Jennbridge: Use It or Lose It

Recently I picked up, in first seat with both vulnerable:

♠ x
♥ KTx
♦ KQJxx
♣ AT98

I opened 1 Diamond.  LHO passed, Jenn, my partner, bid 1 Spade, and RHO intervened with 2 Hearts.  The hand isn't strong enough to rebid 3 Clubs or 2NT, so I passed.  Jenn now reopened with a double and I bid 3 clubs.  She then cue bid 3 Hearts, and I bid the obvious 3NT.  LHO led a high spot card in hearts, and I looked at:

	♠ A Q x x ♥ x ♦ A 10 x ♣ Q J x x x
	N W E S
	♠ x ♥ K 10 x ♦ K Q J x x ♣ A 10 9 8

West	North	East	South
			1 ♦
Pass	1 ♠	2 ♥	Pass
Pass	Dbl	Pass	3 ♣
Pass	3 ♥	Pass	3 NT

3 NT by South

Looking at the two hands, I was somewhat sorry that we didn't get to 6 Clubs, which requires the same club finesse to make as does 3NT. (You only have 8 winners in no-trump without more than 1 club trick).  However, the combined hands aren't that strong in high cards, so I just tried to do my best in 3NT.  I played dummy's heart, and RHO played the jack, which I won with the king.  I am now making either at least 12 tricks, if the club king is onside, or going down.  So I went to the board in diamonds and took the club finesse (I played the queen, so if it won, I could repeat it easily).  RHO had Kxx of clubs, so I ran the clubs, then the diamonds.  As I played all these winners, RHO was getting more and more uncomfortable.  When I took my last diamond at trick 11, this was the position:

	♠ A Q x ♥ — ♦ — ♣ —
♠ x x x ♥ — ♦ — ♣ —	N W E S	♠ K x ♥ A ♦ — ♣ —
	♠ x ♥ 10 ♦ x ♣ —

I played a low spade on the last diamond, and RHO essentially conceded, pitching a spade and making it obvious that she had the king and was squeezed.  (If she pitches the ace of hearts instead, my 10 is good.) So I made seven for a great matchpoint score. 

So the moral of this story is, sometimes you have to use it (an ace) or you lose it, even in no-trump. 

Good luck!