THE DIFFERENCE WAS TWO TRICKS

The mathematics of bridge favors bidding vulnerable games. Assuming duplicate scoring, if you win 10 tricks in a major, you score either 170 or 620. If you can win only nine tricks, your result is plus 140 or minus 100. If the game makes half the time, you will be, on average, 105 points per deal better off if you always bid game.

North had only 10 high-card points, but his hand contained just six losers, deducting one for the known 10-card fit. So North made a cue-bid raise and then bid game even though his partner signed off.

Let’s see how three declarers handled the play.

After West led a low club, the first South rose with dummy’s king and took an immediate spade finesse. It lost, East received a club ruff, and the defenders cashed three red-suit tricks: down two.

The second declarer won trick one in hand with the club jack and led a diamond toward the dummy. The defense was equally accurate. West went in with the ace and led the club eight. East ruffed and, reading the eight as a suit-preference signal, returned the heart four. West won with the ace and played a heart back to East’s king. Then a third heart allowed West to score his spade king for down two.

The last declarer won trick one with the club jack and laid down the spade ace. Bingo — the king appeared. South played a spade to the queen, a club to the ace and a spade to the jack before discarding a diamond on the club king. He conceded three red-suit tricks and claimed his contract.

Sometimes it pays to be a little lucky.