Contract : 3
Lead : Queen of Hearts

OR

Contract : 3
Lead : Ace of Diamonds

			Q 10 9 3
			10 8 6 2
			K 8 3
			Q J
	K 7 6	N W E S			4
	7 5 4				A K 3
	A J 5				Q 10 9 7 6 4
	10 7 5 3				A 8 2
			A J 8 5 2
			Q J 9
			2
			K 9 6 4

The bidding:

North is the dealer and no-one is vulnerable. Check that the bidding goes like this:

East opens and learns that his side has 24 DH points in Diamonds as trumps. Applying the preceding lesson East, who cannot play for game, limits himself to bidding 1.

South then counts 23 DH points in his side in Spades as trumps. He also cannot make a game call and over-bids 1.

Make East bid 2, then South 2. From then on leave the bidding to continue as everyone feels like doing… and let them play the deal without intervening, whatever the final contract. Then look at the results.

In theory those who played a contract in Spades ill easily have made eight tricks, but no more. If South has made nine tricks despite everything it will be because West didn't lay the Ace of Diamonds when South played Diamonds towards the dummy's King (advice 18.1). Then ask the four players if West had any way of knowing that South only had a singleton Diamond. If they don't find it, put them on the right track by asking them to think about the bidding: if East has decided to play in Diamonds he must have at least nine Diamonds in his side. There are only thirteen Diamonds in the suit, so South only has one! (advice18.2).

Those who, in East-West, have made the contract in Diamonds must have made nine tricks if they have played well. South must have led with the Queen of Hearts (advice 18.2). Get them then to count East's losers: one Spade, one Heart, two Clubs and the King of Diamonds if it is "badly placed". To transform one there are two solutions: either to succeed in the King of Diamonds finesse or to discard one of the losers on a master card in dummy. The King of Spades can play this role, but in what circumstances? Wait for the answer before asking when they should play Spades and congratulate those who say that Spades must be played before trumps because Trumps is the only suit with which to get back into dummy to make the King of Spades.

Once everybody has understood that the deal allowed North-South to make eight tricks in Spades and East-West nine in Diamonds (advice 18.4), return to the sequence of bidding.

Show that, not vulnerable, it was obvious for East to bid 3 over 2 since he only had to take a small risk. In the same situation of non-vulnerability, underline that South had to say 3, the risk (2points away from the Decision Table) being still acceptable. Do say however that 4 by East cannot be envisaged (advice 18.5).

Finish by comparing the scores obtained by the different theoretical contracts and underline that North-South have pulled off a good operation by not letting the opponents play 3 which would have been successful.