Keeping potential scores in mind, when you are offered a reprieve by the defence, exploit it to the full.
Bidding
Dealer: East
Game All
North’s 3C was a forcing noise to elicit further information from partner. Since 3NT could well be making 10 tricks, declarer hoped to be able to score an overtrick. The defence started with 10♦ to East’s A♦ and a diamond was returned. This is a passive defence but, with a long suit in dummy, it risks giving up the tempo and overtricks — and so it did here.Declarer won and, realising that hearts could not be established and enjoyed via a ruff, instead he drew three rounds of trumps, and then led 10♥. West followed low, as did dummy, and East won with J♥. Belatedly appreciating the danger, East switched to 4♣, which South won immediately. He now led 4♥ and, when West again played low, dummy’s 9♥ was inserted — and this held the trick. Now, declarer can discard both his club losers on ♥AK and, crucially, record the overtrick, for a score of +650, and 100 per cent of the match points.
Is the heart play in line with the odds? That West holds Q♥ or J♥ is a 75 per cent chance, but South was convinced that the second finesse was correct as East won the first with J♥. If he had held both honours, declarer reasoned, surely this would have been the perfect time for East to false-card, winning the first finesse with Q♥?
