Most contracts, particularly those where the outcome is uncertain at the start, are won or lost in the early stages of the play. This is largely because the lines of battle are usually drawn by the play to the first two or three tricks. The later plays merely reflect the early preparations.

Consider this deal where West led a diamond against three notrump, and South was immediately faced with a crucial test. Had he played the three or the ten from dummy, he would have gone down.

After the play of the three, for example, East’s eight would have forced the queen and established a tenace over dummy’s K-10. This would have proved fatal when West eventually gained the lead with the king of hearts and returned a diamond.

To defuse the potential threat posed by East’s diamonds, South should play dummy’s king at trick one! This forces East to win the trick in order to prevent declarer from later scoring a second diamond trick. More importantly, the presence of the ten in dummy then stops East from returning a diamond at trick two. East is therefore forced to shift to another suit, so let’s assume he leads a heart.

Once again South must be careful. He should reject the tempting finesse because he can assure the contract by winning the heart with the ace and leading a club. East takes the club ace, but the battle is over. South already has eight tricks established and cannot be stopped from scoring his ninth trick in hearts.

Note that if declarer plays low on East’s heart return at trick two, he goes down. West can win and lead a second diamond, and the contract eventually fails. The first two tricks tell the tale.

Tomorrow: The hidden power of a pass.