This deal from a knockout event illustrates the benefits of adopting a guarded approach when a high-level contract is at stake.

When the deal was played at the first table, South reached six spades as shown.  He won the opening diamond lead, cashed the ace of spades and then played the A-K of hearts, planning to ruff both of his losing hearts in dummy.

Unfortunately, West trumped the king of hearts, after which South could not avoid going down one.  When he later tried to ruff the the three of hearts in dummy, West trumped with the spsde six, forcing dummy's 10.  This left West with the seven of spades and dummy with the three, so declarer had no way to dispose of the losing 10 of hearts.

At the second table, South also arrived at six spades, and again the opening lead was a diamond.  But here, declarer took a more cautious approach and made the slam as a result.

After winning the diamond and playing the ace of trump, he also cashed the ace of hearts.  But instead of playing the king next, he led a low heart!  His circumspection wa srewarde when West showed out, and East won the trick with the eight.  Whatever East returned, declarer could not be prevented from ruffing his remaining heart loser with dummy's 10 of spades, after which he could draw trump and claim the rest of the tricks.

It is true that the line of play adopted by the second South might have cost him an overtrick on many deals.  But when a vulnerable slam is at stake, the question of an overtrick has no place in declarer's deliberations.

Source: Steve Becker, Globe and Mail, September 7, 2024