This deal was played in the South Florida Bridge Players Team Game (a common source for deals in this column). With both sides vulnerable, South held: AK1063
AKJ8
A
A42. He opened 2 and received a response of 2 waiting. He bid 2 and his partner bid 2NT (natural and not a total bust, since 3 second-negative would have been used). South now showed his hearts and his partner bid 4. What's that?

There has been an epidemic Gerber outbreak in South Florida, but thankfully, it hasn't spread to the expert game. Too many intermediate players have erroneously been taught that 4 is "always" Gerber. On this auction, partner isn't showing a club suit. (He would have had to bid 3, then 4 to show a club one-suiter). It is too late to play in clubs, so the likely meaning of 4 is: Good raise to 4, probably with a club control. South now used RKC and got the answer he knew he would get--5 to show zero keycards. Still, this was the only way to next ask for the trump queen and about kings. South bid 5 to ask about the Q and North bid 6 to deny it. Assuming you aren't dizzied by this auction, try the play in 6 with the lead of the J:

9 76543 9864 KJ9

AK1063 AKJ8 A A42

Let's say you win the A and lay down the top trumps. On the second round, RHO shows out (LHO started with Q10x). Now what?

You play the AK and throw what from dummy? If spades split 4-3, you can always set up the 5th spade and eventually throw a club on it (then ruff a club in dummy). So, you might as well keep all of dummy's clubs in case spades are not 4-3. You throw a diamond on the high spade and then upon ruffing a spade in dummy, you get bad news; East throws a diamond. Spades were 5-2.

You have 2 more trumps in dummy to trump your last two spades, but how will you play the clubs? In the (presumably) expert game, both declarers fell from grace and played the A and a club to the jack. With LHO known to have 5 spades and 3 hearts (as opposed to RHO's 2 spades and 1 heart), the club finesse was not a favorite.

Something much better was available. After trumping the third spade, declarer should ruff a diamond in hand and then ruff the 4th spade in dummy. Another diamond is ruffed in hand (if LHO overruffs, so be it--the club finesse is always available later). That diamond ruff lives and the 5th and final spade is ruffed in dummy. Declarer then plays to the A and back to the K, taking the first 12 tricks. On the final trick, declarer loses to both East's Q and West's trump Q! This was the full deal:

It was fortunate to find LHO following to all of those minor-suit tricks, but surely this was a better line of play than taking a club finesse.

Vul: Both Dlr: South	9 76543 9864 KJ9
Q8754 Q109 J107 83		J2 2 KQ532 Q10765
	AK1063 AKJ8 A A42