JOHNNY SUPREMO AT YOUR SERVICE.............................................................

• I just want to report on a hand where many players failed to make the small slam in hearts......but I wasn't one of them.
• Dummy had come down with:....................... K10.......Kx..........AJxx......Qxxxx
• opposite my:..................................................AQ.....AQJ109x.....Kx........Axx
• Eleven tricks were on top, and if the diamond finesse worked......one losing club could be easily jettisoned. Alternatively, if the diamond queen was offside-to-three, the third round of diamonds could then be ducked with one small club thrown away, leaving the established jack of diamonds to deal with the other losing club.
• If either of these options have been attempted it was doom and gloom all round. So what line did I take? One consideration was to play a low club from both hands first. This caters for either a stiff king, or a king doubleton in either hand. And if, after playing the Ace of clubs next, the king still hasn't appeared, then it's time to fall back on the diamond finesse. But I wasn't happy with this, despite the fact that a defender on my left would have to be helluva brave person not to play king from Kxx......in the belief that I had planned to play low.
• I felt it was technically correct to try the clubs first, by leading low up to the queen. If the club king was on my left, then all my problems were over, whether it is played or not. If however, the queen loses (to the king on my right), then again it's back again to the diamond finesse. This line of play gave me about 75% chance of making.