questionofweek

Hand of the week

Hand of the week, week commencing, Sunday 23rd November 2025

You lead ♥7 and manage to win the first 3 tricks what do you play next?

If you would like to play this hand out then click here

Dealer: West Vuln: N/S

♠	J 9 8 5 2
♥	8 2
♦	A Q 10 8 4
♣	K

♠	A 7
♥	A J 7 6 5
♦	7 5 3
♣	10 7 2

	N
W		E
W		E
	S

♠	K 10 6 4
♥	K 4
♦	J 6
♣	9 8 6 5 3

♠	Q 3
♥	Q 10 9 3
♦	K 9 2
♣	A Q J 4

W	N	E	S
Pass	Pass	Pass	1NT¹
Pass	2^♥2	Pass	2♠
Pass	3NT	End

1. 1NT -15-17 2. Transfer to Spades

You lead ♥7 and manage to win the first 3 tricks what do you play next?

When I played this and after taking the first three tricks West decided to exit with a safe club to let declarer make his own running and I then had no problem in making 9 tricks by way of 4 Clubs and 5 Diamonds.

Let's now rewind.

Having taken the first three heart tricks you now need to generate 2 more to defeat the contract. Partner's discard of a low club tells you not to play a club but should you now play a spade or a Diamond (maybe partner has the Diamond King. If partner has the Diamond King then the contract will go down after declarer takes a losing Diamond finesse.

How are you going to find out?

Play your Spade Ace now and see if partner encourages or not. If he encourages as he will do so now the contract will go down.

Had he discouraged you could then have switched to a Diamond.

(Normally you don't just switch to unsupported Ace but here its your only chance)

( you can play these hands out using bridgevu.exe and it is available free from http://www.haroldschogger.com/movies.html ) Click on the lin picture above

alternatively watch the film of the hand being played out by going to www.haroldschogger.com/movies2.htm

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