BRIDGE 6-22
Joseph Addison, cofounder with Richard Steele of The Spectator magazine in England in 1711, said, “Self-discipline is that which, next to virtue, truly and essentially raises one man above another.”
Self-discipline in the cards played raises one bridge defender above another.
In this deal, for example, how should the defenders card to defeat four spades after West does well to find a diamond lead?
North’s two-no-trump response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise, showing four-plus trumps, at least opening count and, usually, at most seven losers. (This hand has eight losers, but high point-count takes priority.) South jumped to game with his minimum opening.
In yesterday’s deal, East won the first trick with the diamond king (bottom of touching honors when playing third hand high), then cashed the ace to learn how many cards his partner had started with in that suit. However, some inexperienced players would have won the first trick with the ace and cashed the king, thinking that it made no difference. But it should!
In this deal, to defeat four spades, the defenders must immediately take two diamonds, one heart and a diamond ruff. This means that when East wins the first trick with the ace, then cashes the king, he is showing that he started with ace-king-doubleton.
At trick two, West must send a suit-preference signal to tell his partner where his entry card is situated. Here, he plays the diamond jack, his highest card asking for a heart shift, the higher-ranking of the other two side suits. Then four spades is defeated.