Sometimes you can wait too long

Lucille Ball said, “The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age.” One assumes she took her own advice during her 77-plus years.

In yesterday’s deal, East needed to take a trick with his diamond ace slowly, so that he could be directed by West’s discard. However, on some deals, waiting for a while might be fatal — as it would be here. What should happen after West leads the diamond three against three no-trump? What do you think about the auction?

This is the world’s most popular auction. Here, though, East might have doubled three no-trump to tell his partner that he had a solid suit. If he had, what should West have led?

After the diamond lead, East might pitch a discouraging heart two or club three. Then South will win the trick and return a diamond. If West ducks, choosing to wait for more guidance from his partner, East’s next signal will be too late. South will cash out, taking two diamonds, three hearts and four clubs.

Instead, at trick one, East should make things crystal clear to partner at the potential cost of an undertrick by discarding a dramatic spade ace. That would wake up even the most soporific of partners.

Finally, if East doubles three notrump to indicate a solid suit, West is not sure whether it is spades or hearts. So he should lead the diamond ace to be guided by the dummy. Then the contract goes down two in double-quick time, East knowing that West will lead a spade at trick two.