A crazy play asking for a crazy play

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

Jocko Willink, a retired Navy SEAL, wrote, “The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: When the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win -- you pass the test.”

We have an alarm-clock play in bridge. An example is in today’s deal.

East-west are defending against four spades. West, in answer to his partner’s overcall, leads the heart seven: three, 10, five. East cashes the heart ace: six, four, eight. Then East, knowing that West would have led his lowest heart if he had started with three, cashes the heart king. What should West discard?

There were a couple of aggressive bids in the auction, East’s three-heart intervention and South’s jump to game.

At first glance, West should discard the club 10. But here that defense does not work. South wins trick four and takes one club, six spades and three diamonds.

West needs to realize that a fourth heart lead will promote his spade queen as the setting trick. But how can he make East do that?

West makes a bizarre play -- rings an alarm. He discards the club king!

West cannot have both the club ace and king for three reasons. South needs the ace for his bidding. West would have led the club ace. West would have discarded the ace, top of touching honors when you cannot win the trick.

Now, will East get the message?