Performing a miracle in today’s bridge hand

“Do you believe in miracles?” Unlucky Louie asked me in the club lounge.

“Jesus is said to have turned water into wine at that wedding in Cana,” I replied.

“Sometimes when I’m at McDonald’s,” Cy the Cynic offered, “and the girl behind the counter isn’t looking, I turn water into Sprite.”

“How about turning four losers into three?” Louie asked.

In a penny game, Louie was declarer at today’s four hearts, and West led a diamond. Louie won with dummy’s king, led a trump to his king and continued with the queen. East took the ace and returned a diamond, and Louie won and cashed his jack of trumps.

When West discarded, Louie led a third diamond, hoping for a 3-3 break and a discard for his losing spade. But West won, and East showed out, and Louie had to lose a spade plus a trump to East’s 10. Down one.

“No miracles when I’m declarer,” Louie sighed.

It shouldn’t take a miracle worker to make the contract. All declarer must do is take 10 winners, compressing his four losers into three. He can win the first diamond in his hand, take the ace of clubs, ruff a club and lead the king of trumps to East’s ace. Declarer wins the diamond return in dummy, ruffs a club and takes the Q-J of trumps.

When West discards, South cashes the K-A of spades. Having won nine tricks, he leads dummy’s last club. No matter what East does, South is sure to score his last low trump. The defenders’ three remaining tricks — a trump, a diamond and a spade — clash on the last two tricks.