Maintaining focus

A friend of mine told me about the time he’d had a Saturday-night date with his best girl. After a lovely evening, he drove her to her parents’ home as usual, kissed her goodnight — and was perplexed when she made no move to get out of the car. Then it dawned on him: They had been married for two weeks.

That’s force of habit — something potent and potentially dangerous. Too many players are in the habit of playing impulsively to the first trick. Perhaps they fear that taking a little time to plan will betray weakness or uncertainty.

In today’s deal, West led the ten of hearts against 3NT, and declarer promptly played dummy’s jack. When East’s queen covered, South took his king; he couldn’t afford to refuse the trick since a spade shift might be damaging.

South next led a diamond, and West rose with his ace to continue hearts. South took dummy’s ace, cashed his diamond winners and led a club. West produced the ace and took three hearts for down

one.

South lost his contract because of Trick-One impulse: He has no rush to try winning a heart trick with dummy’s jack. South should play low from dummy on the first heart and take his king. He forces out the ace of diamonds next. West leads a second heart, and then dummy plays the jack.

East wins, but he has no more hearts. (If East did have a third heart, South would still be safe; he could lose only two hearts plus the two minor-suit aces.) South can win East’s spade shift and force out the ace of clubs, winning two hearts, two spades, three diamonds and two clubs.