Double, double toil and trouble at the table

My friend the English professor, a stickler for grammar, asserts that using a double negative is a no-no. A disaster that can befall players in a team match is a “double game swing”: Their opponents score game at both tables.

In a match, one NorthSouth played at four hearts on the auction shown, and West led a club. East won with the queen and led his singleton spade: three, queen, ace.

That defense was inadequate. South diagnosed the trump position: West had shown seven spades, had three or more clubs and hadn’t led a singleton diamond. So South let the jack of trumps ride, drew trumps and started the diamonds. Eventually, he discarded dummy’s remaining spades on high diamonds and ruffed his last spade in dummy, making four.

To beat four hearts, East had to shift to the K-A and a third diamond. West could ruff South’s jack, obliging dummy to overruff. Then, after South drew trumps, dummy would have none left, and South would lose a spade.

There was more toil and trouble at the other table. North-South bid to four hearts again, but West went to four spades and was doubled. North led the jack of hearts, winning, and then ... led a second heart. West ruffed, led a diamond to dummy and returned a trump to the king and ace. He ruffed the next heart, took the queen of trumps and finessed in clubs. Making four.

To beat four spades, South could overtake North’s jack of hearts to lead his singleton club. When North took the ace of trumps, he could give South a club ruff and score a second trump trick.