BRIDGE 4-13

Anthony Trollope said, “There is no human bliss equal to 12 hours of work with only six hours in which to do it.”

At the bridge table, when you bid to the six-level, you claim you can win 12 tricks. I spotted this deal in an English newspaper. Surprisingly, both the declarer and the columnist missed the best play for 12 tricks in six hearts. What would you have done after West led the spade king?

The English still like four-card majors. North’s three-spade response was a splinter bid, promising four or more hearts, at least game-going values and a singleton (or void) in spades. East’s double was foolish. He didn’t want a spade lead against a heart contract, and he had no particular reason to suggest a spade sacrifice. South aggressively used Blackwood before settling into six hearts.

East’s double came back to bite him when his partner selected the spade king as his opening lead. Declarer won that trick and played a heart to the ace. When the 4-0 break was revealed, South thought he also had to find West with four diamonds, so that he could discard a club loser. But West ruffed the third diamond and led another spade. Declarer still had to lose one club for down one.

South should have played the contract like a dummy reversal. After a heart to the ace, declarer plays a heart to his king, ruffs a low spade, returns to hand with a diamond, ruffs his second low spade, cashes the heart jack, crosses to his second diamond honor and draws trumps. He takes two spades, four hearts, four diamonds and those two spade ruffs.