With only seven, but a better result

Aristotle claimed, “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion and desire.”

In bridge, we are wary of playing with only seven trumps, especially when they are divided 4-3. This is called a Moysian fit after Sonny Moyse Jr, who used to edit The Bridge World magazine and wrote several articles about it. Yesterday, South played in a 4-3 heart fit that did not go well. Today, South is in a Moysian four spades. How should that fare?

Note that five of either minor has three top losers: two spades and one heart. Four hearts by West can be defeated if South gains a trump promotion on the third round of diamonds from North.

Declarer has tricks galore if he can draw trumps, but they are not 3-3.

At the table, West led the diamond two. Declarer won on the board and ran the spade jack to West's king.

Now West had to shift to hearts, the defenders playing two rounds to tap the dummy. Then East takes the next spade and plays another heart to take the contract down two.

Instead of a heart, West led a second diamond.

Declarer won with his king and played a trump to the 10. When that held, South continued with the diamond ace, knowing that West had another diamond because he would have gone highlow with a doubleton. East ruffed, and South overruffed. After a club to the jack, East ruffed the next diamond with his last trump, the ace, and South discarded a heart. East cashed the heart ace, but South had the rest.