Plan Before You Play

Count your losing tricks you have 2 in hearts, 3 in clubs and 1 in diamonds leaving you with only 7 winners. To develop the 8th you will need to then develop some club or heart winners in your side suits. If you review the bidding you will remember that west has bid 1NT promising at least 2 cards in every suit. So you will probably draw trumps in three rounds leaving trumps to cross ruff.

The Play

Trump the second diamond, lead a low trump to dummy's QS, Ooops! east is out of trumps so west has 5 of them! Time to regroup and think again - you could lose control of this contract if you draw all trumps, while you still have entries to the table time to develop winners in your side suits. Clubs are your strongest make a direct finesse for the QC in easts hand lead the JC towards the KC ducking but ensuring you cover the card east plays, do this again with 10C and then draw trumps, west will trump the third round of clubs, but you are home safe.

Comment

You have contracted to make 8 tricks. But at first glance you can only count 7 winning tricks. To make 8 tricks in this contract you need to develop some club tricks. If you perform a direct finesse leading your highest club from dummy twice up to your KC, you can make at least 1 club trick, 1 heart trick and 6 spade tricks