[zenbiddist]

---

3NT South, ♣5 led

You play low and the ♣9 appears, you win with the king.
You have eight tricks (including the ♣K you just won), so what's your line to maximise overtricks?

(Those are all the details I have - can't remember who the opponents were, or their carding, etc)

[gszes]

trick 1 win club K
trick 2 again low club toward QJx for same reasons as above hopefully ducked for the same reasons as above
trick 3 low spade toward K. If the K holds
trick 4 a low dia to the J
trick 5 another spade toward the Q
trick 6 if all of these win i will then run my diamonds and hope for lho to be squeezed in clubs and hearts while rho will be squeezed in spades and heart the reason for this is becasue i hope the ending looks something like: Note that a small club was kept in the dummy until the final diamond play to force lho to keep the club A.

----------void
----------KJxx
----------void
----------void
void-------------A(x)
(Q)xx------------(Q)x(x)
void-------------void
A----------------void
----------xx
----------Ax
----------void
----------void

If there are 6 hearts left I play a spade to rho to set up my small spade settling for a 12th trick or play the heart ace and finesse lho for the Q for (11 or 13 tricks)
if there are 5 hearts left I have to decide to play the heart A and finesse hoping to make 13 tricks OR play the heart A and then a heart to the K hoping for the squeeze as a way to make 13 tricks (11 or 13 tricks)

oddly rho is best off whittling down to the stiff spade A if they hold Qxx in hearts in the 4 card ending so they force us to settle for 12 tricks rather than risk us guessing the squeeze worked and scoring up 13 tricks but it is a cat and mouse game because if rho divines the position (and wants to play for the best score possible) they will allow themselves to be squeezed and then declarer will have to guess the right play for 13 tricks.