BRIDGE

For sure, overtricks can be really valuable in the comparison-based scoring of pairs duplicate but game bonuses are even more so.

Against South’s very normal heart game, West started with a high diamond and the defenders scooped up their two tricks in the suit before making declarer ruff the third round.

Possible losers from that point: one spade and one heart. And South saw a possible way to avoid both: cross to dummy in clubs for the heart finesse, drop the King on the second round and later dump his possible spade loser on a good club.

But as finesses are wont to do, this trump finesse lost and West played back his last club. Declarer could win that in hand to mop up the outstanding trumps and could even cash his last hearts to put pressure on the defenders.

But East clung to his last two clubs and West saved the defensive spade guard so South’s initial loser in that suit ended up being just that – a loser and the ultra-critical fourth loser at that!

South had aimed at a very tiny target: the doubleton King of hearts onside and, failing that, clubs 3-3 so that the overtake on the first round of the suit wouldn’t burn a trick.

Those declarers content to make the contract they were in would have approached the play in a dramatically different way: after ruffing the diamond, table the Queen of hearts to offer a trick to the King while retaining dummy’s eight as a guard against any further diamond plays.

And if the Queen holds, continue with the Jack. Eventually, the spade loser is discarded and the game is secure.