Contract Bridge

This deal occurred in a team-of four match. At the first table, West led a diamond against three notrump, declarer winning East’s jack with the queen. South could count seven immediate winners and needed two more. His best source of additional tricks was the heart suit, so he led the ten and let it ride after West followed low.

Had West held the queen, South would have made the contract with an overtrick. But East won the ten with the queen and returned a diamond. West’s diamonds thus became established while he still had the ace of hearts, and declarer went down one.

The bidding and opening lead at the other table were exactly the same, but here declarer made the contract. He won the diamond lead with the queen, led a spade to dummy’s queen and returned a low heart. East followed low, as most players would, and South played the ten. West ducked in order to preserve his entry, but it availed him naught.

Declarer led another heart, West playing low again, but South -- having already located the queen -- went up with the king, felling East’s queen. Another heart lead forced out the ace, and South finished with an overtrick.

Despite the unusual nature of the second declarer’s method of play, it had a very sound foundation. South didn’t mind losing a trick to the queen if West had it, since West could not make a damaging return. Declarer’s only real concern from the start was that East might win the first heart with the queen and return a diamond through the A-10, so he took steps to prevent this from happening.

In effect, South assumed from the start that East had the queen. If this was actually the case, there was an excellent chance that he would not play it if the first heart lead came from dummy.