Dealer: North Vuln: None

This hand is all about counting your winners and deciding on which finesses to take to bring in 12 tricks.

Initially you only have 8 certain winners. i.e. 1 Spade 2 Hearts, 3 Diamonds and 2 top clubs.

The lead around to your Ten of Diamonds has brought your tally to 9 tricks so 3 more needs to be found. If the Diamond suit is no worse than 4:2 then the 5th Diamond will be established.

If the Heart finesse is working or the ♥Q falls on 2nd round this will bring your tally to 12. However what happens if the Diamonds break badly do you have a backup plan? You will need to take a finesse in either clubs (Q) or in Spades (KJ??) So which Black suit finesse do you now take for your 12th trick?

The club finesse is just 50:50 but if you play for split Spade honours now your chances of success improve to 75%.

With all this in mind, you win first trick and play a second Diamond discovering that Diamonds are indeed 5:1 and now the 5th Diamond cannot be established.

Let's now turn our attention to the Heart suit. Play off top Heart from hand just to see if Queen is falling singleton. Now play the ♥9 (unblocking card so as to give you extra entry to dummy with the ♥8 if needs be later on on the hand. (NB There were plenty of entries to your hand initially but not to that dummy). Now play dummy's Jack when West plays low and the finesse has worked - The guideline of Eight Ever Nine Never works here.

You are now in correct hand to take the Black suit finesse. so play the ♠8 from dummy and when East plays low insert the Ten. West wins with the King and now you can claim

You claim 2 Spades, 4 Hearts 4 Diamonds and 2 Clubs bringing home your contract.

(NB Perhaps it would have been easier to play in your Heart fit)