BRIDGE

Dr. Samuel Johnson wrote, “Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.”

Well, it certainly helps to be curious at the bridge table. You need to know about the opponents’ methods, and you must search for any little edge in the play that will increase your chances of success.

Today’s deal looks so easy, but the unwary — the uncurious — will go down.

North responded with the Jacoby Forcing Raise. South’s three-diamond rebid showed a singleton or void in that suit. One control-bid and two doses of Blackwood followed.

West led the spade 10: queen, king, ace. Now, with a spade loser virtually unavoidable, South had to assume the heart finesse was working. Then, if the clubs were 3-2, he was safe. But, if possible, he wanted to allow for a 4-1 club split.

At trick two, South unblocked the diamond ace. Then he played a club to dummy’s king and took a successful heart finesse. (It doesn’t help East to cover with the king.) A diamond ruff followed, then the heart ace, a heart to dummy and the diamond queen ruffed in hand. Finally, South cast adrift with his spade.

If East had won this trick, he would have been forced to lead a diamond or a spade, conceding a ruff-and-sluff and permitting South to avoid a club loser. However, when West won with the nine, he was no better off. Leading away from the J-10 of clubs saved South a loser in the suit. (This line would also work if West had a singleton club eight.)