Play more slowly to avoid going down

Kin Hubbard said, “A bee is never as busy as it seems; it’s just that it can’t buzz any slower.”

A bridge player, though, may buzz from trick to trick more slowly. In today’s deal, for example, many declarers would hum quickly from trick one to trick two and suddenly realize that they could no longer make their contract.

We will give you a chance to fly through the tricks, though perhaps act more like a hummingbird than a swift.

South is in six spades. What should he do after West leads the diamond queen?

North used the Jacoby Forcing Raise to show at least four-card spade support and game-forcing values.

Many players would quickly selfdestruct, especially those used to playing in duplicate pairs events, where overtricks can be so valuable. They would win the first trick in hand and lead the spade queen. But when West discards, the contract is dead. East must take two trump tricks.

There is a perfect safety play. Declarer should win the first trick on the board, then lead a low spade, planning to cover East’s card.

Here, South will presumably take the second trick in his hand and see West fail to follow suit. Then declarer can play a spade to the ace and follow with another trump through East, who can take only one trump trick.

If, instead, East were to show out on the first round of spades, West would take South’s queen with his king and play another diamond. Declarer would win, cash the spade jack, play a trump to dummy’s nine, pull West’s last spade and claim.