There are various ways to uncover the optimum contract.
You can first make a bid that you know won't be passed
Board 1 Dlr: N Nil vul
NORTH
♠ 96
♥ A9652
♦ AJ4
♣ A52
WEST EAST
♠ AK532 ♠ QJT74
♥ J8 ♥ T4
♦ 7 ♦ T853
♣ KT983 ♣ QJ
SOUTH
♠ 8
♥ KQ73
♦ KQ962
♣ 764
Bidding: N E S W
1♥ P 2♦ P
3♦ P 4♥
(An expert pair might well bid to small slam via a splinter response of 3♠, but a little early in your career to go down that track!)
With 13TP and at least a nine-card trump fit, South bids game in the major via a DGR beginning with 2♦. North prefers to rebid 3♦ (ideally promising 4 ♦s) rather than 2NT with such weak spades. East leads ♠Q (top of a sequence). If West allows ♠Q to win, East's most attractive switch (= change of suit when on lead) since dummy is now void in spades, is to §Q, again top of a sequence, and West wins with the ace and returns a club.
As declarer, you take stock. You can count 11 top tricks ‑ 5 hearts, 5 diamonds and ♣A.
Before the 5 diamond tricks can be taken, the opposition's 4 trumps must be drawn. Hence you play two rounds of hearts and when the defenders follow to both, stop playing trumps.
Next play ♦A & ♦J (honours from the short hand) and then ♦4 to ♦KQ9, discarding ♣2 and ♣5 and on dummy's last two diamonds.
Don't discard a spade because a twelfth trick can be made by trumping a spade in dummy.
Well done if you made your two overtricks for a score of 6x30 + 300 = 480.
**********
Board 2 Dlr: E NS Vul
NORTH
♠ QT86
♥ AK54
♦ T3
♣ T87
WEST EAST
♠ K9 ♠ A4
♥ 2 ♥ QJ6
♦ AQ962 ♦ KJ754
♣AK962 ♣ QJ3
SOUTH
♠ J7532
♥ T9873
♦ 8
♣ 54
Bidding: E S W N
1♦ P 4NT* P
5♦* P 6♦
West has 20TP in support of diamonds and so might choose to boldly bid small slam at once. But it is much wiser to check via the Blackwood 4NT convention in case between you, two aces are missing.
Since East's reply to 4NT is 5♦, showing one ace - only one is missing. West can bid 6♦ happily.
South leads ♥T (top of a sequence). North wins with the king. It is customary when following suit as a defender to win - or attempt to win - with the lowest of a sequence.
This is a sensible convention, not a nitpicky rule sent to torture you. The idea is to give partner as much help as possible. When North plays the king, South knows she has the ace as well (since declarer would presumably win if holding the ace). But if North plays the ace, South knows that declarer now has a winning heart.
Don't confuse this with playing the top card of a sequence when you are leading to the trick.
Knowing from partner's lead that declarer holds ♥QJ, North might switch either to a safe trump or to ♠6 (a low card conventionally suggesting a lead from an honour).
As always, you pause as declarer to consider your plan. You should be able to win 5 trump tricks, 5 club tricks, and 2 spades.
Win the spade switch and draw the enemy trumps in two rounds.
Only now is it quite safe to play your club winners. Make sure you start with QJ (honours from the short hand) and then across to the ace, king and 9, discarding two hearts from your hand.
Small slam bid and made for a score of 6x20 + 300 + 500 = 920.
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