump and claim!

The lesson on the hand? Don’t rush to draw all the trumps — plan your play before making that decision.

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

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, June 19

North/South

1 Elysa Burland/Magda Farag

2 Sancia Garrison/Jane Smith

3 Tony Saunders/Margaret Way

East/West

1 Stephanie Kyme/Diana Diel

2 John Burville/Molly Taussig

3 Betsy Baillie/Heather Woolf

Monday, June 22

North/South

1 Jane Smith/Sancia Garrison

2 William Pollett/Linda Pollett

3 Elysa Burland/Aida Bostelmann

East/West

1 Lorna Anderson/Heather Woolf

2 Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

3 Peter Donnellan/Lynanne Bolton

Tuesday, June 23

North/South

1 Felicity Lund/Linda Manders

2 Sally Irvine/Sandra Ogden

East/West

1 Joshimar Hussey/Julia Tadman

2 Gareth Cooper/Maximilian Santiago

Wednesday, June 24

North/South

1 Richard Gray/Wendy Gray

2 Louise Rodger/Margaret Way

East/West

1 Peter Donnellan/Jane Smith

2 Lynanne Bolton/Heather Woolf