Bridge

If partner overbids, you must overplay

Mark Twain wrote in a letter, “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.”

What a weird thought! In particular, if you know you are ignorant, how can you feel confident?

In this deal, North showed confidence in his partner’s declarer play. How should South have tried to justify his partner’s optimism? South was in four hearts. West led the club ace and continued with the club king. North’s two-diamond overcall showed both majors. Then, when South indicated a preference for hearts, North optimistically and confidently plunged his partner into four hearts. Was he justified? Only time would tell.

South hoped to lose only one spade, one heart and one club. But he needed to reach his hand to lead a spade toward the dummy. So he carefully ruffed with the heart queen and continued with a low heart to his jack. West won and persevered with the club queen, but declarer ruffed with the heart ace and drew trumps with his heart 10and heart nine. Now he had to decide what to do in spades. What did South know? West had produced 9 points in clubs and 3 in hearts. So he needed the spade ace to have sufficient values for his opening bid. Declarer led a spade and put up dummy’s king. When it held, he played off the diamond honors, conceded a spade and claimed the last two tricks with his remaining trump and the diamond jack.

Finally, note that if South had ruffed the second club low on the board, West could have kept South out of his hand.