BRIDGE with Bob Jones

South’s four-spade bid in the pass-out seat is a wide-ranging bid, and it’s easy to say that North should have given his partner some “room” and just passed. Still, South would have made the same bid with the ace-4 of diamonds rather than the five-four, and then NorthSouth would have good play for seven spades!

Over the four no trump Blackwood bid, East saw an opportunity and he took it. He wanted a diamond lead against a high spade contract so he bid five diamonds for that lead. Should that contract be doubled, he planned to retreat to the relative safety of five hearts -- a well-judged plan.

South would have made his contract had he covered the opening diamond lead, but he reasoned that the lead was more likely to be from a singleton rather than a doubleton. This was a reasonable decision, and he would have prevailed against many defenders. West continued with the jack of diamonds and South again refused to cover with dummy’s king, focusing the spotlight on East.

Had East allowed the jack of diamonds to hold the trick, declarer would have probably made his contract by finessing East for the queen of clubs. Advanced readers will also see the possible minor-suit squeeze against East. South never had a chance as East overtook the jack of diamonds with the ace and led a third diamond. West ’s nine of trumps provided the uppercut that East needed for his trumps to become the setting trick. Well done.