Bridge Playing safe

Cy the Cynic gave me a ride to the club, and at a red light, we stopped beside a plumbing company’s van that had this information lettered on its side:

“Providing quality service since last Monday morning.”

“Rated No. 1 in town by the owner and his mother.”

And ... “If you see us driving unsafely, don’t call anybody. It makes our insurance premiums rise.”

“You have to like their style,” Cy said.

In a money game at the club, Cy was today’s South. His bid of two clubs was “new minor forcing” and asked for more information. When North showed three-card heart support, the Cynic bid four hearts.

Cy won the first spade with the ace and cashed the A-K of trumps. The queen might have fallen, but this was not Cy’s day. West discarded, and East was sure of two trump tricks. Cy led a diamond to dummy’s king successfully, but he lost a spade and a diamond and went down.

“You played it like a plumber,” I scolded. “Unlucky,” Cy retorted. Cy indulged in some unsafe driving and was punished. He should lead a trump to his hand at Trick Two and return a diamond to the king. If East had the ace, Cy would need to pick up the trumps and would cash the other high trump.

But when the king of diamonds wins, Cy can afford a trump loser and can adopt a safety play. He leads a trump to dummy’s jack. East wins, but Cy wins the spade return in dummy and leads a third trump to his nine. If West had Q-10-x-x in trumps, the contract would still be safe.