A Common Error - NYTimes.com What is the most common error made by inexperienced bridge players? Back to that in a moment. In the diagramed deal South ends in six clubs. West leads the heart jack. How should declarer plan the play? In the auction I think the two diamonds "waiting" is overdone, especially when responder might have no points at all. Some pairs like to use an immediate two-heart response to show a bust hand. This may leave opener wondering if even game will be makable. But responder is already contemplating a slam. If North gives a positive response (here two no-trump when using traditional methods), both partners are immediately aware of the slam potential. South's two-no-trump rebid showed a good 22 to 24 points. North invited slam with his quantitative raise to four no-trump. Four clubs, Gerber, would have asked for aces. And South jumped to six clubs to indicate his good five-card suit. Perhaps North should have converted to six no-trump, a contract that would have depended on the opening lead. If West would have selected a spade, six no-trump could have been defeated. But a diamond would have been a more likely choice. Six clubs is immune against any lead if South is careful. First, before playing from the dummy at Trick 1, declarer should count his losers and winners. He can see three losers: two spades and one heart. However, he has 12 winners: one spade, two hearts (given the lead), four diamonds and five clubs. But after drawing trumps, to get four diamond tricks, South must be able to unblock (cash) his ace and queen, then cross to the dummy to reach the king and jack. That entry can come only from hearts, but declarer must be careful. West's lead has all the aura of a singleton. So South must take the trick with dummy's ace. But that is not all. As I hope you spotted, he must also throw his queen under the ace, keeping his six and seven opposite dummy's nine and ten. Then declarer can draw trumps, unblock his diamond honors and lead a heart to force an entry to the dummy. If South fails to unblock his heart queen at Trick 1, East can deny declarer an entry to the dummy by ducking (not taking the trick) when the queen is led. Playing too quickly at Trick 1. More mistakes are made at that trick than at any other. Take your time.