Not Suspicious

I am playing in a regional one-session Swiss and don't know my opponents. As dealer, I pick up

J742

AK974

QJ10. I open 1

, partner bids 1NT, and RHO bids 2

. This is clearly not their best spot, since they have nine or more hearts, so I pass. Not surprisingly, this ends the auction. I lead a high diamond and see

	9 107432 QJ6 K987
J742 K AK974 QJ10

Me	LHO	CHO	RHO
1	Pass	1NT	2
All Pass

Partner contributes the

8, upside-down attitude. I shift to the

Q, which holds. It looks as if declarer is 6-4-2-1 exactly. I could cash another diamond and exit with a club, but I have a sneaky plan. I don't want to give away that I have a third club, so I continue with the

J. Declarar ruffs this and plays a diamond to me. Acting like a man who has only two clubs, I continue with a third diamond. This has two effects: I allow declarer acess to dummy to take a heart finesse, and it sets up my winning diamonds, which I can use once declarer's trumps are shortened. Declarer is not suspicious (why didn't I cash the

A at Trick 3?) and hooks into my

K. I continue with my club, and declarer ruffs. He cashes two high trumps, and partner's

Q falls. Thinking that he needs trumps 3-3 to make 2

, he continues with a third trump. I win and lead my good diamond, forcing out declarer's last trump. He tries to cash the

A, but I ruff and cash a winning diamond for down two and a beer.

The whole hands was

	9 107432 QJ6 K987
J742 K AK974 QJ10		Q3 965 832 A6432
	AK10865 AQJ6 105 5

The Trojan Horse Coup is an old chestnut, but this time it served double-duty by setting up diamond winners to continue the tap later. Declarer lost his way several times, but I'm glad my play was allowed to work.