HOW DO YOU TURN TO TAKE THE TRICKS?

David Frost, an English television interviewer who used to work a lot in the United States, said, “He’s turned his life around. He used to be depressed and miserable. Now he’s miserable and depressed.”

Bridge players can be depressed and miserable — or miserable and depressed — after failing to make or break a contract. In today’s deal, South is in three notrump. How should he stay happy after West leads the heart three?

In the bidding, South had a close decision over one heart: double or one notrump? The hand distribution suggests double, but one no-trump has the advantage of immediately defining hand type and strength: balanced with heart stoppers and 15-plus to 18-minus points. Note West’s lead, the heart three, not the eight. When you attack in partner’s unsupported suit, lead high from a doubleton, low from a tripleton.

South starts with only five top tricks: two spades, two hearts and one club. At first glance, it looks easy to establish four diamond tricks and cruise home. But note that if South leads the diamond queen from his hand at trick two, he goes down because of the bad break.

Since East is marked with all of the missing high cards, declarer should play a spade to dummy’s king, then lead a low diamond from the dummy.

Here, East has to win with his ace, and South has 10 tricks: three spades, two hearts, four diamonds and one club. But if East could play a low diamond, after winning with his queen, declarer would then run the club jack, to take three spades, two hearts, one diamond and three clubs. Copyright United Feature Syndicate (Asia Features)