Contract bridge: Tenacious ambition to make more tricks than everyone else is rewarded

Everyone made 3NT exactly on this week’s deal, except for one player who made an overtrick. How did he do it?

Bidding
Dealer: North
N/S Game

West led 5♠. There are nine top tricks. The hearts might split 3-3, but our featured declarer took a different view. He knew that East held only a queen-high spade suit, so he felt that there was a chance of forcing him to lead away from that queen by throwing him in at the right moment. 

Declarer played low from dummy at trick 1, East put in 8♠, and K♠ won. South then led 3♦, West followed low and declarer ducked in dummy. East won J♦ and led K♥. This declarer also ducked. By doing so, he was reducing East only to the cards that he had to guard. East continued with Q♥, won with A♥ in dummy.

Now, declarer set about stripping East of a safe exit. He cashed A♦ and came to hand with K♣, before laying down K♦ and noting that East threw a spade. Now, South played out three further rounds of clubs. East discarded another spade and, on the last club, considered pitching J♥ (this would not have helped).

Instead, he threw 7♥, leaving him with ♠Q10 and J♥. Knowing what East held, declarer could now force East to win J♥ and, when 10♠ was led, run it to dummy’s J♠ for his tenth trick.