HOW MANY LINES ARE THERE TO FOLLOW?

Jean Nidetch, a cofounder of Weight Watchers, said, “It’s choice -- not chance -- that determines your destiny.”

That is not always true at the bridge table. Sometimes, as we have seen over the last few days, you make your choice for a line of play, and it is up to chance whether it works or not -unless it has a probability of 100 percent.

Does declarer have a guaranteed line in today's deal, or must he choose the approach that is mathematically most likely to work?

West leads a low heart against South’s six-spade contract. What should declarer do?

North blasted straight into Blackwood, eventually putting his partner into six spades when he learned that two kings were missing.

South starts with 11 winners: six spades, one heart, three diamonds and one club. There are two obvious chances to make this small slam: Either the heart or club finesse works. But there is a third line; do you see it?

If East has the heart king, the slam is laydown with an endplay. Declarer wins with dummy's heart ace, draws trumps, cashes his diamond winners and exits with a heart. Assuming East takes that trick, he must either lead a club around to the dummy or concede a ruff-and-sluff (South sluffs a club from his hand and ruffs on the board). Note also that if West does produce the heart king, the club finesse is still available.

Finally, yes, it would have been simpler if North had signed off in six no-trump. North has 12 tricks after taking the club finesse, even if it loses.