Finally, we can have a look at how a 6H slam might fare. Most average declarers would probably fail unless South leads the jack of clubs, a card some Souths might choose. Easy after that, dummy covers and declarer’s nine comes good. The lead of a doubleton jack is not a good lead against any contract unless you have a very good chance of finding partner with higher honours, which this time is nothing short of wishful thinking given the bidding. Here, it is disastrous, because declarer was looking at two possible club losers. A spade lead as it happens comes to no harm and neither does a diamond, but my choice would be the six of trumps. That is totally safe, even if partner has the queen or king. But what if partner has the singleton queen or king and you lead the jack? The low heart, as it happens, gives declarer an extra entry to dummy but it is not needed and declarer can proceed along sensible lines by winning in hand and immediately leading the nine of clubs to the queen. Unlucky! It loses to the king and now there would appear to be little chance of the slam making. But read on.
Board 3 Dealer South EW Vul
North can win the king of clubs and exit safely with anything other than a low spade. But a good declarer is an optimistic declarer, and undaunted, plays off all the trumps and all the diamonds. When the king of spades and then the seven to the ace has not promoted the ten, there is nothing left for declarer but to lead a club to the ace, and give up a club at the end. But...... the nine of clubs takes the last trick when North’s ten and South’s jack both fall. A simple enough ‘cost nothing’ squeeze and the cards were sitting favourably but only a competent declarer would have made the slam. That also works the same way in 6NT.
Incidentally, Deep Finesse, being of a sadistic nature, would have inflicted some real pain on poor North, by not playing on clubs until the very end, squeezing poor North all the way to trick ten, then putting North in with the spade queen to lead a club, with K10 being his last two cards. Amazing what you can do if you can see all the cards, but at least our ‘competent declarer’ would have succeeded with a more realistic play, a fairly basic squeeze rather than an anti percentage squeeze and end play.
QJ93
54
863
KT75