Is it the same, or is it different?

Please may I introduce you to Dayjah Voo? Maybe you think you have met him before. But are you sure? Or is it today’s deal? True, the club suit and the contract are identical to yesterday’s. In six no-trump with a friendly spade lead, there are eight tricks outside clubs. You need only four club tricks, not five. No doubt you are planning to adopt the safety play of leading a low club toward dummy’s holding. This produces four club tricks whatever the lie of the suit and is particularly effective when West has all five missing clubs.

Well, you are nearly right. But there is another tripwire that may cause you to fall.

At trick one, the natural reaction is to play low from the dummy, capturing East’s spade queen with your king. Now a low club to the 10 wins trick two, East discarding a heart. You return to hand with a heart and lead another low club. However, West, if in midseason form, wins with his queen and returns a heart. This removes your last hand entry before the clubs have been unblocked. Suddenly the contract has perished.

What is the solution? Well, there are two (three, if you count a squeeze-endplay against West in clubs). You could win trick one with dummy’s spade ace. Alternatively, play dummy’s spade jack. In this latter case, whether East covers with the queen or plays low, you have three hand entries remaining after trick one: two in hearts and one in spades. You can take the safety play in clubs and untangle your 12 tricks.

Always be careful not only to count your tricks but also to watch your entries.