Information overload

“My brain,” a club player told me, “is like the Bermuda Triangle. When I’m declarer, information goes into it, gets lost and is never seen again.”

His problem is typical. Many players struggle as declarer because they have so much to think about. When they must plan the play, anticipate what might go wrong and deal with technical issues such as managing entries, they don’t notice what the defenders are doing or the fall of their cards.

At today’s four spades, South embarked on an odd line of play. He took the A-K of diamonds, pitching a heart, ruffed a diamond, led to dummy’s ace of clubs and returned a club, playing the nine when East followed low. West won with the jack and led a fourth diamond.

South ruffed, ruffed a club in dummy and tried a trump finesse with his queen. West took the king and led the king of clubs. South ruffed with dummy’s ten, and when East couldn’t overruff, South led a

trump to his ace and, at the 11th trick, exited with his last trump.

West won and led the six of hearts. Declarer consulted the ceiling ... and played dummy’s queen. East’s king covered, and South lost the last trick to West’s jack. Down one.

South had enough information to make the winning play at the end, assuming he wasn’t lost somewhere near Bermuda. West didn’t open the bidding, and declarer has seen him play the K-J of spades, Q-J of diamonds and K-J of clubs. West might have the jack of hearts but couldn’t have the king, so South should have played a low heart from dummy.