Make an opponent feel uncomfortable

Patricia Moyes, an English mystery writer whose best-known character was Inspector Henry Tibbett, wrote, “I simply cannot understand the passion that some people have for making themselves thoroughly uncomfortable and then boasting about it afterwards.”

At the bridge table, it is fun to make an opponent feel uncomfortable. This may occur when you execute a squeeze; today’s deal, though, features a different technique. How should South play in three no-trump after West leads a low heart?

In the auction, North’s two-heart cuebid was an artificial game-force, South showed his heart stoppers, and North raised to game.

South started with six top tricks: two hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. He had an immediate reaction to cross to dummy with a diamond and to take the club finesse. If it worked, fine; but here it would have lost, and West would have led another heart. Then the contract would have failed.

Declarer’s next thought was to play a spade to the queen. Perfect if West had the ace (most unlikely) or the spades were 3-3 (also unlikely). Here that play would also have been fatal.

Eventually, persevering, South saw the solution. He played a diamond to the king and led the spade five. East felt uncomfortable. If he had won with his ace, declarer would have had nine tricks via three spades and three ace-king combinations. But when East ducked, South took the trick and switched to clubs to take one spade, two hearts, two diamonds and four clubs.

North and South were pleased, but South did not boast.