Give them a chance to assist your side

Marie Curie said, “You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.”

At the bridge table, you are trying to aid your partner but not the opponents. However, one of the arts of the game is persuading an opponent to err for your benefit.

In today’s deal, how should South plan the play in four spades after West leads the heart king and continues with another heart to his partner’s 10?

West’s one-no-trump overcall by a passed hand showed at least 5-5 in the two unbid suits, an example of the unusual no-trump. Over East’s two-heart advance, South bid what he hoped he could make.

Given West’s length in hearts and clubs, he was unlikely to have the diamond queen. So, South judged that he had a loser in each red suit and could afford only one trump loser. His immediate reaction was to assume that the spades were 2-2 and cash the ace. But then declarer spotted an alternative possibility. He crossed to the board with a club and called for the spade jack.

East, looking at the jack surrounded, covered with his queen, but when South won with the ace, and West contributed the king, East had an uncomfortable feeling. He had just blown a spade trick and donated the contract to declarer.

Watch out for this possibility.