PARTNER DRAWS A WRONG CONCLUSION

On today’s deal, East found a brilliant play, but it proved to be too brilliant for his partner.

West had a textbook threeheart opening, and South had an automatic overcall of three notrump. He might not make it, but it had to be a worthwhile gamble.

West led the heart king. If declarer had won this trick, he could have assured his contract with an avoidance play. He could have crossed to the board with a spade or club to the king, then led a diamond. When East’s king appeared, South would have just played low, keeping West off the lead. East, without a heart to play, couldn’t have harmed declarer. South would have won 10 tricks: two spades, one heart, five diamonds and two clubs.

At the time, though, South ducked the first trick. West continued with the heart jack, and East, who had guessed the position, discarded his diamond king. If South won with the heart ace, he had only seven tricks available before West could gain the lead with the diamond jack to run his hearts. Sensing the problem, South ducked the second heart.

Declarer felt much better when West started thinking. West was asking himself the significance of East’s discard. Eventually deciding — incorrectly — that his partner was signaling for a diamond shift, West led the diamond four at trick three! Declarer claimed 11 tricks: two spades, one heart, six diamonds and two clubs.

Why was West wrong? Because if East had the K-Q-10-9 of diamonds, he wouldn’t have known that he could afford to signal with the king. After all, declarer might have had the ace-jack. West should have led another heart, defeating the contract in the process.