Hand of the week, week commencing, Sunday  16th August 2026

Plan your play in 6♣ after the ♥8 is led

If you wish to play this hand out click here

Dealer: E Vuln: None

Initially, North makes a negative double after the 1♦ overcall, and when East pre-emptively jumps to 3♦ (bidding to the level of the Fit) South makes the sensible practical bid of 3NT. North now knows the opponents are likely to lead Diamonds and jumps to 6♣.

West leads the ♥8 and in view of the bidding this could well be a singleton.

Declarer takes stock. 3 Club winners, 5 Heart winners and 1 Spade winner.

If the clubs are no worse than 3:1 then there will be 2 more club tricks. This brings the total to 11. So where will the 12th trick come from?

 Yes, you will need to ruff a club (or even two) while there are clubs in the dummy.

With all this in mind, win the first trick in hand with a top Heart and immediately go to work and ruff a Diamond. Now return to hand via a club to the Ace pleased to see everybody following. (now you know trumps are no worse than 3:1). You have come back to hand to ruff another diamond and gain an overtrick. Now cash the Club King with East discarding a Diamond.. Return to hand via the Ace of spades in order to draw the last trump.

You can now claim the rest having made 5 trumps, 5 Hearts 1 Spade and 2 Diamond ruffs.

 

 watch the film of the hand being played out by going to www.haroldschogger.com/movies2.htm