Neil Hayward

Contract: 3NT by South Opening Lead: 6. East plays the T. What is your plan? Recommended Line: The tough case is when West holds five hearts. If this is true, East holds three hearts. The plan is to reach a point where East gains the lead, but has no more hearts to lead. If East wins a trick early, and West gains the lead late, the contract is going to fail, since West will have both an entry and good hearts to cash. You need to ensure things go the other way.

So, win the first trick, and lead the A followed by the T. It does not matter who wins. Duck the next heart, and win the third. Then finesse in clubs. If East wins this, there will be no further link between the defenders in the case where hearts break 5-3. If hearts prove to be split 4-4, they take just two hearts.

The line of play described is anti-intuitive. We love a finesse, and to spurn one (in diamonds), hurts. But this hand proves the truth in what they say in gyms across the land: no pain, no gain.