NEIL HAYWARD BRIDGE

Contract: 7♠ by South

Opening Lead: ♦K. How do you plan to make 13 tricks?

Recommended Line: The hand looks easy. You seem to have an overtrick! Which is why you should ask: what could go wrong? The answer is that trumps might break 4-1. If this should be the case, East must be the one with four trumps. Since it is ridiculous to lead the ♠8 to your ♠T, you must have a conjurer’s trick up your sleeve if East holds Jxxx. In this case, you need to ruff three times to reduce your trump length to match East’s. Be sure to start the process at trick two. Ruff a diamond. Cash two top trumps to see how the spades lie. You discover they are 4-1, but that is no problem. Cross to the ♣J to ruff another diamond.

Then overtake the ♣K, cash the ♣Q and ruff the fourth diamond. Trump parity has been achieved. Now you cash the ♥K and ♥A. At this point, you and East both hold two trumps, so, at trick 12, East must ruff, and you over-ruff. The fatuous dream of 14 tricks has been thwarted, but it could have been a nightmare. You have pulled off a trump coup. But keep that under your hat.