I was going to include this hand in my “think before you play to trick one” lessons. But I played it so badly that I cannot bear to show you my errors. I was in five diamonds and managed to go down one.
Interestingly, however, the hand can make six diamonds against any defense. It’s a fun double dummy problem. You are South in six diamonds: Here is the hand:
Your mission is to make six diamonds.
Well known bridge teacher Buck Buchanan is convinced (and I agree) that solving double dummy problems “can make you a more resourceful declarer or defender when tough hands come up”. Give this one a try.