How do you increase your chances of success in 3NT after the ♥6 is led?

Dealer: East Vuln: All

On our hand this week, after the lead we have an initial count of 3 Club tricks, 2 Diamond tricks and 1 Heart after the lead. We therefore need to generate 3 more tricks. If the Clubs break kindly we will get one more there so we need to establish 1 more Diamond (or maybe 2) and 1 more major suit winner.

However, we need to keep East off lead so that East cannot play a Heart through us. We used up the King at trick 1 and now only have the Queen and a small one left.

The Diamond suit provides us with a two way finesse for the missing Queen but we need to keep East off lead the Danger Hand. At trick 1 enter dummy with a top club and see if an interesting card such as a Jack appears. Now play Ace of Diamonds (again to see if an interesting card such a singleton Queen appears) followed by a second Diamond to the 10. West wins and cashes his Heart Ace followed by another. Our contract is now home and we win 2 Hearts, 3 Diamonds and with the clubs breaking kindly 4 Clubs losing just 2 Hearts 1 Diamond and 1 Spade.

Had West been patient and not cashed a top Heart we would now have to guess the Spades and fortunately West has the Ace and East has the Queen and we would be OK assuming we finesse Jack first tiime around.

NB Playing AK of diamonds and dropping West's doubleton Queen would have been totally lucky and of course the incorrect play here.