* - weak jump overcall

Partner is up to his antics again, opening a listless ten-count. The final contract, however, is a reasonable one. West leads the ♥9, East plays an encouraging ♥8. Plan the play.

Solution:
You have six top tricks in the form of one heart, four diamonds and the ♣A. You can safely assume that East has six hearts headed by the ace-king and nothing else; with another card or two, he would have overcalled at the one-level. West should therefore have all the outstanding black-suit honors. The winning play is to play a low club at trick two! If West wins the king, you will score two more club tricks in addition to the ♣A, and can simply lead up to the ♠K for your ninth trick. If West ducks this, you will have to play West for AQJx in spades; you will have some minor maneuvering to do. Say you cross over to the ♦A (your last entry to hand) and lead a spade. If West wins the ace and backs a diamond, you will cash your remaining diamonds and lead a low spade to endplay West to make him lead a spade for you, or play a club into your tenace, or play a heart to East, inflicting the same endplay on him. If West does not rise with the ♠A, you will take a deep finesse, and once again play a low spade to manufacture the same endplay.

This actually is a defensive problem for the East, to win the ♥K at trick one and switch to a club; ducking the heart gave declarer a trick in the suit and also conceded tempo.

Analysis:
Bridge Baron's double dummy solver confirms that playing the ♣2 at trick two is required to make the contract. The double dummy analysis also concurs that East can defeat the contract at trick one by winning the ♥K and switching to the ♣10.
Par Contract Analysis:
The par contract on this deal is 2NT by North-South.

Bridge Baron deal No : N3683-74629-46740-55533-82826-00429