TAKE THE TIME TO CRUISE HOME

One needs to be doubly careful in this life. Today’s contract requires accurate timing by declarer. So, I searched for a quotation with that key word in it, finding this from Agesilaus II: “It is circumstance and proper timing that give an action its character and make it either good or bad.”

Agesilaus II lived from circa 440 to 360 B.C., was one of the most brilliant soldiers of his era and was the King of Sparta from 399 until his death.

In this four-spade contract, how should South plan the play? West obligingly leads a low diamond: nine, queen, king.

North’s two-diamond cue-bid showed a maximum pass with spade support — the so-called cue-bid raise. South bid what he hoped he could make.

This was board three of the Women’s Team Olympiad final in 1988, which was held in Venice, Italy. Declarer started with nine winners: six spades and three diamonds. She needed to establish a heart winner but was threatened with losing one heart and three clubs.

The British declarer immediately drew two rounds of trumps — bad. Then she tried a heart to dummy’s nine. However, East, Dorthe Schaltz from Denmark, won with the ace and correctly shifted to the club four. Three club tricks later, the contract was down one.

Bettina Kalkerup displayed the correct timing. She drew only one round of trumps — good. Then she played a diamond to dummy’s ace, returned to hand with a trump and cashed the diamond jack, discarding a club from the dummy. Now she lost only one heart and two clubs, and Denmark gained 12 international match points en route to victory by 21.