Count winners and keep control

Nicole Kidman was quoted in The Scotsman as claiming: “When you relinquish the desire to control your future, you can have more happiness.”

Clearly, she is not a bridge player. At the card table, you need to control your future to end a deal happily.

This deal, sent to me by Steve Conrad of Manhasset, New York, requires declarer’s care in keeping control, given the bad suit breaks. However, it is also a good idea — as it always is — to count winners.

How should South play in five diamonds after West leads a club?

North had an awkward bid on the second round of the auction. (Many duplicate pairs would treat South’s pass as denying three spades. With three spades, he would have made a support double.) North might well have cue-bid three clubs. South would have bid three no-trump with his club stopper, but North would have continued with four diamonds (or jumped to five diamonds). Note that five diamonds was the only makable game.

Let’s suppose South ruffs the opening lead on the board and cashes the diamond queen. East discards a club. What now?

If East has the heart king, which is likely given that West did not raise clubs, declarer should aim for these 11 tricks: one spade, three hearts, four diamonds, one club and two club ruffs on the board.

At trick three, South cashes the heart ace, then plays dummy’s other heart. East wins and leads a high club, but declarer ruffs on the board, draws trumps and claims.

Even with variations in the East-west cards, this approach will work.