A good defender tries to save his partner from making an error. Sometimes you must save yourself.

When today’s North bid four hearts, East might have risked a double. West would bid four spades and play there, presumably down one. Against four hearts, he led the jack of clubs, winning. South ruffed the next club, led a spade to dummy, ruffed the king of clubs, led a spade to dummy and ruffed the last spade.

South then led a trump, and East was end-played when he won. He had to lead a diamond then South would lose only one diamond or concede a ruff-sluff.

East’s pass to four hearts was right in theory. (The “Law of Total Tricks” was slightly off here. North-South had 11 hearts, East-West eight spades. As per the LOTT, 19 total tricks should have been available; only 18 were there.)

To save himself, East should overtake the jack of clubs with his queen, cash his ace of trumps and exit with a spade. Then South must break the diamonds and lose two more tricks.

Daily question >> You hold: ? 4 2 ? K 10 9 6 5 4 2 ? A 10 3 ? 2. Neither side vulnerable. You deal and open three hearts. The next player bids three spades, and your partner doubles. What do you say?

Answer >> Don’t even think about acting. Pass. Your partner heard you preempt. He knows your hand, more or less, and says he can beat three spades. Since you have an unexpected side ace and might even be able to get a club ruff, you can expect to mangle three spades doubled.

South dealer

Neither side vulnerable

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