Here is an echo of yesterday’s theme

Sydney J. Harris, a journalist who was born in London but lived most of his life in Chicago, wrote, “When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’”

This deal was too hard for almost every declarer in a New York City bridge club some 30 years ago, but if you remember yesterday’s play theme, this one is comparable.

What did the successful South do in six hearts after West led a fourth-highest diamond two, and East won with his ace and shifted to the club four?

West’s two-no-trump overcall in theory showed at least 5-5 in the minors. Making the bid with 4=6 distribution isn’t recommended, but duplicate players are always looking for ways to consume bidding space. The rest of the auction was natural, South bidding what he hoped he could make.

Every declarer except one cashed the heart ace at trick three and had to go down. Unlucky, yes, but the successful South saw how to give East a chance to err. Declarer judged that if West had a spade void, he would have led a high diamond, trying to send a suit-preference signal. So, at trick three, South led a low spade to the board and called for the heart nine.

East, holding the 10 and the eight, saw no harm in covering the nine with the 10. But he soon learned the error of his way. Declarer won with the ace, crossed back to dummy with another spade, played a heart to his seven, drew trumps and claimed. South took five spades, six hearts and one club. If East had withheld the heart 10, South would have put up an honor, of course, and gone down.