When he ruffs, make it a loser

Adam Garcia, an Australian actor, said, “I’m a loser on Sunday. Yeah, I’m a couch potato. I get up and try and eat, and then back on the couch. And watch anything.” Bridge players need to worry about losers, but this deal highlights one good technique for limiting them. How should South have planned the play in four spades after West led the club king? When West used the Unusual Notrump to show at least 5-5 in the minors, North had to pass. But after South doubled East’s three clubs to show a good hand, North judged that he had enough for game. However, did partner have four hearts? To find out, North cue-bid four clubs, showing the values for game but uncertainty about which game. South signed off in four spades. When the dummy appeared, declarer knew that East had at most one diamond. So, it was time to make sure that if he ruffed a diamond, it would be a loser, not a winner. South played a spade to the king, then called for a low diamond. East realised that ruffing would be a waste of a trump trick, so he discarded a heart. Declarer won the trick and repeated the process, playing a heart to dummy’s ace and leading another diamond. Again East discarded, so South took the trick and gave up a diamond to West. Note that if West had had a trump to lead, declarer would have lost only two diamonds and one spade. When West exited with a club, South ruffed and trumped his last diamond on the board. He lost only one diamond and two spades.