Contract Bridge

It is said that a declarer cannot be glorious unless he is also laborious, and there is more truth than poetry in this.

For example, take this case where South is in five hearts and West leads the ace and another spade. Declarer ruffs, plays a round of trumps and must then try to hold himself to just one minor-suit loser. The task might seem impossible, but if South labors mightily, his efforts are rewarded tidily. He begins by playing four more trumps, producing this position:

Declarer now leads his last trump, and West finds it impossible to discard successfully.

If he parts with the ten of diamonds, South discards a club from dummy and plays the ace and another diamond. West wins and is forced to return a club from his K-J-9, allowing declarer to win the last three tricks with the Q-A of clubs and queen of diamonds.

The outcome is the same if West discards the nine of clubs in the diagrammed position. In that case, declarer discards a diamond from dummy and plays the ace and another club. West wins and is forced to return a diamond from his K-J10, allowing declarer to win the last three tricks with the Q-A of diamonds and ten of clubs.