BRIDGE AND CHESS Route to nine is clouded in mist

Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian composer and pianist who died in 1907, said, “Suddenly a mist fell from my eyes and I knew the way I had to take.”

Being a bridge player can feel like that at times. However, occasionally the mist is so thick that it is difficult to avoid tripping up. In today's deal, how should South play in three notrump after West leads a fourthhighest heart three?

Most tournament players open two no-trump with 20 or 21 points. Then, two clubs followed by two no-trump is 22 to 24, which is a wide range (but obviously has lower frequency than 20 to 21). I like two notrump to promise a good 20 to 22.

South starts with seven top tricks: two hearts, three diamonds and two clubs. He would not mind leading twice toward his spade honors, but he does not have the dummy entries. It is also possible that clubs are 3-3.

The first declarer in a match took the first trick (if he had ducked, a diamond switch would have been lethal) and played three rounds of clubs.

However, West took two tricks in the suit and went back to hearts. South could not recover.

A 3-3 split is only 35.53 percent; finding a player with one card is 50 percent. Much better at trick two is for declarer to lead a low spade toward dummy's 10. If West has the jack, this will permit South to establish two tricks in the suit to go with the seven winners in the other three suits.

West wins with his jack and plays a second heart, but declarer takes that trick and leads a second spade. He cannot be defeated.