"If we learn from our mistakes, I ought to be a genius by now," a player told me at the club, "but I still can't seem to spot an end play."

My friend had been declarer at five diamonds. When West led the king of clubs, he took dummy's ace and drew trumps with the ace and nine. South next led a spade from dummy and pondered when East followed low. Alas, the spades were unguessable. South tried his jack, but West took the queen and ace and cashed the queen of clubs. Down one.

How would you play the hand?

SURE THING

After South draws trumps, he has a sure thing. South takes three heart tricks to pitch a club from dummy and exits with a club. When West takes the queen, he must lead a spade, solving South's problem in that suit, or lead a heart or a club, letting South ruff in dummy and discard the jack of spades.

Not every end play is easy to spot, but when declarer has extra trumps in both his own hand and dummy, the conditions may be ripe.

This week: end plays.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S 10 8 6 2 H K Q D Q 9 8 4 C A 5 2. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade, he bids two diamonds and you raise to three diamonds. Partner next bids three spades. What do you say?

ANSWER: You had full values for your invitational raise to three diamonds. Partner bid again, and since your ace of clubs will be an ideal card opposite his singleton, you must make an aggressive move. Bid four hearts or five diamonds or cue-bid four clubs.