BRIDGE Make declarer guess winning line

E.B. White, who was an author of children’s books, wrote, “Weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed.”

Bridge contracts can be like that. When you are the declarer, sometimes things look grim, but suddenly there is a light at the end of the 13-trick tunnel. It is the job of the defenders, though, to keep the light bulb off. How is that relevant to today’s deal? South is in six diamonds. West leads the club king, then shifts to the spade queen.

South evaluated his hand well. Note that if North had had the heart jack extra, six diamonds would have been almost laydown.

Most experts lead king from aceking and king-queen against a contract of five clubs or higher. Then East gives count.

Declarer won with his spade ace and cashed all of his trumps, discarding spades from the board. The defenders jettisoned clubs, but on the last trump, West turned on the light by discarding one of his apparently useless hearts. South cashed his heart king, played a heart to the queen and claimed when the jack dropped. West should have parted with a spade. Yes, declarer might have just played hearts from the top, which is the percentage play in the suit. But if he sensed that West started with four hearts and East with only two, the odds change. Now finessing dummy’s heart 10 on round two would be recommended because East could have only five jack-doubletons but 10 low-doubletons.spade, but at the cost of a trump trick.