FROM WHERE WILL THE TRICKS COME?

Searching through my archives, I found this deal from 1951. In that year, the Korean War was continuing. That always reminds me of my favorite Britcom, "As Time Goes By." A young English soldier, who was about to go off to fight in Korea, falls in love with a nurse played by Judi Dench. When he leaves, she writes to him, and he writes to her, but neither letter reaches its intended destination. Each thinks the other is no longer interested. She marries and has a daughter, but is widowed. He goes to Kenya to run a coffee plantation. He gets divorced and, 38 years later, returns to London. They meet, fall in love again and get married to live as happily ever after as a TV show permits. It is a wonderful show.

Look only at the North and East hands. Against four spades, West leads the heart three: two, ace, king. What should East do next?

In the auction, North's two-spade raise was an underbid (note that his hand has only seven losers, the normal number for a game-force!), and South's jump to game was a slight overbid.

South's falsecard fooled nobody. If West had started with the doubleton heart four-three, he would have led the four, not the three. So, most defenders sitting East would promptly give partner a heart ruff -- and let the contract make. West would return, say, a club. Declarer would play a trump to East's ace, ruff the next heart high, draw

bridge

trumps and run the clubs.

Instead, East must switch to his club queen at trick two. Then, it goes club to the ace, spade to the ace, heart ruff, club ruff for down one.

Copyright United Feature Syndicate (Asia Features)