Bidding
With a balanced hand and 12-14 HCP, West opened 1NT. Like West, North would have opened 1NT but had nothing to overcall. East bid 2♥, a weakness take-out, preferring to play with hearts as trumps than in NT. South overcalled 2♠ with a decent suit and powerful shape. West would normally pass the weakness take-out but in competition with excellent trump support, West bid 3♥. With a known fit, North bid 3♠ ending the auction.
Play
West led the ♥A, top of touching honours. Declarer trumped and counted seven top tricks (six in spades and ♦A). Having drawn trumps with ♠A and ♠Q, declarer led ♥Q discarding a diamond, the key play. This loser on loser play created another trick (♥J). When West returned a diamond, declarer won ♦A and discarded her last diamond on the winning ♥J. Her ninth trick was a long club.
The Henley Bridge School 