BRIDGE

Partner must help, and so must declarer

Sam Levenson, a humorist who appeared in several television shows, said, “My mother used to get up every morning at 5am, no matter what time it was.” In yesterday’s deal, one defender had to assess the situation immediately; a thoughtless second hand low at trick two would have been fatal. It is rare that one must find the key play that early in a deal. Usually, the big moment comes later — but perhaps not much later. In this deal, how should East plan the defence against four spades after West leads the fourth-highest diamond three? South has a good hand for a pre-empt these days, but that happens occasionally, especially at unfavourable vulnerability. Some would start with four spades, but the hand has no singleton, and if the opponents have a lot of points, they will tend to double and collect a penalty. Three spades doubled is less likely. East should realise that his side must take four minor-suit tricks: either three diamonds (West led from queen-fourth of diamonds) and one club, or two diamonds and two clubs. To know which way to turn, East needs input from West. After winning the first trick with the diamond king, East cashes the diamond ace and looks closely at his partner’s card. Here, it is the two, showing that West started with a five-card suit. So, now, East must shift to a low club. If West has the king, everything works. But if West has the queen, declarer must be forced to guess. (If I were West with queen-high diamonds and king-high clubs, I would have led a club.)