Bridge

Opening lead — four of clubs.

A declarer occasionally becomes so engrossed with trying to make the maximum number of tricks in a particular suit that he loses sight of the far more important goal of making the contract.

For example, take this deal where West leads a low club against three notrump. Declarer plays low from dummy, losing to the king, whereupon East shifts to the 10 of hearts.

It does not matter what South does on this trick — the damage has already been done. His ace of hearts is forced out, and whenever South gets around to leading diamonds, East takes the ace and continues hearts to put the contract down one. Declarer winds up losing a diamond, a club and three hearts.

South can make the contract very easily by taking the ace of clubs at trick one and immediately establishing four diamond tricks. The most he can then lose against any distribution of the cards is the ace of diamonds and three clubs.

Going up with the ace of clubs at trick one should not be a hard play to make, since nine tricks are then certain. Nevertheless, many declarers would automatically play low from dummy on the opening trick without giving the matter much thought.

The more cautious declarers would not risk losing the contract in order to try to gain an extra club trick or two by playing low from dummy. Rather, they would recognise that the contract was assured if they put up the ace, and would proceed accordingly.