If given a chance, make sure to cash in

Elbert Hubbard said, “A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.”

A bridge player should cash in when an opponent blunders. That happened in today’s deal.

In the auction, South was a tad worried about spades when he rebid two no-trump, but there wasn’t anything else he could do. North wondered if they were missing a slam, but even five clubs would have failed if West had led a diamond.

Against three no-trump, West led the spade queen. Declarer saw eight top tricks (two spades, three hearts and three clubs) and no problems. He won with the spade king, played a club to his ace and returned a club. When West discarded a discouraging heart three, South still wasn’t concerned. He played low from the board and let East take his club trick. What did East do next?

It looked as though the defenders had to take four diamond tricks now. If West had K-Q-x-x, K-10-8-x or K-10-7-x, the suit could be run.

Accurately, East switched to the diamond jack. West, after capturing

South’s queen with his king, returned the diamond six to East’s ace. Now the diamond-two return defeated the contract, West having the 10-7 hovering over South’s 8-5.

Well defended, but did South have a better line of play?

Of course he did! He shouldn’t have given the defenders a chance. If he had won trick one in the dummy and played a club to the nine, he would have been safe. With West on lead, the defenders couldn’t have taken four diamond tricks.