BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

YOU are South, declarer in 4 ♥ , West having overcalled your opening 1 ♥ with 2 ♣ . West leads the ♣ Q. How would you plan the play? COUNT your losers and don’t forget the bidding! West intervened with 2 ♣ which, as he is known to be missing the ♣ A-K, must mean length. Club length with West means club shortage with East. Also, West is fairly and squarely marked with the ♥ K for his bid.

Losers must amount to one spade, one club and the ♥ K. There won’t be any risk of a fourth if you contain your greed for over-tricks and refuse to finesse for the ♥ K. If you do, the king will win and back will go another club for East to ruff, which only means that you have carefully manufactured a fourth loser for yourself.

Whatever West’s precise heart holding, you can’t lose anything, but a possible overtrick by cashing the ♥ A and might even gain by dropping the bare ♥ K.