BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

YOU are East, declarer in 7NT, against which South leads ♥ J. How would you plan the play? CLEARLY anyone might make all the tricks by taking a lucky guess in diamonds. but the good player will try to eliminate as much guesswork as possible, before having to make the critical decision. Using the correct technique might not always provide you with the answers you are seeking, but at least the habit will ensure that you pick up any little bonuses when there is information to be gleaned.

Here, you must cash all your side-suit winners before embarking on the dreaded diamond finesse, just in case this might give you a distributional clue. You cash three spades and three hearts, noting both opponents follow suit. You then play ace and king of clubs, and see South discarding on the second round. So North must have started with six clubs which, with his three cards in each major, means that he can have no more than a singleton diamond.

the rest is easy; you play ♦ K and, if necessary, finesse against South’s queen. this approach to planning is known as making a ‘discovery play’.