High-card points point the way

Edward Hodnett, in “The Art of Problem Solving,” wrote, “If you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.”

This certainly applies at the bridge table, and the most important thing to ask yourself relates to highcard points. Who has how many?

In today’s deal, how should South play in three diamonds? West leads the heart jack. East takes three tricks with his queen, king and ace, then shifts to a spade.

Some players would open one spade in fourth position, treating that hand as if it were 5-4 in the majors. Here, that would work well if it were a pairs tournament because nine tricks can be taken in spades. Plus 140 would outscore all of the plus 110s in diamonds. When South opened with a textbook one diamond, though, North made a limit raise, and South passed. (If you use inverted minor-suit raises, do they apply by a passed hand?

They do in my partnerships.)

Declarer can afford one diamond loser but not two. This requires finding an opponent with acedoubleton. But which opponent is more likely to have that trump holding?

South should remember the bidding and count the points. East is known to have nine points in hearts, but he couldn’t open the bidding. So, he cannot have the diamond ace. This signposts the right route. After winning trick four, declarer plays a diamond to dummy’s king, then calls for a diamond and plays low from his hand. When West’s ace appears, South is home.