Sometimes passes help as much as bids

Mickey Rooney said, “You always pass failure on the way to success.”

At the bridge table, noting a pass may turn failure (going down in a contract) into success (making it).

How is that relevant in this deal? Against four spades, West starts with four rounds of hearts, East playing high-low, then discarding a low club. What should South do?

West’s second-round takeout double indicated a maximum pass with shortage in spades. (Note that 4-4-4-1 is the best distribution for a takeout double because you have four-card support for whichever suit partner names, and if he happens to pass, turning your takeout double into one for penalty, you have a trump to lead at trick one.)

Many tournament pairs have various gadgets for North to describe his hand better than this North’s single raise, which could have been with a weaker hand and one fewer trump. (If you are curious about some of the options, either search on the internet or email me at phillip@ bridgeforeveryone.com.)

Declarer must decide who holds the spade queen. If it is West, South must ruff the fourth heart with dummy’s spade nine or jack. But if it is East, declarer must trump with dummy’s spade king, then run the jack through East. What is the key clue?

Right — West’s initial pass. If he has the spade queen, he started with at least 12 points and would surely have opened the bidding. So, South ruffs with dummy’s spade king, takes a couple of spade finesses and claims.