Assume you’re declarer at three notrump and West leads a heart. You win East’s jack with the queen, and the question is how to continue.

There is a strong temptation to try a club finesse at this point, hoping to find West with the king. If he has it, you’re sure to wind up with at least 10 tricks.

But since the contract is certain to make whenever West has the king of clubs, you should start thinking about what you can do if East has the king.

In that case, if you lost an early club finesse, you could duck East’s heart return, but a third heart would then drive out your ace. Since you would have only eight sure tricks at that point, you would eventually have to try a diamond finesse. If it lost and West started with five hearts — as in the actual deal –you’d go down one.

For this reason, the correct play — strange as it may seem — is to lead the diamond jack at trick two! This insures the contract against any distribution of the adverse cards (assuming West started with at least four hearts).

If the jack holds, you next try the club finesse, guaranteeing nine tricks even if the finesse fails. If the diamond jack loses, you duck the heart return before taking the ace and then attempt the club finesse.

If the finesse wins, you have at least 10 tricks. If it loses and East has no more hearts, you’re also home. And if East has a heart, which means the suit was originally divided 4-4, nine tricks are again assured.

The recommended approach to the play defuses the lone danger to the contract — the possibility that West has a long heart suit and a side entry. Since that entry can only be the king of diamonds, you must deprive him of that card before it can be used to defeat you.

Tomorrow: Discovery play.

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