DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

In church, our pastor spoke about how things don’t always work out as you expect. He told us about a man who wrote his girlfriend two letters every day for two years, asking her to marry him. After two years, she duly announced her engagement — to the mail carrier.

Over North’s 4NT Blackwood bid, South’s jump to six hearts showed one ace and a void suit. North then risked a grand slam. He could count only 12 tricks, but since South lacked the A-Q of spades, he was likely to have a seven-card suit. Moreover, South might have the king of diamonds or might set up North’s clubs.

West picked an unlucky heart lead; a diamond or trump would have been best. As it was, South was at a makable contract, but the play didn’t go as he planned. South discarded a club on the ace of hearts, took the A-Q of spades, led a club to his ace, drew trumps and led a club to dummy’s king. With a normal 3-2 break, he could have ruffed a club and returned to the ace of diamonds for the good clubs.

Alas for declarer, East had a singleton club, and South lost a diamond.

South could avoid unexpected developments. He discards both his low clubs on the A-K of hearts, comes to his ace of clubs, returns a trump to dummy and ruffs a club. When East discards, South leads a trump to dummy and ruffs another club. He can then draw the missing trump and go to the ace of diamonds to discard his losing diamonds on the king and the good fifth club.