Don’t give it away on a party platter

Amy Sedaris, an actress andcomedian,said,“Iwant witchcraft so bad that I can’t stand it. I have wands in my apartment. And I use them sometimes. I walk into the kitchen with my wand, and I come out with something on a platter and I say, ‘See, magic happens.’ Works every time.” Sometimes making a bridge contract requires magic — as in this deal. South is in four hearts. West cashes his two top clubs and the heart ace, then exits with a heart. How can South get home from there? If I had been East, I would have responded one spade. Obviously, that would not be without danger, but the three-card club support and side void add a little security. South’s jump to four hearts showed at least a six-card suit, and might have been done with a slightly weaker hand in high-card terms. But discounting the club queen was sensible. Four hearts rated to be the right contract, and potentially made life harder for the opponents. (With a few more points, South would have started with a two-club cue-bid.) If East had bid one spade, finding the only winning line would have been easier. After playing a diamond to dummy’s jack, declarer must lead specifically the spade jack from the board to pin West’s singleton 10. Suppose East covers with the queen. South wins with the king, cashes the nine, crosses to the board in, say, diamonds and discards his third diamond on the spade ace. Wizardry! Now to come clean. When this deal was played in a social game, the opening lead against four hearts was ... the spade 10!