You’ll play luckier by counting to 13

Sherwood Smith, an author of fantasy and science fiction, said, “When I turned 13 and took a typing class, with typical early teen enthusiasm and total lack of critical ability, I started sending my stuff to publishers once I’d baby-sat long enough to earn the postage.”

If you can count to 13 at the bridge table, you will quickly win the money to buy sheets and sheets of stamps — assuming you are playing for greenbacks.

How did that ability help South in today’s deal? He was in five diamonds. West cashed his two top spades (East showing three by following suit in ascending order), then shifted to the heart 10.

West made a weak jump overcall. South’s three-spade cue-bid asked his partner to bid three no-trump with a spade stopper. When North could only admit to some club values, South signed off in five diamonds.

The key to the contract was avoiding a club loser. The normal line would have been to cash the king, then play low to dummy’s jack. But the original declarer decided to find out as much as he could about the deal.

He took the third trick with his heart ace, drew trumps, played a heart to dummy’s king and ruffed the heart nine. What had he learned?

That West had started with six spades, two hearts, one diamond ... and therefore four clubs.

South cashed his club king to see East’s singleton, then played a club to dummy’s nine. When it held, he returned to his hand with a trump and played a club to the jack.

The number 13 is lucky for bridge players.