This is aHand:

These last two deals are a little trickier than the first four.

Here you have (as usual) the dilemma of deciding whether to draw trumps or not. How can you tell? Well, as usual you have to count winners and losers.

If there are too many losers you have to find a way of disposing of the excess ones.

As South you reach 4♠ after North has opened 1♣ and rebid 1NT and contemplate dummy after the ♦J opening lead.

As ever, you must Count and Plan before playing a card. As usual, this counting and planning concerns winners and losers.

In terms of winners there are six Spades, one Heart and two Diamonds – a total of nine. In terms of losers there are no Spades, one Heart. one Diamond and one Club – total of three. Hmmm – something doesn’t add up here: nine winners and three losers. How do we square this circle?

Well, take a closer look at the Diamond suit – in fact, there are two losers there – or there would be if we denuded dummy of trumps. If, on the other hand, we kept dummy’s trumps in situ and disposed of the last Diamond by trumping it on the dummy we’d actually make seven Spade tricks – six in hand and one ruff in the short hand.

Right, then, the details. Let’s dot the is and cross the ts. Win the Diamond lead (it doesn’t much matter where) and – without pulling trumps – play off the other top Diamond and concede a Diamond to the enemy. The defenders play a Heart back (as good as anything) so we take the ♥A, come to hand with a trump, ruff a Diamond on table (careful now! We must ruff with the ♠J to avoid East getting in an over-ruff) and now (and only now) draw trumps.

The last two cards (a Club and a Heart) can cheerfully be conceded to the opponents as we have made ten of the first eleven tricks.