Winners Now, Winners Later

There are times when you are not sure how to bid a hand. If so, consider all the possible calls and use a process of elimination. Sometimes, though, there still won’t be an obvious candidate. Then it is often best to think big, shut your eyes and bid what you hope you can make.

On today’s deal, which was played in Australia and was reported by Tim Bourke, South didn’t know what to do after East opened with a weak two spades. South made a takeout double, then mentally shrugged his shoulders and jumped to six diamonds. He knew he could be either too high or too low, but he saw no way to find out.

West led the spade seven: nine, 10, queen. Declarer’s immediate reaction was to cash the spade ace, discarding a heart from the dummy, and to ruff his heart three and one low spade on the board. However, he recalled the bidding. Since East had six spades, West had started with only two. Surely West would hold two diamonds higher than the five, which would allow him to ruff in front of the dummy.

Then South spotted a better line. At trick two, he ruffed the spade four on the board. Declarer returned to hand with a heart to the ace and led the spade five. What could West do?

If he ruffed with the diamond seven, declarer would throw a heart from the dummy.

Eventually South would ruff his heart three in peace. If West discarded on the spade five, declarer would ruff in the dummy, draw trumps and claim, conceding a heart trick at the end.

The key point, which applies in most contracts, is that winners can wait, but losers cannot.