DO YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT ALL OF THE CARDS?

Bertrand Russell wrote, "If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence."

A bridge expert will look closely at both the honors and spot cards. A lesscapable player ignores the spots.

In today's deal, South was in four spades. West had led the club queen and continued the suit two more times when declarer correctly played low from the board. How did South continue?

Declarer noted that he would have to lose a heart trick to go with the two clubs already conceded. So he needed East to hold the diamond king. Also, if East had at least three diamonds, South would need to take two diamond finesses, which would require two dummy entries. Where were they?

Declarer saw that he could get to the board twice in trumps, with the king and the five, but only if he was careful with the spade four.

At trick three, South ruffed with his spade 10. He cashed the spade ace and overtook with dummy's queen, happy to see the 2-2 split. (If trumps had been 3-1, declarer would have needed East to have exactly king-third of diamonds.) South played a diamond to his queen, overtook the carefully conserved spade four with dummy's five, repeated the diamond finesse, cashed the diamond ace and ruffed his last diamond on the board. Declarer took five spades, one heart, three diamonds and the diamond ruff.