 K 2
 K 10 9
 K J 6 2
 K 8 6 5 |
| Q 10 5 3
Q J 6
Q 8 4 3
A Q |
| West | North | East | South |
| 1 |
Dbl | Pass | 3NT |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
6
West led a fourth-highest the 6 against 3NT.
As only 14 high-card points were in the defensive hands, declarer saw that it was all but certain that West held all three of the missing aces.
Declarer was about to play low from dummy when he saw that if he did so, West would grab the first round of diamonds to play the Ace-Jack of spades and he would have only eight tricks before he had to lead a heart. Then West would take the ace of hearts immediately and cash two spade winners for a onetrick set. So, declarer called for dummy’s K.
He then crossed to hand to lead a low diamond towards dummy. As the cards lay, if West rose with the ace and played on spades declarer would be safe as he would still have a spade stopper when the time came to develop a trick in hearts.
In practice, West played a low diamond on the first round and dummy’s J won the trick.
Dummy’s K came next. West took this with his A and returned a heart to declarer’s Q. Next, declarer cashed the A and then led a second low diamond to dummy’s K. The 4=1 diamond break was a disappointment but not a real problem.
Declarer just cashed the K and the J for his seventh and eighth tricks. All that remained was to lead a low diamond from hand.
West took the ten and Ace of diamonds but then had to give declarer his ninth trick by leading away from his A.
The four hand were:
| K 2
K 10 9
K J 6 2
K 8 6 5 |
||
| A J 9 6 4
A 7
A 10 9 7
J 3 |
8 7
8 5 4 2
5
10 9 7 4 2 |
|
| Q 10 5 3
Q J 6
Q 8 4 3
A Q |
