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Experience is a marvelous teacher, but one of the dangers in playing the game for a long time is that it may lead to occasional carelessness in commonplace situations.
Take this case where South is in three notrump. Let's say South ducks the opening club lead and wins the next club with the king. He then plays a heart and, when West follows low, finesses the nine. If East takes his queen, which seems the natural thing to do, South has no trouble scoring 10 tricks. Whatever East returns, declarer takes a second heart finesse and makes the contract with an overtrick, scoring four hearts and two tricks in each of the other suits.
If East does not take his queen, South still gets home safely. He takes a successful diamond finesse, crosses to the ace of hearts and repeats the diamond finesse. Declarer thus scores two spades, two hearts, three diamonds and two clubs.
However, South would find it impossible to make nine tricks if West played the king of hearts on the first heart lead! This would limit South to just one heart trick.
Declarer might duck the king, hoping West also had the queen, or might take the king and attempt a diamond finesse. Either way, though, South can't make nine tricks.
West should surely play the king of hearts when the suit is first led despite the usual practice by a defender of playing second-hand low. General rules are always subservient to common sense, and in the present case, West should apply that invaluable commodity to the situation at hand.
West should reason that if South has the queen of hearts, the king is doomed, come what may. He therefore plays the king on the assumption that East has the queen, and hopes that by doing so he will limit dummy to one heart trick.
Tomorrow: Magic act.