The best-laid plans of bridge defenders

Hugh Blair, an 18th-century Scottish minister, wrote, “He who every morning plans the transaction of the day, and follows out that plan, carries on a thread which will guide him through the maze of the most busy life. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidents, all things lie huddled together in one chaos.”

In general, it is hard to disagree with that. But when your plan requires another person to take an active part in its execution, things might not go smoothly.

In today’s deal, which occurred some years ago in New Zealand, if you had been sitting West, what would you have led against five spades?

The bidding wasn’t perfect. West’s pass over four spades was surprising, and North’s use of Blackwood with, inter alia, two club losers was debatable.

Mundane, unimaginative defense would have defeated the contract without difficulty. West would have led the heart ace, and East would have signaled with the two, his lowest heart being a suitpreference signal for clubs. West would have shifted to that suit, and the defenders would have taken the first three or four tricks.

However, West found what he thought was the perfect lead: the heart three! Now the defense looked straightforward: heart to the jack, diamond-four return, club to the ace, second diamond ruff and cash the club king for down three.

No sweat — except it didn’t work out like that. East, thinking declarer had a singleton heart ace, gave count by playing his heart two at trick one!