This week’s tip comes from Friday 17/10/2025: Always try and make sure you make your contract. And count your tricks. This is a great example of when making sure of your contract can have an unexpected, and very positive, side effect. Virtue was its own reward for the careful declarers.
Board 13
Dealer N All Vul
One East ended up in 3NT. South led the spade four and the nine held. Then declarer called for the singleton ten of clubs from dummy and let it run. So did South, being a canny defender. Declarer counted her tricks and given that she expected to make four club tricks, a reasonable expectation, could now see nine tricks and played accordingly. A heart to the king was followed by the ace and queen of clubs, which South now won and cleared the spades, leading the king. Declarer now took the clubs, discarding diamonds from dummy. Then the ace of diamonds followed and South was caught in a squeeze and could throw a winning spade or a heart. A heart to the ace was the ninth trick and unexpectedly dropped the queen from North. The Jack and 9 of hearts took two more tricks! Declarer had played as safely as possible to make her contract and as a result got lucky and made two overtricks!
You see what I mean by virtue being its own reward. I never really understood the meaning of that saying!
752
Q4
KQ873
653