PHILIP ALDER

The opponents, who are not sacrificing, are in their final contract, and you are sure that they cannot make it. Do you double?

Normally, the sensible player will double when two conditions are satisfied: He is doubling for at least down two, and he is sure the opponents cannot run to another, more successful, contract.

Doubling for down one is rarely a good idea. When the declarer is warned about the bad breaks, often he will play the cards a trick better.

Why did South run from four spades doubled with three trumps? Because East doubled with the “voice of a great thunder.” (Yes, this was back in the dark ages before bidding boxes.) It was clear that four spades

CELEBRITY CIPHER

wasn’t going to make; maybe five clubs would.

Well, would you prefer to declare or defend?

West led the diamond king, which declarer won with dummy’s ace, East signaling with his nine.

South drew trumps and then led the heart queen. West won with the ace, cashed his diamond trick and returned a heart. Declarer claimed, discarding his spade losers on dummy’s heart king-10.

The play contained several errors. If East had retained the diamond nine, a psychic West could have underled his diamond honors at trick six to put his partner on lead. Then a switch to the spade king drives out dummy’s entry before the hearts have been unblocked. However, South avoids this consequence by ducking the opening lead.

So you should declare? No! Suppose West, determined to get into the newspapers, leads a low diamond at trick one. Now East must get on play with the diamond nine for the killing spade shift.