Heads you win, tails they lose

Sondra Radvanovsky, an American-Canadian soprano who specializes in 19th-century Italian opera, said, “When I was signing up for the University of Southern California’s music program, I flipped a coin to decide my major. If it came up heads, it would be flute — tails would be voice.”

Bridge players like to find plays that leave an opponent feeling that it is heads I lose, tails you win. How did South do that to West in this deal? South was in three no-trump, and West started with three rounds of hearts.

When West overcalled two hearts, North made a negative double. This promised four spades and some values. South went for the vulnerable game.

South started with six winners: two hearts and four clubs. He needed to establish three more tricks. It looked as though West had the spade and diamond aces, so declarer had to get those extra winners without letting West get in with one ace, dislodge South’s last heart, regain the lead with his other ace and cash the last two hearts. What was the solution?

It was to impale West on the tines of Morton’s fork. At trick four, South led his spade five. How could West have defended? If he took the trick, South would have had three spade winners. So West played low. Now declarer returned to his hand with a club and led a low diamond.

If West had won with his ace, South would have taken one spade and two diamonds. When West ducked again, South won with dummy’s queen and played a spade to his queen, getting two spades and one diamond.

It was heads South won, tails West lost.