DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

Unlucky Louie has raised nine kids and still has some under his roof. According to Louie, adolescence is a time of rapid change: He says that between 12 and 17, a parent can age almost 20 years.

Given Louie’s unending bad luck, he should know how to handle a sudden reversal of fortune. When he played at today’s four spades, he took the ace of hearts and had no worries. If the missing trumps broke 2-2, he would have six trump tricks plus five sidesuit tricks.

So at Trick Two, Louie led a trump to his ace ... and his trick-total changed from 11 to nine when West pitched a club.

Louie didn’t give up. He took the A-K of diamonds, ruffed a diamond, went to the king of hearts and ruffed a heart. Louie then exited with a trump, hoping East would have to lead a club from the king. But West had that card, and the result was down one.

“A 4-0 trump break would happen only one time in 10,” Louie sighed, “and I had a chance even then.”

After Louie sees the foul break in trumps, he can take the king of hearts, ruff a heart, lead a diamond to dummy’s king and return the last heart. East discards a diamond. If he ruffs, Louie throws his club loser. Louie ruffs, goes to the ace of diamonds and leads a third diamond, and again East must discard. Having won the first eight tricks, Louie leads a club to dummy’s ace and returns the last diamond.

East has no winning play. If he discards, Louie ruffs for his 10th trick. If instead East ruffs, Louie discards his last club and still scores one more trump trick.