By Barbara Seagram 
Courtesy of BarbaraSeagram.com
So often, we are just sitting there, hoping and waiting to be declarer. We get restless and lose focus when we become the defenders, instead of thinking of how we can beat the declarer.
Opening lead: ♦K
West leads the ♦K, East encourages and West continues with ♦Q. One more diamond to East’s ace. What should East do now? Can West have the ♣A? If he did, he should have cashed it before leading his third diamond.
When it looks as though there are no more legitimate tricks to be taken for your side, look for some illegitimate ones, especially when trumps in dummy are crummy. East should now lead his thirteenth diamond. If South discards something, West trumps with the ♠10. If South ruffs high with ace, king or queen, then East’s ♠J is promoted into a trick for down one. If East had not thought this all through carefully and had returned a club at Trick 4, declarer would now be able to draw trumps and claim.