When opponents make an error, you need to make them pay. Can you make them pay on this hand? You are declarer in a contract of one spade. Here is the auction and what you see on opening lead of the 10 of diamonds:
The play goes as follows. At trick one you put in the queen without much hope, East covers with the king, and you win the ace.
At trick two you lead the jack of spades, won by East’s king with West following low.
At trick three East shifts to the eight of hearts, won in your hand with the ace.
At trick four you lead the 10 of spades, West following low and East showing out with the deuce of clubs.
At trick five you lead the three of clubs to dummy’s queen with both opponents following low.
At trick six you lead a low heart to your king, East following with the jack and West the four.
At trick seven you lead the nine of hearts, won by East’s queen with West following low.
At trick eight East leads the 10 of clubs and you win the ace with West playing the eight. The opponents have still not cashed their winning diamond! And you still must lose a trick to the ace of spades.
Here is the situation from your perspective with you on lead from hand at trick nine. How will you take advantage of opponents’ failure to cash their diamond winner?
I hope you did not get mesmerized by that king of clubs.
BTW, that was a risky vulnerable third hand opening bid by East. It worked out well for EW. West knew what to lead as a result. Here was East’s hand:
