AFTER many years of playing, teaching, writing about and observing bridge, I realise just how hard it is to convince players that sometimes they have to voluntarily give up a trick or two in order to succeed.Take a look at this fairly simple endplay hand played by Mickey on OK Bridge.

Dealer: West

Vulnerable: N/S

IMPs: North

[spade]9 4 2

[heart]K 10 9 3 2

[diamond]Q

[club]A Q 5 2

West East

[spade]K Q J 6 [spade]8 7 3

[heart]5 [heart]J 4

[diamond]9 8 7 6 5 4 3 [diamond]K J 10 2

[club]3 [club]J 10 6 4

South<$>

[spade]A 10 5

[heart]A Q 8 7 6

[diamond]A

[club]K 9 8 7

West North East South<$>

Pass Pass Pass 1[heart]

Dbl Redbl 2[diamond] Pass

5[diamond] 5[heart] All PassI certainly would not recommend West’s bizarre double, even as a passed hand, but in the end it did get North-South to the five level.

Mickey ducked the opening spade lead but won the second spade. After drawing trumps he cashed his diamond ace and just one club. Then he got off lead with a spade to West.

West was helpless. Down to one spade and all diamonds, he was forced to give declarer a sluff-ruff. So declarer was able to get rid of his losing club and score up his game.

Easy really isn’t it — once declarer understands this type of play execution is really not difficult.