AVOIDING THE 4-4 FIT AND THEN PLAYING LIKE GOD

Now you have to tackle spades and guarding against any four spades in the West hand, start by leading low. If West plays low, insert the 9. Say it loses. If West has another spade to return the suit has broken 3-2 and you have the rest (East does not have four spades!) If East does not have another spade, a likely scenario, he must give you a ruff and a discard allowing you to discard a spade from your hand and ruff in dummy (or vice-versa) No more second spade loser.

Say when you lead a low spade West plays an honor. No problem. Play low from dummy. If West started with QJ10x, West has no safe exit. If West leads a second honor, you can win in your hand and then lead low to the 9 in dummy. If West gets out with a lower spade, stick in the nine. It will either win or if East covers, win the ace and now that spades have broken 3-2, you have the rest.

The play of leading a low heart toward the king, second hand needing the ace, is called a MORTON’S FORK COUP. Notice if declarer thinks that East has the A, then the first heart lead must come from the dummy forcing East to play second to the trick.
Also, it is important not to cash the A prematurely

Dlr: South Vul: E-W
Scoring: IMPs

North  K 9 5 4  K 9 3  Q J 2  A 8 7
West  Q J 10 8  A J 10 7  3  K Q J 9	East  7  8 5 4 2  6 4  10 6 5 4 3 2
South  A 6 3 2  Q 6  A K 10 9 8 7 5

South	West	North	East
1	Db1	Rdb1	2
3	Pass	4	Pass
4	Pass	6	All Pass