BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

♣ EaSt opened the bidding with 4 ♥ , but South has still become declarer in 6 ♠ . West leads the

♥ 10 and South ruffs in hand. How should he continue the play? IT IS important to recognise the likelihood of a 3-0 trump break and to take the club finesse before it is possible for the defence to extract a third trump from dummy.

At Trick 2, South should lead a trump to dummy’s King (which shows up the 3-0 break as east is void). Next comes the club finesse and when, as happens, this loses to West’s King, West can do no harm. He can lead another spade, but there will still be two left in dummy.

The two remaining top clubs will take care of one of dummy’s losing diamonds without risking the diamond finesse, and declarer can cash the ♦ A and ♦ K, then cross-ruff the rest, leaving West in the ignominious position of under-ruffing with his third trump at the end.