What’s Your Play? 4-5

#5 North South Vulnerable
North   East   South   West
   1♦         1♠        3NT       AP
 
                                                North
                                                ♠ 3 2
                                                ♥ A Q J
                                                ♦ Q J 10 9
                                                ♣ K 9 8 2
                            West                                East
                            ♠ 6                                     ♠ K
                            ♥                                        ♥ 
                            ♦                                         ♦ 
                            ♣                                         ♣
                                                South (you)
                                                ♠ A Q 4
                                                ♥ 10 6 2
                                                ♦ A 8 7 6
                                                ♣ A 6 5
 
West leads the ♠6. What’s South’s plan?
 
As South, you have two spade stoppers and two finesses to take. If the diamond finesse works, you have nine tricks, but if it doesn’t work, you have to take the heart finesse. With two potential entry cards to drive out and one stopper remaining in the Danger Suit, drive out the entry of the player with the greater length in the Danger Suit first. East has the spade length, so take the heart finesse first. Say it loses and a spade comes back. You win. Cross to dummy with a heart and run the DQ. Even if that finesse loses, West has no more spades and you have nine tricks!
 
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