PHILIP ALDER

Logan Pearsall Smith said, “It is the wretchedness of being rich that you have to live with rich people.” Talk about never being satisfied! In bridge, we like to be rich: to have many honor cards. Occasionally, though, we are overburdened with them. Getting rid of an unwanted honor at the right moment can be crucial to success.

Three no-trump would have been an easy contract, but it is understandable that South overcalled three spades rather than three no-trump.

The play lasted only four tricks. West led the heart seven: five, ace, two. East returned a heart, and West, after ruffing, cashed his two top diamonds: down one.

South should have seen that coming. Surely East had seven hearts for his vulnerable opening bid. South should have dropped his heart king under East’s ace. Although this gambit has appeared in print many times, it would

still have been difficult for East not to believe that the king was a singleton — unless South made a revealing hesitation. East, not willing to give South a discard on dummy’s heart jack, would probably have shifted to the diamond five at trick two. This allows the contract to make because South’s heart two disappears on a diamond winner in the dummy.

Are you thinking that West should lead a top diamond at trick one? That is feasible. Also, there is a clever idea that works well on this deal. Assuming you normally lead the ace from ace-king-low, if instead you lead the king from ace-king and switch at trick two (or three), that switch might be to a singleton, but never to a doubleton.