Contract Bridge

Let’s assume you get to three notrump on the bidding shown and West leads a heart. East cashes the K- A of hearts and continues with a third heart to your queen.

Superficially, your prospects look dim at this point. It seems you can make only eight tricks — even if the spade finesse you plan to take succeeds — and that East will eventually score the ace of clubs and four hearts to put you down one.

This is not really an accurate assessment of your chances, however, as there is a way to overcome East’s apparent advantage. All you have to do is to run dummy’s diamonds, forcing East to make an uncomfortable discard or two.

You begin by cashing four rounds of diamonds. East discards a club on the fourth diamond and so do you. But when you lead the fifth diamond, East is in trouble. If he parts with a spade, you can make three spade tricks and the contract by leading a low spade to your jack and cashing the ace, felling East’s king.

Alternatively, if East discards a heart on dummy’s fifth diamond, you next lead a club toward your K-J. East scores the ace of clubs and his last heart, but he must then lead a spade to your A-J. You finesse, of course, and that gives you nine tricks.

In other words, you can make the contract even though East appears to have five invincible tricks. A defender’s sure winners sometimes fade away while declarer is running a long suit, and that is precisely what happens to East in the present case. There is no way he can withstand the pressure when you run dummy’s diamonds.