How short sighted are you ?

    more   
This hand is a good test of whether you need glasses.
It was board 19 from Monday 6th September 2004.  You are West, and after a pass by South you opened a natural club.   North overcalled 4 spades, and this was passed out.   Your partner, East, leads the Ace of clubs.
-
K J 9 8 4 Contract 4 by North
A 7
K Q 7 4 3 2 6 4 Lead is A
A 10 7 5
K J 10 8 2
J 6
So what did you play ?   An encouraging 7 perhaps ?   Partner continues with the 9 of clubs to your Queen and declarer's 10, and now you begin to think.   It looks as if declarer has only two clubs, so if you continue with a third club, you will be giving a ruff and discard.   A diamond is silly. So what do you do ?
A K Q J 10 8 7 3 2
Q 6
-
- 10 8 9 5
K J 9 8 4 3 2
A 7 Q 9 6 5 4 3
K Q 7 4 3 2 6 4 A 9 5
A 10 7 5
K J 10 8 2
J 6

Against me (I was North) West did the best thing possible - he led the King of hearts, hoping his partner had the Queen or that declarer had Queen singleton.   But to no avail.   Eleven tricks rolled home, as they did for most people who played this hand.

What West must do on the opening lead is play the King of clubs (McKenney).   It is unlikely to lose a trick, and you want partner to switch to a heart. Now you take your King of hearts and the second club to hold declarer to ten tricks.