BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

You are West playing 3NT at Teams and North leads ♥ Q. How do you plan the play? MANY declarers will go down, simply because they start playing the hands as soon as they see dummy. A moment’s pause will show that if you play on clubs, an opponent will rise immediately with the ace and cash at least four hearts — unless, by some miracle, the suit gets blocked.

Assuming you spot this danger, the next stage is to count your certain tricks.

You discover that you have only eight before you play clubs (five spades, two diamonds and a heart). There is a possible diamond finesse available for your ninth trick.

Those in the habit of planning will realise they must take this finesse immediately at Trick Two (it doesn’t help to hold off with ♥ A).

This is going to be a very painful thing for duplicate players to do because, if the finesse loses, you will go down an extra trick.

But at Teams (or rubber bridge), overtricks and undertricks are of no consequence when trying to make your game.