Deal 17
 
 
 
♠ A 7 5
A J 3
A 8 6
♣ 10 9 6 3
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
1♣pass2NT
pass3NTpasspass
pass

South is to play 3NT. West leads the ♣A, then ♣K, ♣2.
East follows once, then discards a ♠ and a .

Make a Plan, then click NEXT .
   
  ♠ Q 3
K Q 5
K 9 4 2
♣ Q J 7 4
 

 
Deal 17
 
   3NT
OL: ♣ A K 2
♠ A 7 5
A J 3
A 8 6
♣ 10
  West leads the ♣A, then ♣K, ♣2.
East follows once, then discards a ♠ and a .

Winners:   ♠ = 1    = 3    = 2   ♣ = 2   Total = 8

There are two possibilities for getting an extra winner.
If the s are splitting 3-3 you could play A, K and another and establish the thirteenth as a winner.
Or you could play East for the ♠K and lead toward your ♠Q.

Click NEXT .
   
  ♠ Q 3
K Q 5
K 9 4 2
♣ Q
 

 
Deal 17
 
   3NT
OL: ♣ A K 2
♠ A 7 5
A J 3
A 8 6
♣ 10
  South is to play 3NT. West leads the ♣A, then ♣K, ♣2.
East follows once, then discards a ♠ and a .

Winners:   ♠ = 1    = 3    = 2   ♣ = 2   Total = 8

There are two possibilities for getting an extra winner.
If the s are splitting 3-3 you could play A, K and another and establish the thirteenth as a winner.
Or you could play East for the ♠K and lead toward your ♠Q.


The chance of East holding the ♠K is a little greater than 50%. (it is higher than the usual 50% because we know he started with only one ♣, giving him more spaces for other cards).

The chance of s splitting 3-3 is about 40%.

So you should enter dummy with a and play a small ♠ toward your ♠Q.

Did it work? Click NEXT to see.
   
  ♠ Q 3
K Q 5
K 9 4 2
♣ Q
 

 
Deal 17
 
   3NT
OL: ♣ A K 2
♠ A 7 5
A J 3
A 8 6
♣ 10 9 6 3
  You might have thought of another possibility; duck a , then play A and K to see if the s split before you try leading toward the ♠Q.

The problem is that you might run into this very distribution. You would establish a for East and when you played a ♠ from dummy East would jump up with the ♠K and cash his winning for down 1.

 Deal 18 
♠ 10 9 6 2
8 7 6
7 3
♣ A K 8 2
♠ K J 8 4
10 9 4 2
Q J 10 5
♣ 5
  ♠ Q 3
K Q 5
K 9 4 2
♣ Q J 7 4