Play on 29WED

Here is a very simple declarer play problem. Well, it should be simple if you just follow some basic principles of card play. The bidding should also be simple, so let's see. The deal comes from Wednesday 20/07/2016.
Board 9 Dealer N EW Vul

7
AJ95
KQJT
AKJ9
J4
83
9763
T8432
A98532
T762
85
Q
KQT6
KQ4
A42
765

The bidding SHOULD be simple enough: 1C from North. 19 points means opening at the ONE level only. PASS from East because a vulnerable overcall against not vulnerable opponents with that rubbish is not recommended nor is a 'weak jump overcall' which is even worse. A response of 1S from South and then a jump to 3NT by North, which says North has 19 or 20 points and every other suit well covered. 14 points with South plus 19 with North equals 33 which is enough for a slam, so South should raise to 6NT without further ado.

One East against 6NT led the ace of spades and that should have been easy for declarer had he or she simply counted up the remaining tricks: two spades, four hearts, four diamonds and two clubs. At that point declarer should have claimed but somehow lost the way, as did another declarer in 6H with also the ace of spades lead. Both were down one, I really can't imagine how either could have happened so I won't even try.

What I do want to look at is how North should play in 6NT if East makes a safer lead of the two of hearts.

Declarer should go through the basic process of counting tricks and looking at the losers. There are a certain ten tricks, four hearts and four diamonds, and two top clubs. Therefore on the surface the extra trick, maybe two more, can come from a successful club finesse. But there should be absolutely no hurry as long as declarer remains in control. No need to simply cash up all available tricks.

Declarer should look at possible options. One option is to immediately lead the seven of spades towards dummy. If East doesn't fancy the prospect of never making the ace of spades, East might rise with the Ace and that would now give declarer the extra two tricks with the king and queen. Let's say that East plays low and the queen wins in dummy. The contract now looks to depend on the clubs, but, yet again, there is no hurry to immediately take the finesse, declarer can afford to take one top club before doing that, so declarer plays the ace of clubs from hand to start with, and is surprised and rewarded when East's queen falls singleton!

After cashing the other top club just in case East was being cute with Q10 of clubs, declarer can finesse the nine and make all thirteen tricks. East, in retrospect, will regret not having gone up with the ace of spades, but what would YOU have done?

This deal gives a very good lesson in bidding as well as declarer play. I hope the reader will see the importance of NOT just taking all the available tricks to start with, but counting the tricks and working to a plan. I cannot emphasise that enough.