FAIR EXCHANGE IS NO ROBBERY

It doesn't matter if you lose a trick that you could have won, as long as you get one back in return that you didn't think you could win.

Does that sound paradoxical? Maybe today's deal will clarify matters.

How should South plan the play in six spades after West leads the diamond king?

Over West's classical preempt, North wanted to enter the auction, but had nothing obvious to say. Three no-trump would have been a big overbid, and to make a takeout double with only two hearts would have been very dangerous. However, when South jumped to four spades, North control-bid his diamond ace to express slam interest. South was happy with that idea.

Declarer has two potential losers in clubs. Taking that suit in isolation, the correct play, after drawing trumps and eliminating the red suits, is to cash the ace, go into the dummy, then lead low toward the queen. South has only one loser whenever East has the king, or when West started with king-doubleton (because he will be forced to concede a ruffand-sluff). However, with the actual distribution, that line fails.

There is a better approach. Win trick one with the diamond ace, ruff a diamond in hand, draw trumps, cash the heart ace and play a heart to dummy's king. Now lead the diamond six. If East plays a diamond high enough to win the trick, ruff and adopt the line mentioned above. Here,

bridge

though, East discards; do likewise, pitching the club four and endplaying West.

If he returns a diamond, ruff in dummy and sluff the club queen. If he leads a club, it is into the acequeen tenace.

Copyright United Feature Syndicate (Asia Features)