Learn to combine you chances.
Bridge Column for August 2, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
East-West vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: J 4 3            
                              H: K J 6       
                              D: K 7 5       
                              C: A K Q 5 
            West                             East
            S: 7 6                           S: 10 9 8 2     
            H: 10 9 8 2                      H: Q 4 3      
            D: 8 6 2                         D: Q J 10            
            C: J 9 4 3                       C: 10 7 2      
                              South                         
                              S: A K Q 5
                              H: A 7 5      
                              D: A 9 4 3   
                              C: 8 6      
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                   1NT     Pass     6NT     Pass
                   Pass    Pass 
     West led the three of clubs.  Cover the East-West hands and
decide how you would go about making your contract.
     The first thing that you should do is count your tricks. 
You can take four spade tricks, two heart tricks, two diamond
tricks, and three club tricks for a total of eleven, so you need
to find one more.  
     One possibility is the heart finesse.  If West holds the
queen of hearts, you could lead toward the king-jack combination,
and when West plays low, you could call for the jack, which would
be your twelfth trick.
     There is another possibility.  Diamonds could break three-
three.  That would mean that after three rounds of that suit,
your fourth diamond would be a trick.  But you have to be
careful.  If you plunk down the ace and king of diamonds, and
both defenders follow low, the third round of the suit could find
the jack and the queen in the same hand which would result in the
defeat of your contract.
     The way to handle this combination then is to duck a diamond
at trick two.  Just play a low diamond from the dummy and no
matter what card East plays, play low from your hand.  You can
then win any return and play the ace and king of diamonds.  If
the opponents follow to both rounds, your thirteenth diamond is
good.  If the diamond suit does not behave, you can fall back on
the heart finesse in an attemp to find your twelfth trick.
     This is a simple example of combining your chances so that
you have the best opportunity to make your contract.   
_______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.