This is aHand:

Just for a change you are in a part-score rather than a game.

This can make the play more challenging in a way, as the high cards are spread more evenly between the two sides.

Where is your extra trick coming from here?

Bidding.

Here we open 1NT with 16 points and a 4∙3∙3∙3 shape and no one else feels like bidding.

Play.

1NT is often a difficult contract to play as the points are often quite close (here they are split 21-19 in our favor) and counting tricks can be awkward. The subsequent play and defense can be a real minefield as well.

In this case, however, it is simple to see that we have six top tricks after a Heart lead into our tenace. We can see two top Spades, the ♥A Q and two top Diamonds so the problem is to develop one extra trick.

Well, for sure, it is rarely right to cash our top tricks hoping that an extra one will emerge somehow from the mists; instead, we just have to work on one of our suits.

Here, we have to set up a Club trick. Now, this takes time and (a lot of) patience as the opponents have the ♣A K Q between them, but as long as we keep plugging away at Clubs we are destined to make a trick there eventually.

West leads a Heart to the ♥K and our ♥A. We play a Club, won by East’s ♣Q. He (naturally enough) returns a Heart so we take the ♥Q and revert to Clubs. West cashes a couple of Hearts while we put some trash in the can (a Diamond from dummy and a Spade from hand) and then West shifts to a Spade.

We take the ♠K and plug away doggedly in Clubs. Finally, we establish the ♣J on the table as a trick and the opponents can do nothing about it. A further Spade lead is taken by dummy’s ♠A, we cash that precious Club trick and take the rest of our top tricks.

Contract made. Just.