GOREN ON BRIDGE

Some players think it is clever to bid without values, and East in today’s deal thought he was very clever when he bid one no-trump. North-South still bid effortlessly to game and, in the process, East gave South some information about West’s hand. West had to have at least five diamonds because East would never have given a preference to hearts if he held four-card diamond support.

How did this help

South? The defense started with three rounds of diamonds, South ruffing the third round.

Two rounds of spades drew the trumps and South could safely cash the ace and king of clubs and the ace and king of hearts. East was known to be out of hearts and West had no black cards remaining. South could end-play either opponent.

South couldn’t decide what to do, so he consulted his binary decision maker to see who he should end-play. The binary decision maker told him to victimize East. Following orders, South led a club to East, who had to yield a ruff-sluff and declarer had his contract. A heart from South, instead, and West would have been endplayed.

The binary decision maker? A coin, of course.