[sceptic]

Hi, I have a question here, I watched this hand being played and I wondered about the way it was played from the position of seven rounds have been played and declarer is in dummy with the K hearts winning.

I thought best play was to take the remaining hearts out and hope for a good break on spades (I may well have missed something in counting out the hand, as I saw all 4 hands)

I just don't understand how playing on spades is good (I just need enlightening as I can't work out why someone would play spades and not take out the hearts first)

p.s. I have no doubts the declarer was a good player, (I am sure the declarer had count on the hand) I just would like to understand why playing spades is best here

Scoring: IMP

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West North East South

- - 1NT 2♣
Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥
Pass Pass Pass

C3 C6 CQ CA
HQ H6 H3 HA
CK C5 C2 C7
CT D2 C4 C9
DK DQ D6 D3
DA H4 D9 D4
H5 C8 HK H2
S4 S2 SK S6
S3 S7 SA S9
S5 H9 S8 SJ
H8 HT CJ H7
HJ DJ D5 D7
SQ ST D8 DT

[FrancesHinden]

It was almost certain to make no difference and lead to exactly 8 tricks either way, but

- with the heart length known to be on declarer's right, playing on spades couldn't possibly cost the contract, RHO had be following to two rounds (1NT opening) and if, as on the actual hand, RHO had a doubleton spade he would be ruffing a loser were he to ruff the 3rd round

- if East happened to have started with precisely J10xx A98x AK KQ10 this line makes an overtrick, as declarer can ruff the fourth spade in dummy

[awm]

If you draw trumps, you always have eight tricks (one club, three spades, four hearts). But there is some chance for nine tricks. If spades are 3-3 obviously you can get nine tricks.

But there is another way to nine tricks if the long hearts and spades are together (specifically opener would be 4-4-2-3 given the cards declarer has seen so far). Then you can make nine tricks by cashing three spades and ruffing the fourth spade.

Now this is a bit risky if one of your high spade honors might get ruffed. But declarer knows that RHO has all remaining hearts (LHO showed out on the second round) and that RHO has at least two spades (he opened 1NT). So by playing the spades the way he did, the only possibility of a ruff is when RHO "ruffs air" on the third round of spades, as he did in the actual example. This doesn't cost; you still get your one club, three spades, and four hearts.