A defence which is easy to find can be made far harder by the correct declarer play. Here, however, East-West saw through the occlusion and struck — fatally.
West led J♥. Declarer counts eight tricks in hearts and diamonds; one is required from clubs. Since his spades are weak, he resolved to give the defence as little information as possible, attempting to steal a club trick quickly. Winning perforce, he immediately led 3♣. Most players sitting East would follow low without thought and South’s K♣ would win the trick. Declarer could now unblock K♥, cash five diamond tricks and Q♥.
However, at the table, East hesitated to consider why declarer would immediately play on a what was a weak suit (after all, East held ♣AJ98). Deciding that this play suggested a desire to bag a club trick quickly, he rose with A♣ and laid down A♠.
The lead of an ace would normally ask for an attitude signal, but West realised he couldn’t afford to signal with a high card, since he would need 8♠ to beat dummy’s 7♠, so he played 6♠. East could envisage how West could like the spade switch but not be able to afford a higher card, so continued with 10♠. South had to play Q♠, and now West could win all his spades.
Good declarer technique, even better defensive thinking . . .