BRIDGE with Bob Jones

Today’s deal is from an international team match between a team from Poland and a team from Japan. Both tables reached four hearts, via different auctions — North opened three diamonds at the other table — and both West’s led the queen of clubs to East’s ace.

At the other table, East continued by cashing two high spades and shifting to a trump. The Japanese South had no reason not to take the heart finesse — the percentage play — and the contract went down one.

At this table, the defense went a little differently. East also cashed the king of spades at trick two, but he continued with a low spade rather than the queen. West won with his ace and saw an opportunity to be clever. West led a low club, allowing dummy to win the trick with the 10! The Polish declarer, Piotr Bizon, had to figure out why he had been given this gift entry to dummy. Was it a defensive blunder, or was West making sure that there was an entry to dummy for the heart finesse. Bizon chose door number two and led a heart to his ace! Great was the fall thereon and he made his contract.

In our opinion, West made a poor play. It was certain, on the information available to him, that South had an entry to dummy, either with the king of diamonds or a club ruff, and West should have exited with a high club.