THE BAD TRUMP SPLIT WAS BENEFICIAL

Thomas Carlyle, who was a Scottish author and historian, wrote, “It is not a lucky word, this name ‘impossible’; no good comes of those who have it so often in their mouths.”

Readers of bridge columns maybe sometimes feel as if it is impossible to make the stated contract, especially with every finesse losing.

Well, what about it now? South is in four spades. West leads the heart three (low from a tripleton in partner’s unsupported suit). East wins with his king, cashes the heart ace and does what?

In the auction, North bid what he thought his partner could make.

East, seeing no hope for another side-suit winner, defended strongly by continuing with a third heart. Suppose South, after taking that trick, played a spade to the queen on the board?

Here, East would have won with the ace and led a fourth heart, which would have promoted West’s spade 10 as the setting trick.

Instead, declarer took out a small insurance policy. He crossed to the board with a diamond and called for the spade three. East won perforce with his ace and played a fourth heart.

However, South ruffed low in his hand, and what could West do?

Nothing lethal. When he overruffed, declarer overruffed also, with dummy’s queen, crossed to hand by ruffing the diamond six, drew trumps and claimed.

Finally, notice that if West had had only 10-third of spades, he would have gained a trump promotion and the contract would have failed. East would have used his spade ace to capture dummy’s queen.