Dangle a carrot and hope he bites

Louis Tomlinson, an English singersongwriter, said, “In my first video diary, I explained my love for women who have a taste in carrots. Since then, I have received plenty of carrots. Now I also have a keen interest in women who like Lamborghinis.”

On farms, are carrots still dangled in front of mules? At the bridge table, it is fun to dangle a carrot in front of an opponent, get him to bite and end with a great score.

In today’s deal, how should South play in five diamonds after the defenders take two spade tricks, then cast adrift with a heart to declarer’s bare ace? South’s sequence, one club followed by three diamonds, showed a very strong hand with fewer diamonds than clubs. When West competed to three spades, North, who had limited his hand with his initial pass, was happy to bid four diamonds. He knew that a 4-4 fit usually plays better than a 5-3 or 6-3. South moved confidently into five diamonds. The kibitzers thought that declarer had no chance, because the clubs were not splitting 2-2. However, South spotted a chance even when clubs were 1=3. He cashed the diamond ace and diamond queen, then overtook the diamond jack with dummy’s king.

Now came the carrot play -- the club

10. East, holding the jack and nine, thought it couldn’t cost to cover the 10 with his jack. But South won with his ace and inwardly smiled when West played the queen. Declarer overtook the carefully conserved diamond three with dummy’s eight, played a club to his eight and claimed when West discarded.