[kgr]

I saw this mistake on BBO and couldn't resist to post it. Sorry if this is to obvious.
I hope 1 beginner will have sometime from this post:

Scoring: IMP

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You play 3NT. From the bidding you know that West has a 5-card H. He starts with K, Q and J. You take the 3rd H (to block communication in ♥ between opps).
You need one ♠ trick to make your contract. When you play a small spade to the KJx of North, West plays small...
You have to put the J here. If West had the Ace he would have taken it to cash his Hearts. So the best chance is ♠ J.

...and the other case (this was the mistake seen on BBO):

You play again 3NT, West leading a H. But now you know from the bidding that East has 5 card H. You take the 3rd ♥ and again you will need a ♠ trick.
You play a low ♠ to KJx in North.
- if you play the J then you go down if East has the Q or the A. (loosing four ♥'s and one or two ♠'s)
- if you play the K then you only go down if East has the A.
In this case the best chance is to play the K.

[kgr]

Scoring: IMP

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This was the actual hand I saw.
South playing 3NT after East made an overcall of 2♥.
West did start a small ♥. East did play the J and South did play small (good). Then East did play ♥ A and a small.
- This was the first mistake. East should play ♥Q in the second trick to have communication with his partner after the ♥'s are free.
After East did play ♥ A and a small ♥; South did at some point play small ♠ to KJx in North and did put the J in North.
- This is the second mistake as was explained above.
.... However: After East playing ♥ A and x it looks like he has an entry of his own. Otherwise he would have played ♥Q in the second trick? So it looks like East has ♠A.
But still in IMP's you have to play ♠K and not the J... Probably also in MP's. (In MP's you could consider to play the ♠J if you think that everybody will be in 3NT. You could get a top then by going -1).

[Walddk]

The straightforward way to sum it up could be:

One wish comes true
more often than two.

And now it's even a rhyme. Maybe I should have been a poet!?

Roland

[Double !]

Chapter 1: Playing on an Assumption

All 52 Cards, by Marshall Miles
one of the best card play books ever written
ps: I think it's chapter 1