One Chance

East Deals

None Vul

IMPs

♠	K 9 6
♥	A J 10 8
♦	J 8 5
♣	A Q 3

♠	J 5 4 3
♥	9 7
♦	Q 4
♣	K J 5 4 2

♠	Q 8 7 2
♥	4 2
♦	K 10 6 3 2
♣	10 8

♠	A 10
♥	K Q 6 5 3
♦	A 9 7
♣	9 7 6

West	North	East	South
		Pass	1 ♥
Pass	2 NT*	Pass	3 ♥
Pass	4 ♥	All Pass

*Forcing raise

West found a poor low spade lead. Declarer played low, East played the queen, and declarer won in hand. Declarer drew trumps ending in hand and played the ♠ 10, ducked around. Declarer then played a club to the queen, a diamond to the ace, and a club to ace, and pitched a club on the ♠ K. Declarer ruffed a club, arriving at this position:

♠	—
♥	10 8
♦	J 8
♣	—

♠	J
♥	—
♦	Q
♣	K J

♠	8
♥	—
♦	K 10 6
♣	—

♠	—
♥	Q 6
♦	9 7
♣	—

Declarer played a diamond from his hand, and West was forced to win the queen. West was caught in a throw-in, and had to give declarer a ruff and discard in one of the black suits.

West could have avoided this endplay by dropping the ♦ Q under the ace. That was the main reason for taking the ♦ A before showing the position in the black suits.

Only six players who played 4 ♥ got a spade lead. Of those, only one player, Curt Hastings (curt), found this extra overtrick. It was worth a measly IMP, but an IMP is an IMP.