Dealer: West Vuln: None

Plan your defence after partner leads ♦Queen.

Many players don't bother to defend low level contracts properly and would merely let 10 tricks through on this hand conceding just 2 Heart losers, 1 Club.

However we are better than that especially after the favourable lead.

Partner has kindly led a Diamond which you can trump. You need to generate 6 tricks to defeat this contract and you are hoping that partner has the Heart Ace and maybe the club Ace too. So after trumping the first trick play the Heart King pleased to see partner play the 9. Now play a low Heart over to partner's Ace who plays back ♦2 which must be a clear suit preference signal to play back a Club. You ruff the ♦2 and duly play back a club to partner's Ace who now gives you a third ruff by playing yet another Diamond. You have won the first 6 trick before declarer has had a look in - 3 ruffs and 1 Club an 2 Hearts. The suit preference signal merely reinforced the Club back as that would appear to be the only way to get to partner's hand.

(NB Had you come back an immediate club partner would have been able to give you a ruff and then you could take your next two hearts trick followed by another ruff. This would also have worked).