I continue a series on the valuable skill of counting. Sometimes when you must “read the cards” — find a missing high card — a count of points will compel you to make a winning play.

Today’s West led the king of diamonds against four spades. (North had a minimum raise to three spades, and South’s game bid was hungry.) West cashed his queen and then shifted to the deuce of hearts, and South had to guess.

Should declarer play the jack or the king from dummy?

West had the K-Q of diamonds, and to have a chance, South had to give West the king of spades also. If West held 65,A852,KQ83,762, South would always go down. But West had passed as dealer. If South put up the king of hearts, playing West for the ace, South probably was conceding down one.

So South played on the assumption that the contract was makeable: He played dummy’s jack of hearts. East took the ace and returned a heart. South won, led a club to his hand, finessed in trumps and claimed his game.

Daily question: You hold: ? 5 2 ? A 10 7 4 3 ? A 9 5 4 2 ? 5. Your partner opens one spade, you respond 1NT, he bids two clubs and you return to two spades. Partner then bids three spades. What do you say?

Answer >> Partner can’t expect you to have real spade support, only a tolerance. He can’t know you have two aces and a possible ruffing feature in clubs, yet he was willing to go to the three level to try for game. Bid four spades. I would expect an overtrick.

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