NEIL HAYWARD BRIDGE

Contract: 4♥ by South.

Opening Lead: West least ♣A, ♣K, and a third club. How do you play this hand in rubber bridge or teams?

Recommended Line: You can play trumps in various ways, but you need to know how many tricks you need from the suit. To find out, do some research. Win the third club in hand, and finesse in diamonds. If the ♦J wins, you need only three trump tricks. Or, to put it differently, you must take steps to avoid losing two trump tricks. To achieve this, play the ♥K, then low towards the ♥9. Some days, the ♥Q will fall doubleton on your right, a bonus that is not actually needed. However, the main point is that a 4-1 trump break will not cause you any grief. With East holding ♥QT86 in this case, the ♥8 is played on the second round. You cover with the ♥9, a safety play, ensuring you don’t lose two trump tricks. On the other hand, had the diamond finesse failed, you would need to give yourself the best chance of making all the trump tricks. Play the ♥A, then small towards the ♥J, intending to finesse. Thorough research yields useful knowledge. On this hand, at any rate.