Dealer: North Vuln: E/W

After winning the first trick in hand, beating East's Ten with your Ace, you count your winners and possible losers.

On the winners front you have 2 Spades, 3 Hearts and 3 clubs- so only need to find two more

On the losers front you might have two Diamonds and if the trumps break badly you could have two trump losers.

With all this in mind, you play off two top trumps and discover the very bad news not only are the spades breaking badly but West has the Q10 sitting over you remaining J9 in hand- There is now way to avoid two spade losers so somehow we have to only have one Diamond loser.

Should we run the Jack? Should we finesse West for the missing Ace? If East has the missing AQ we are going off but if they are separated we still have a chance of getting the finesse position right.

What is the best way to establish who might have the Queen and who might have the Ace.

Let's use Zia's tip - if they don't cover they haven't got it.

Play of the winning Hearts and three rounds of clubs ending in your hand.

So ending up in your hand now play the ♦Jack and see what happens. Most Wests will now cover.

West doesn't cover so we have to hope West has the Ace and East has the Queen so go up with dummy's King and you win the trick. West gave you a chance to go wrong but you didn't take it.

Now you make 3 Clubs, 1 Diamond, 3 Hearts, 2 trumps and a ruff in either clubs or Diamonds near the end of play. NB DO NOT draw any more trumps once you discover the bad news of the 4:1 split