BRIDGE

Following guidelines for defensive play is highly recommended for all players but knowing when said guidelines should be ignored is also very important for cases when you run up against a wily veteran like today's South.

The opening preemptive bid did its usual dirty work: East had just enough in the way of values combined with spade shortness to contest the auction with a takeout double but that start to the bidding put West in a very uncomfortable spot. He could bid one of his emaciated four-card minor suits at the four-level or pass and hope his side might scramble five tricks.

Eventually deciding five defensive tricks was a more realistic goal than at least ten on offense, West passed and led the top of his heart doubleton that went to

East's ten and South's Queen.

Quickly recognizing that the most likely value West would have for his anguished pass of the double would be the spade Queen, South made what might look like an astonishing play to trick two: a low spade towards dummy.

Back to being (very) uncomfortable for West!

Would South really have the top spades for such a play? Added to his doubts about the likelihood of that was “Second Hand Plays Low” rattling around in the recesses of West's mind.

And he did play low!

That meant seven spade tricks for South to go with one heart and one club and an addendum of “Usually, just not always” to West's understanding of “Second Hand Plays Low”!