This is aHand:

This set of eight deals is by Tim Bourke

Here you pick up the worst hand that you've held in a long, long time. It is startling, therfore, to find yourself declarer - in a high-level contract, too.

Can you find the winning play?

The only explanation for the bidding is that North got carried away!

West led the ♦K, ruffed in dummy while East played the ♦Q, indicating the that he held the jack too. The major chance was that trumps would prove to be 2-2, allowing declarer to cross to dummy with a trump to lead the ♣J. However, the ♥A K revealed the 1-3 break, killing that hope.

Declarer needed an entry to table to take the club finesse so he paused to consider the situation. As East held the ♦Q J as well as the ♥J, all of the other missing honors were sure to be with West. Further, diamonds appeared to be 5-4, so West could have at most four spades and surely wouldn't have six clubs, particularly as he would surely have bid again with a 1.1.5.6 shape?

South now saw that the only distribution he could overcome was 4.1.5.3 with the East holding precisely the ♠10 x! So he played the ♠J next. If West took this with the ♠Q, declarer would ruff the diamond return, draw the last trump and cash the ♠A, felling the ten. Then the ♠9 would provide an entry to hand for the club finesse.

If West ducked the ♠J, declarer would continue with the ♠A K, ensuring the closed hand could be reached with a spade ruff (or a trump if East ruffed North’s low spade).