Contract Bridge

The player who habitually plunges ahead without thought is certain to run into trouble from time to time. As a case in point, consider this deal where West leads a spade against three notrump. Many declarers would take East’s king with the ace and impulsively cash the ace of clubs. When West showed out, the contract would become unmanageable, and South would end up well short of his mark.

Adopting such an approach would supply strong evidence that declarer reacted mechanically to what looked like a routine situation instead of reacting the way he should whenever the contract appears to be a virtual laydown. In such situations, a diligent declarer always asks himself: “What can defeat me?”

The answer to this question is not hard to find. Only a 4-0 club division can place the contract in jeopardy, so declarer should focus his attention on how he might overcome this distribution if it exists. And, after having done so, South might then see the wisdom of leading the nine of clubs at trick two!

This thoughtful precautionary play pays maximum dividends in the actual case. East takes the nine with the ten and returns a spade, but he is already fighting a losing battle. Declarer wins the spade with the queen, leads a heart to dummy’s ace and returns a club.

After East plays the jack from the Q-J-7, South wins with the king, leads a diamond to dummy’s ace and plays another club. East’s Q-7 succumb to South’s A-8-5-3, and declarer finishes with nine tricks.

While it is true that the recommended line of play would cost declarer a 30-point overtrick if the missing clubs were divided 2-2, that is an insignificant consideration when it comes to safeguarding a vulnerable game.