Bridge

Pierre Corneille, a French dramatist, wrote, "When we conquer without danger, our triumph is without glory."

Not at the bridge table! But Corneille had an excuse because he lived in the 17th century, more than 200 years before bridge was devised.

Bridge players like to make their contracts without danger. What is South's safest play in this deal? He is in three no-trump, and West leads a fourth-highest heart seven.

South starts with seven top tricks: two spades, one heart, two diamonds and two clubs. He can probably get two more winners from diamonds, but must make sure that the defenders cannot cash too many hearts if they take a diamond trick.

At trick one, declarer should put up dummy's king.

First, suppose the king wins the trick. Then, since East is the danger hand, South leads a low diamond, and if East plays low, declar- er covers with his 10. Or, if East plays an honor, declarer takes the trick, leads a spade to dummy's king and plays another diamond through East. Here, though, East wins trick one and returns the heart 10. Now West is the danger hand, the one with the heart winners. South ducks this trick, takes the third heart, crosses to the board with a spade and leads a diamond. When East plays the queen, declarer ducks. Or, if East plays a low diamond, South wins the trick and cashes his second high diamond, hoping that West has at most a doubleton.