This is aHand:

Well, if you have worked your way through the first series on this topic, you may know the odds by now.

So how exactly do you handle the trump suit here?

On this deal you reach 4♠ in quick time and receive an unwelcome lead of the ♦Q, bumping off dummy’s ♦K. Ho-hum.

The defenders cash the first two Diamond tricks and exit with a Club. With the ♥A a certain loser  the important thing is not to lose a trump trick. So, you have to pick the Spade suit up without loss. This cannot be guaranteed, of course; what you have to do is to find the play that gives you the best chance. This hand is remarkably similar to Hands 1 & 3 from the previous series, which may give you a clue to the correct line of play.

Here, cashing the ♠A first is a good idea as the singleton ♠Q coming down would be good news. When everyone follows with small Spades you still have to take the Spade finesse. This is a better proposition than trying to drop the ♠Q doubleton, although the possession of the ♠10 on table and the ♠8 in hand makes this deal more subtle than previous examples.

Anyway, you must again cross to dummy (with the ♣K) and take the Spade finesse – but you must do this by leading the ♠10. If East has ♠Q × × it doesn’t matter what you do but what if they are 4-1 – as here? If you were to lead low to the ♠J you’d have a Spade loser (play it through mentally and see). However, when you lead the ♠10 East is helpless. His best defense is to cover the ♠10 with the ♠Q, which you win with the ♠K.

Now, though, you now have the ♠J 8 poised over the ♠9 7. All you need at this point is another Spade finesse. Two finesses in the same suit – fun, eh?

To finesse Spades again you have to reach dummy so you have to lead a Heart. East takes his ♥A and is stuck. Anything he leads puts you on the table with fatal consequences for his side. When he chooses to lead a Diamond (a useless ruff-and-sluff) you must discard from hand and ruff in dummy. Now you can lead the last trump from dummy to the ♠8, draw the last trump and claim. Phew!

Did we mention the word "tricky"?