Go back to square one

BRIDGE

The other night I ate some Chinese food. My fortune cookie message was: “Apply yourself to the basics and progress will follow.” I never realized Confucius was a bridge player! It is true, though — if you apply the basics correctly, you will get at least 95% of deals right. The hard part, of course, is applying the right basic at the appropriate moment. Take today’s deal, for example. You are sitting West. Against four spades, you lead the diamond eight. Partner wins with the queen, cashes the diamond ace and continues with the diamond king, which declarer ruffs with the spade queen. How would you continue the defense?

You have two diamond tricks in the bag, so you need two more tricks to defeat the game. The powerful dummy makes it clear that these must come from spades. Did you overruff with the spade king and try to give partner a club ruff? It might work, but it isn’t likely. South started with two diamonds. If he has eight spades for his vulnerable overcall, he cannot have four clubs as well. Also, with a club void, East should play his diamonds in ascending order: queen, king, ace; not queen, ace, king.

Instead, you must apply the axiom that unless you have something vital to do, don’t take an overruff with a card that will always win a trick. Here you should discard a club or a heart. Then, as partner holds the singleton spade 10, however declarer wriggles, he must lose two spade tricks. Your eight has been promoted into a winner.

Erudition in the essentials produces progress.