Applied technique

Most of us want better partners than we deserve, but Cy the Cynic, cynic that he is, is convinced that all his partners are hopeless.

“If I told my partners that their brain was an app,” Cy grumbled to me in the club lounge, “they might actually use it.”

“Your partners are doing the best they can,” I said. “Obviously,” Cy sniffed. Cy was today’s North in a penny game, and he and South stopped at 3NT with a combined 29 high-card points. West led the four of hearts: six, queen, king. South pondered, led a diamond to dummy’s king and returned a spade ... to his ten. West took the jack and led a diamond.

South put up the ace. When East followed low, declarer led a club from dummy: deuce, nine, ten. West got out with a club — Cy began to fidget — and South took the king and ace. When West discarded, South cashed three spades and exited with a diamond at the 11th trick. West won and

took his ace of hearts, but South won the 13th trick with his jack. Making three.

“Cold for six,” the Cynic growled. “If you’d tried a little harder, partner, you might have lost another trick.”

What do you think of South’s play?

South started with eight top tricks. He needed to develop one more without letting East get in; a heart return would be fatal. So South executed “avoidance” plays in all three of the other suits, giving himself many chances to succeed. In the end, he was able to endplay West.

Cy should have been complimentary of his partner, not critical.