There are a few constant mantras in this column when it comes to declarer play — think at trick one, plan the hand, manage your trumps, etc. Declarer on today’s hand clearly hasn’t been paying attention.

West led the Ace of hearts, and seeing shortness in dummy, switched to the Queen of spades — declarer won this and now started thinking … too late!

There is now no way for the hand to be made — try it!

If declarer draws another trump and then starts diamonds he can discard one heart on the third diamond, but West ruffs and cashes two hearts — down one.

If declarer plays another heart, West wins and continues trump — now declarer can try and attack diamonds — he discards one heart on the third diamond, but West ruffs and cashes a heart — down one.

Declarer could try playing diamonds immediately but even that doesn’t work as West ruffs the third one and plays a club — down one!

The answer? With a long running suit in diamonds, the key for declarer was to retain control of the heart suit by having a trump in dummy — also, missing five trumps including the QJ10, declarer knows that he has to lose at least one trump.

So he should lose it early and let West hold the Queen of spades at trick two! West is now helpless and the best he can do is cash one more heart and declarer takes the rest.

There are many occasions in declarer play where one can time just when to have the defence take their inevitable winner — and this was one!

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

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, September 25

1 Kim Simmons/Richard Hall

2= Tony Sauners/Margaret Way

2= Desmond Nash/Tracy Nash

Monday, September 28

1 Louise Rodger/Molly Taussig

2 Richard Gray/Wendy Gray

3 Elizabeth McKee/Margaret Way

Tuesday, September 29

1 Julia Tadman/Joshimar Hussey

2 Richard Neame/Louise Neame

3 David Sykes/Desiree Woods

Wednesday, September 30

North/South

1 Joyce Pearson/Richard Hall

2 Betsy Bailee/Sharon Shanahan

East/West

1 Lynanne Bolton/Heather Woolf

2 Duncan Silver/Marion Silver

Thursday, October 1

1 David Sykes/Martha Ferguson

2 Joshimar Hussey/Julia Tadman

3 Gertrude Barker/John F W Glynn