Dealer North. Love All

                                    ♠          A 10

                                    ♥          A Q 10

                                    ♦          A 8 7 3

                                    ♣         K J 7 3

            ♠          Q 8                                          ♠          K J 9 6 5 4 2

            ♥          J 8 7 4                                    ♥          K 2

            ♦          K 10 9 4                                 ♦          J 6 5

            ♣         Q 10 9                                    ♣         5

                                    ♠          7 3

                                    ♥          9 6 5 3

                                    ♦          Q 2

                                    ♣         A 8 6 4 2

On our hand this week we have been forced to play in the dizzy heights of 4§. Can we get home and limit our losers to just three or more importantly make 10 tricks?

After the lead we can count 1 top spade, 2 red suit aces and 2 top clubs, just an initial count of  5 winners.

On the losers front we have 1 Spade loser, possibly 2 heart losers, 1 Diamond loser and maybe 1 club loser if the queen doesn’t come down in two rounds.

Firstly we will have to draw trumps but will we adhere to the 8 ever 9 never rule and play two top clubs and hope the Queen falls or will we use the auction to help us determine how to play the trump suit?

Well the auction shows East to have 7 card spade suit and likely to have a singleton somewhere with his shape and that singleton could easily be in clubs. So with this in mind, we will reject the 8 ever 9 never  rule and play the Club ace first and then FINESSE the Jack playing East for a singleton.

When this finesse wins you must now negotiate the Heart suit so as not to lose more than one trick here. The bidding suggests that West has both the King and  Jack of Hearts, and therefore a deep (or Double finesse) is the order of the day.

As you are in the wrong hand at the moment, you will have to play a Diamond in order to ruff a Diamond to get back to hand to do this finesse.

You play a low card towards the Queen and as expected West wins with the King and plays a Spade to partner’s King. East gets off lead with a Diamond and you take the Ace and ruff a Diamond to get back to hand.

You now play a Heart and finesse the 10. When this brings the King from East you are now home.

West only has Spades left and you ruff and now claim the rest.

You, in fact, eventually made your contract via a dummy reversal trumping twice in the long hand

You made 1 Spade, 2Hearts, 1 Diamond, 4 trumps from the short hand (dummy) and two ruffs in your hand.

You can also watch the following movie to see how the hand pans out. To view this programme you will need  to download htttp://www.haroldschogger.com/bridgevu.setup

  alternatively watch the film www.haroldschogger.com/movies2.htm

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