BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

West is declarer in 3Nt and North leads ♦ 3, which south wins with the ace and returns ♦ 6, on which North plays ♦ 2, allowing dummy’s knave to win. How would you play?

This full deal from yesterday’s hands reveals that the heart suit breaks kindly, and therefore 4 ♥ would have been a more comfortable and better scoring contract than 3NT. however, if trumps were 4-1, 4 ♥ would fail whereas 3NT would still have the same chance of success by means of what i call a ‘defender’s squeeze’. You have only eight tricks before you must give up the lead, and then the defence will take four more tricks. instead, you give up your diamond losers straight away by crossing to ♠ A and playing ♦ Q. North must take his winners or lose them. Dummy would discard a spade, heart and club and declarer a heart and club. south has to discard two spades. And the crunch for south comes tomorrow.