A TRICK VANISHES INTO THIN AIR

Dale Carnegie said, "I've found that worry and irritation vanish into thin air the moment I open my mind to the many blessings I possess."

At the bridge table, apparent guaranteed tricks sometimes are made to evaporate, which is irritating for the victim but a blessing for the profiteer.

This deal is based on one declared by Italian superstar Pietro Forquet in the 1968 World Team Olympiad. How did he make four hearts after West cashed the three top spades before shifting to the club queen?

Since Forquet was always a sound bidder, Benito Garozzo (North) had no qualms in raising to game. He thought his partner would take seven hearts, two diamonds and one club without difficulty.

Forquet's original plan was to cash the heart king, then to play a heart to his jack, assuming West had a singleton for his takeout double. But just in case trumps were 0=4, not 1=3, declarer ruffed a club in his hand at trick five -- a vital play.

Then, when a heart to dummy's king revealed the bad break, South ran the heart nine, trumped another club, played a diamond to the king, ruffed dummy's last club and returned to the board with a diamond to the ace.

South was now down to the ace-jack of hearts, over East's remaining queen-six. Forquet could lead either of dummy's remaining cards and catch East's heart queen in a trump coup.

Interestingly, a diamond switch by West at trick four makes South's job much harder. He must ruff dummy's last spade either immediately or after running the heart nine. The curious may play it out; I have hit the word limit!