One suit tells about another

FRANK-N-ERNEST® GRIZZWELLS® BIG NATE® ARLO & JANIS® ZITS®

Albert Einstein said, “The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest number of hypotheses or axioms.”

The grand aim of bridge players is to win the greatest number of tricks by logical deduction.

In today’s deal, South had to make an excellent deduction and a very farsighted play to bring home his three-spade contract.

What did he do? West led the diamond queen: three, seven, four. West continued with the diamond two: six, king, nine. East cashed the diamond ace: 10, five, eight. Then East shifted to the heart king.

After East opened one diamond, and South overcalled one spade, West was tempted to make a negative double to show his four-card heart suit. But with only four high-card points, he was worried that the auction might run out of control. South’s three-spade rebid was a game-try, typically indicating 6-3-2-2 distribution.

What was the diamond distribution? Unless West found a bizarre lead (queen from Q-5-2) and East falsecarded with A-K-J-7 (both very unlikely), West must have begun with four and East with three. But East opened one diamond, meaning that his hand had to have 4=4=3=2 distribution. So, spades were breaking 4-0, and South would be unable to discard his heart loser on the club queen, because East would ruff. How could South draw trumps safely, when it required taking two finesses?

Declarer led the spade eight to dummy’s ace and ran the spade seven, underplaying his carefully conserved three. Then, after a spade to the jack and the spade king, South claimed.