FAILURE TO THINK MAY LEAD TO FAILURE

Francis Picabia, a French painter and poet, claimed, “The world is divided into two categories: failures and unknowns.” So much for everyone!

Declarers fail in makable contracts for a variety of reasons. Here is a short list of the most common: not counting winners and losers, not winning the first trick in the right hand, winning a trick instead of ducking it, losing a trick instead of winning it, and not unblocking. No doubt you can think of more. Which is relevant in today’s deal? South is in four spades, and West leads the heart queen.

North made a limit raise, showing 10-12 support points with at least four trumps.

First, when in a suit contract, count losers. Declarer is faced with one in each suit. Next, check winners. There are only nine: four spades, two hearts, one diamond and two clubs.

If South takes trick one and plays a trump, East will win with the ace and return a heart, condemning the contract. Instead, declarer must immediately attack clubs, which establishes a discard for one of dummy’s hearts. Then he can ruff his last heart in the dummy, simultaneously eliminating one loser and generating an extra trump winner.

However, a clever West will duck the first round of clubs. If so, South had better have won the first trick in the dummy. Then he drives out the club ace. When West plays a second heart, declarer wins in hand, discards dummy’s heart loser on the third club and takes the vital ruff in the shorter trump hand. At last South can get after trumps and will eventually cruise home.