BRIDGE

“Information Leakage” is a concept many players play little or no attention to but it most definitely played a role in the defeat of this heart game.

After the weak two-bid (a debatable choice given the poor suit quality), North asked for a feature via two notrump and found his partner with something good (usually the ace or guarded King) in diamonds in a nonminimum hand.

To motivate West to lead a club, ducked in dummy, for East to win the ace and return the deuce to the eight, nine and King.

Next, South crossed to the heart ace to lead his low spade towards the dummy. Knowing his club Queen would cash, West went right in with his ace to take that club trick. Late in the play, East took a heart trick for down one (a disappointment to North who hoped his partner would have the heart Queen).

Consider what might have happened had North simply taken the direct route to the contract he was always likely to bid (“He who knows, goes!”): bid four hearts immediately.

With little to go on (as in “no information leakage”), West might well have led a diamond that declarer could win in hand to try that spade play towards the dummy.

West might or might not win the spade ace right away but whatever he did in spades, South would be a lot closer to making four hearts than he was in the club lead scenario.

Best defense after the diamond lead: grab the spade ace to shift to a low club. Would South play West for the club Queen or ace? We’ll never know!