JOHNNY SUPREMO GETS IT RIGHT..............................AS ALWAYS

• There I was looking at a hand on which to open one heart, when before I knew it partner (East) had opened the bidding with a pre-emptive 3C..............only for South to confidently overcall, and bid 4S. This bid ended the auction.
• Looking at my: 95......KJ862.....AK107.....97.......I kicked off with the Ace of diamonds, only to see dummy coming down with: 73......A103......QJxxx.......KQ2.
• Partner duly indicated he had a small doubleton diamond.......to match declarer's. If as I suspected he also held a seven card club suit to the Ace, then he had only four cards left in hearts and spades.
• What did I now know about declarer's hand? He certainly must have a singleton club and two diamonds. With ten cards left in spades and hearts, I was convinced he possessed a solid 7 card spade suit, plus 3 hearts to the queen. If this was the case, then partner's remaining 4 cards were indeed 3 hearts and a singleton spade.
• Declarer was certainly good for 8 certain tricks, and I could see him eyeing up two more from dummy's diamonds and clubs. Therefore, only one card at trick 2 could scupper his game plan completely......and that was the King of Hearts !
• Although this gave declarer a surprise heart trick (he was obliged to take it in dummy with the Ace)......his one and only guaranteed entry to any possible winners in diamonds/clubs had suddenly, and prematurely, gone. Now, for the defence, it was plain sailing to take our two diamonds and a club, alongwith a wonderful heart trick courtesy of my jack. The contract was doomed for one down.
• ( As always, good bridge is not just about brilliance.....but an ability to count the cards.....and analysing what declarer might get up to. Then, what to do to disrupt his plans should become all too apparent. In this particular instance, it was a simple case of taking out his crucial entry card to dummy, before any diamond and club winners in dummy could be established.)