Following the ‘law’

Let’s subject today’s deal to the “Law of Total Tricks,” which many players employ in making competitive decisions. The law states that the total number of trumps both sides have in their best suit equals the total number of tricks that can be won. North-South have 11 hearts, East-West have nine spades. So 20 tricks should be available at heart and spade contracts. Most players would have bid two spades (preemptive) or three spades (even more preemptive) as West. When North leaped to four hearts, East’s pass was questionable at best. West led the ten of diamonds, and East took the ace and returned the queen: king, ruff. West then led the queen of clubs. South ruffed, drew trumps ... and conceded down one, losing two diamonds to East. Was the law on target? North-South can beat four spades but only with doubledummy defense. North leads a club, and South ruffs and underleads in hearts to get a second ruff. In real life, West would make four spades more often than not. As for four hearts, South could have made it without difficulty. After he ruffs West’s club lead at Trick Three, he draws the missing trump, ruffs another club, takes the ace of spades, ruffs a spade and ruffs dummy’s last club. South then leads his queen of spades and discards a diamond from dummy: a loser on a loser. West must concede a ruff-sluff, and dummy’s last diamond goes away. The Law of Total Tricks often breaks down at high levels. In this deal, it’s off by one trick in theory. Still, deals are played at the table, not in theory.