Score ten points 1

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

West leads ♥K. How do you play?

A. I duck.

B. I win with ♥A.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

How do you continue?

A. I cash ♠A and ♠K.

B. I cash ♦A, ♦K and ♦Q.

C. I play clubs.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

On ♠A west follows suit, on ♠K he discards a heart.

A. I cash ♦A, ♦K and ♦Q, discarding two hearts in dummy; then I play clubs.

B. I play clubs.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

You cash ♦A, ♦K en ♦Q, discarding two hearts in dummy.

A. I cash ♠A and ♠K; then I play clubs.

B. I cash ♠A; then I play clubs.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

East wins with ♣A and plays a heart.

A. I ruff in dummy and play clubs.

B. I ruff in dummy and cash ♠K; then I play clubs.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

You are lost already. The trump suit turns out to be 4-1; therefore you cannot avoid the further loss of three tricks: ♣A and two trumps. Try again.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

East wins with ♣A and plays a heart. The trump suit turns out to be 4-1, so you end up one down (you lose: ♣A, a heart and two trumps). You missed your chance. Try again.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

East wins with ♣A, draws all your trumps and plays a heart. West scores four hearts (a bit of luck he discarded one...): four down. You lost control by drawing trumps too early. The 4-1 trump distribution finishes you off. A bit unlucky... 3 points.

Take a look at all hands here.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

You succeed in making the contract. You kept control in the trump suit and can therefore handle the 4-1 trump distribution. However, if the trump suit is 3-2, you run an unnecessary risk of a club ruff from the hand with the doubleton trump; this would cost you the overtrick. After ruffing the heart in dummy you had better cashed ♠K before running the clubs. On the actual distribution it does not matter, east always scores two trump tricks. You played nicely and safely: 9 points.

Take a look at all hands here.

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

Excellently played. You kept trump control by cashing your second high trump at the right moment.
10 points

Take a look at all hands here.

As south you play 4♠ after the following bidding sequence:

		♠	A K 5 2
		♥	A 4 2
		♦	4
		♣	Q 7 6 4 3
♠	8			♠	Q J 10 9
♥	K Q J 9 8 6			♥	10 7
♦	J 9 7			♦	10 8 6 5 3 2
♣	10 8 5			♣	A
		♠	7 6 4 3
		♥	5 3
		♦	A K Q
		♣	K J 9 2

Outside the trump suit you count two possible losers: a heart and ♣A. You can discard the heart loser on the diamond suit. Since you can afford to lose two trump tricks (if the trump suit would turn out to be 4-1), everything looks rosy therefore. Or doesn't it...?

Consideration: If a contract looks easy, it pays to think over bad distributions. In this case the only real danger is a 4-1 split in trumps. In itself two trump losers do not pose a problem, provided you avoid the heart loser, for ♣A is your third and last loser. The actual danger of the 4-1 trump split is that you might lose control. If the player holding four trumps is allowed to draw all of your trumps, you are defenceless against the heart suit.

On the other hand, you do not want to lose any unnecessary tricks if the trump suit is 3-2. The question is therefore: when is the time to draw trumps? The danger in cashing ♠A and ♠K at once is clear: if the trumps are 4-1, one opponent now holds two high trumps. If that opponent gains the lead afterwards with ♣A, he will draw your trumps and you lose five more hearts. You therefore must remove ♣A before having cashed both high trumps. Playing one high trump first is correct. This prevents a club ruff in the (unlikely) event of west holding both a singleton club and a singleton trump. (Now that would be nasty: first suffering a ruff from the singleton trump, afterwards losing two more trump tricks to east).

The correct play is therefore: you win the lead with ♥A, cash ♠A and then ♦A, ♦K and ♦Q, discarding two hearts in dummy. You keep control in the trump suit thanks to ♠K. Now you go off lead in clubs.
This plan is 100% safe. Even if EW score a club ruff, the contract is not in danger. You then lose one more trump at most. If the opponents, after winning with ♣A, play hearts, you ruff in dummy, cash ♠K (this prevents an unnecessary club ruff from the doubleton trump if trumps are 3-2).
The trump suit turns out to be 4-1 but that does not hurt you; you have established your club suit and you start playing off that suit until east ruffs. In south you now have a trump more than east, so the only trick he takes afterwards is his other high trump.

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