TRY TO DETERMINE THE GUARANTEED LINE

AJ. Liebling, a journalist who died in 1963, said, "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one."

Bridge players like guaranteed lines of play or defense. On every deal, both sides are trying to find one or the other. In today's, can South guarantee his contract of six hearts after West leads a fourth-highest spade three?

When South opens one heart, North's hand greatly increases in value. It contains four short-suit points (one in spades and three in diamonds) and has only five losers because you deduct one loser for a 10-card or better fit. South then uses his preferred form of Blackwood before stopping in six hearts.

West chose to lead a spade in preference to the diamond queen because he knew about dummy's short suit. Here, West did well not to lead a club.

Declarer has a potential loser in each rounded suit. Taking the trump suit in isolation, the percentage play for no losers is to cash the ace. But that is wrong with these hands. The right line is to take both spade tricks and the diamond ace before ruffing the diamond seven on the board. Then South should call for the heart queen (to encourage East to cover with he king) and, assuming East plays low smoothly, to run the queen.

Here, the finesse wins and declarer is playing for an overtrick. But suppose West could scoop up the trick with the singleton heart king. He would be endplayed, forced either to lead into South's club tenace or to concede a ruff-and-sluff. Whichever he chooses, declarer will lose no club trick. Copyright United Feature

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