This is aHand:

We pick up the biggest hand we've had all week but at least it's easy to find the right bid - 2NT.

Take a look at partner's hand. He only has 5 points but that's enough to bid to game opposite a big hand like ours. However, it's clear with a 1.4.4.4 shape that 4♥ might well be a superior spot to 3NT if there is a 4-4 fit. If you look at the North-South hands you can see straight away that 3NT would fall foul of a Spade lead - defeated before it got going. 4♥, though, is much easier.

So, North enquires about our majors. Should we respond 3♠ he'd happily close the auction with 3NT. If we denied a major with 3♦ then North would shut his eyes and risk 3NT, hoping our Spades were strong enough to withstand an attack in that quarter. As it is, though, we bid 3♥ (music to North's ears) and that player happily raises to 4♥.

After the ♠Q lead we realize that we have to trump a couple of Spades on table so we take the first of those ruffs immediately, before playing a Heart (trumps have to be drawn sometime). West plays back a trump (what else?) but we can still ruff another Spade and draw the last trump. The providential fall of the ♦10 means that we can overtake the ♦J with the ♦Q and cash the ♦9. We can even try the Club finesse for the twelfth trick but that's a slice of luck too far. No matter, eleven tricks is very nice, thank-you. (And much better than playing in 3NT down one).

Good things happen to people who do things good, and our careful planning of the hand results in an overtrick.