It was the first of another month, and I found Unlucky Louie hunched over a corner table in the club lounge. He and his checkbook were trying to cope with a stack of unpaid bills.

“This is awful,” Louie groaned. “The phone company wants money; they say they’ve carried me longer than my mother did. And here’s a letter from the power company telling me they will be delighted if I finally pay up — but I’ll be de-lighted if I don’t.”

Louie tried to prop up his checkbook balance in that afternoon’s penny Chicago game, but he couldn’t have been delighted after today’s deal. He played at 3NT after West overcalled in spades and East raised. As the cards lay, West could always have beaten the contract by leading a spade, but he was reluctant to give away a trick and started with the jack of clubs, hoping East would get in and lead a spade through Louie’s presumed king.

Louie took the ace of clubs and then dummy’s king and queen. When East threw a spade, Louie took the A-K of diamonds, disdaining a finesse with the jack that might lose to East.

Louie then led a third diamond, hoping West would win. Instead, East produced the queen and led a spade, and defense took five tricks plus West’s jack of clubs. Down three.

Louie can make 3NT. A simple line is to take the three top clubs and the A-K of diamonds and exit with the fourth club to West. Then West must lead a spade, letting Louie’s king score, or break the heart suit, letting Louie win a third heart trick. Either way, Louie gets his ninth trick.

North dealer

Neither side vulnerable

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