4♠ by South: Ruff the third heart low, draw trumps, and play the ♦K, ♦Q and another diamond. If diamonds are 3–3 (sure), you have 10 tricks. If West, marked with the ♣K (he must have something for that raise!), has four diamonds, play a fourth diamond, discarding a club, and take the last two tricks with the ♣Q and ♣A.
If East has four diamonds, meaning West has five clubs, lead a low club to the 9. West, after winning the trick, will have to lead away from his presumed ♣K and you take the last two tricks.
The tiny fly in the ointment occurs after you lead a low club from dummy to the 9, East inserts the 10 or jack. You should cover with the queen and after West wins and returns a club, float it to your 9, paying off to J–10 doubleton in the East hand.
Thanks to Jacques Triplett of Cannes, France, for this one.
Note: While projecting possible layouts of this club suit, I thought this one was interesting:
If East has to attack clubs knowing the distribution of the suit, the proper card to lead is the 8 (a surrounding play, with dummy’s 7 surrounded by the 8–6 along with a higher unequal honor). If South plays the 9, West plays the 10. If North wins the trick, South has two club losers. If the 10 is ducked and West has a safe exit card, South has to lose a second club trick. If East starts with a low club and South plays low, West must play the 10 to force the ace, now a club to the 9 gives South a trick.
East should also lead the 8 from the 10–8–6–(x): A neat surrounding play to tuck away in your memory bank.
