The end result is what matters

Victor Hugo said, “Common sense is in spite of, not the result of education.”

I agree with that. Even some geniuses lack common sense.

At the bridge table, it is optimal to be a great player who also employs common sense. In today’s deal, how should South try to make three no-trump after West leads the heart king?

South’s sequence showed a balanced hand with 25-27 points. If you and your partner also open three no-trump with that hand-type, what is the difference between the two sequences? One sensible agreement is that the opening threeno-trump bid guarantees 4-3-3-3 distribution, so responder can transfer into a five-card major safe in the knowledge of at least an eight-card fit.

South sort of starts with 10 top tricks: three spades, one heart, five diamonds and one club. But how can he get into the dummy to cash the spade queen and diamond 10?

He could win the second or third heart, cash his spade and diamond winners, then lead a low club toward the dummy. But that backfires here because West wins that trick and cashes the rest of his hearts to defeat the contract.

It is common sense that you do not want to bank your contract on the location of one card, if you can help it. After winning with the heart ace on the second round of the suit and cashing those six pointed-suit winners, South should lead his heart 10.

West wins that trick and takes two more heart winners, but then must either play a spade to dummy’s queen or lead away from his club king.

It is a textbook endplay.