Bridge

“My wife always says she forgives me when we have a bad result,” a club player told me. “It’s her kind way of saying she still thinks it was all my fault.”

My friend was East, and his wife led her singleton heart against four spades. He took the queen and ace and led a third heart, but South ruffed high, drew trumps with the ace and queen, pitched a diamond on the good heart and led a club.

“I took my ace,” East told me, “and South claimed the rest, making his game. Of course, my wife said sweetly that she forgave me. She beats me over the head with an olive branch.”

SINGLETON West’s opening lead is a sure singleton, so East can lead a low heart at Trick Two. West ruffs and leads a club, and East takes the ace and leads another low heart.

South must lose another trick. If he discards his losing diamond, West ruffs. If instead South ruffs high, he loses his diamond discard, and West wins the setting trick with the king of diamonds.