Going Deep

[OliverC]

Counting tricks accurately and assessing the most likely way you're going to get the required number of tricks is always important. Take this hand

Game All, Dealer South

North (Dummy)
  KJ75
  K76
  J5
  K1063

South
  982
  AQ10
  A9832
  A9

You and Partner have got to the likely par contract of 3NT. West leads the 6 of Diamonds. Hoping they've led from KQxx(x) you try the Jack but East covers with the King and you take your Ace. How do you plan the play?

(1) Count tricks: 3 Hearts, 2 Clubs (maybe 3 if Opps open them up) and probably at least 2 Diamonds.
(2) Certain Losers: Queen and 10 of Diamonds and the Ace of Spades for sure.

Clearly West has probably led from Q1076(x), so you can't attack the Diamonds profitably yourself. Similarly, if you attack the Clubs yourself, you can never expect to make more than your two top tricks, but you need to develop 2 tricks from somewhere. Spades are the only answer.

You might find West with AQx in Spades, but overall, to develop 2 tricks, it's better to play for West to have either the Queen or the 10, and to run the 9 at trick 2 (Planning to finesse the Jack the next time). This works spectacularly well when East wins with the Ace, so West is marked with both queen and 10, and you're now sure of three Spade tricks. Note that leading small and finessing the Jack doesn't cut the mustard here. leading the 9 encourages a cover by West (which you want because you hold the intermediates of 987).

East wins the Ace of Spades and returns a Diamond, and West wins the 10, cashes the Queen (East shows out) and switches to a heart, but now you're totally in control and end up with an overtrick, when several Declarers in 3NT were going 1 or 2 off in 3NT. 10 tricks here was worth nearly 8 IMPs, even in this par contract, because 1 third of the pairs failed to even reach 3NT and played in part-scores.


Once again the key things on this hand were Counting your tricks, working out what the opening lead was likely from and then figuring out how best to get the additional tricks you required. Just basic, simple Declarer play