Read the deal to solve the puzzle

Keith Preston, who taught classics and philosophy before becoming a poet, author and literary critic, said, “The great god Ra, whose shrine once covered acres, is filler now for crossword-puzzle makers.”

It is amazing how many crosswords are compiled each day in the United States. Fitting the answers into the grid is like correctly completing a jigsaw puzzle. Bridge deals, though, are similar to a detective puzzle. You look for clues that help you to find a way to make or break the contract.

Today’s deal occurred during the teams event of the Beijing Hua Yuan Cup World Women’s Elite Tournament in 2017. It was originally described by Danny Korbel of Las Vegas.

In the auction, Pam Granovetter (North) could not have opened with a weak two diamonds, so passed. After East opened one heart, Sylvia Shi (South) overcalled one no-trump. North sensibly raised to three notrump.

West decided not to lead her partner’s suit, instead picking a fourth-highest spade two. Shi let East take that trick with her eight, won the spade-jack return with her ace and paused to solve the clues. What did she conclude?

Against no-trump, length rules. Since West had led from a four-card suit, she rated not to have a five-card minor. If that was true, and because West was known to have at most one heart, she must have begun with 4-14-4 distribution.

Shi cashed her diamond ace and played a diamond to dummy’s 10 to make her contract en route to winning the event with teammates Lynn Deas-Janice Seamon-Molson and Irina Levitina-Kerri Sanborn.