Before you assume, get all the facts

FRANK-N-ERNEST®

GRIZZWELLS®

BIG NATE®

ARLO & JANIS®

ZITS®

Henry Winkler, he of “The Fonz” fame, said, “Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”

Assumptions can be the consumers of good results at the bridge table. In today’s deal, players who rely on a normal assumption will end poorer and wiser.

Against four spades, West leads the heart king. East overtakes with the ace and returns his second heart. West wins that trick and shifts to the diamond nine. East plays his second ace and leads back a diamond. How should South continue?

The bidding was predictable through four spades. West had a textbook weakthree opening, showing a good seven-card suit and some 6-10 high-card points; North a fine takeout double; East a sound raise; and South an easy four-spade advance. East wondered about sacrificing in five hearts, but the vulnerability was unfavorable. What would have happened in five hearts doubled?

South, needing the rest of the tricks, had to find the club queen. Given that West had seven hearts and East only two, there was a natural assumption that East would hold the club queen. But declarer could get the facts.

He ruffed the second diamond high (just in case West started with a singleton), drew trumps ending on the board and cashed the last diamond. What had South learned?

He had discovered that West began with one spade, seven hearts, two diamonds and, therefore, three clubs. Declarer played a club to his king, then finessed through West.

Five hearts doubled would have cost 800 if North had led a trump at trick one (or at trick two after starting with the spade king).