Lay the foundation for your contract

Marilyn Monroe said, “To put it bluntly, I seem to be a whole superstructure with no foundation. But I’m working on the foundation.”

In bridge, the foundation of success is ensuring that the opponents cannot cash too many tricks. Sometimes that is easier said than done — as in today’s deal.

Playing in three no-trump, South received a low heart lead from West. He put up dummy’s jack, but when East produced the queen, South played low. Back came a heart to South’s ace. How should he have continued?

Obviously, if the club finesse was working, everything was hunky-dory. But even if the finesse lost, prospects were still bright: Maybe the spade or diamond finesse would win.

Feeling confident, South immediately ran the club queen. However, East won with the king and returned his third heart. Declarer cashed his clubs before trying the diamond finesse, but East won with the king and shifted to a spade. South finessed again, but it failed also, and West took two heart tricks for down two.

South did the predictable, pointing out that every key card was wrong. But have you spotted his error?

At trick three, declarer should lead the spade queen from his hand. This serves two purposes: It removes West’s potential entry and establishes two spade tricks. The best defense is for West to win with the king and switch to the diamond 10. But South wins with dummy’s ace, plays a spade to his ace and takes the club finesse, ensuring nine tricks.