Profligacy

	Q 9 8 7
	2
	K J 7 3
	K 7 3 2
6 3		A 4
Q J 9 8 7 6 5		10 4
A 4		Q 10 9 6 2
J 9		A 10 6 4
	K J 10 5 2
	A K 3
	8 5	Contract: 4 spades
	Q 8 5	Opening lead: A of diamonds

Declarer was relieved of a guess on that opening lead, but still had his problems. He'd have to lose a trick to the A of spades and A of clubs, and the question at issue was whether he could avoid a second club loser.

West continued at trick 2 with another diamond, declarer wisely declining to trust his fortunes to a finesse there.

He now knocked out the A of spades, and when East continued with diamonds, wisely ruffed too high for third hand to overruff, West discarding the 9 of clubs. Declarer now drew the second round of trump, cashed the top hearts and ruffed a heart, led the J of diamonds, covered by East, ruffed by declarer, who now led a club to the K and East's Ace. East continued the suit, declarer finessing the 8, and when that held, he was home free.

I think the defensive loss of a winner-enabler is probably apparent. With seven hearts, West couldn't spare one rather than that 9 of clubs? Oh, he wanted to shorten the suit so as to get a ruff? Maybe. But with a declarer leading trump as soon as he got the lead and feeling comfortable ruffing with the K while the Q is showing, the likelihood of getting a ruff is about as great as the likelihood that those hearts will prove important.

No, there isn't much excuse for pitching that 9 of clubs. Declarer has the lead with the high trump in dummy, the hearts are useless, or at least the 7th was, and by golly, 9's have been known to bear some important, ya know, even if they don't win a trick.