There are plays in bridge that are easy to understand when they are pointed out, but that are overlooked in practice because they are very unusual. For example, take this deal where West leads the king of spades against South’s four-heart contract. How should declarer play the hand?

Let’s say South wins the spade with the ace. What should he do next?

If he ruffs a spade in dummy at trick two, he cannot stop East-West from eventually collecting two spades, a heart and a club to defeat him one trick.

If South instead leads the king of clubs at trick two, East beats the contract by winning with the ace and returning a trump. West wins and cashes three spades for down two.

As a matter of fact, if declarer adopts any other method of play at trick two after winning the first trick, he eventually runs into a dead end from which there is no escape.

The solution to the problem, and the only way to make the contract, is to let West hold the first trick!

If West then switches to a trump, whether high or low, declarer draws trump as soon as possible and loses at most a spade, a heart and a club to bring in the contract.

A club shift by West at trick two is equally futile, and so is another spade lead, which declarer would ruff in dummy. In the latter case, a club return from dummy at trick three establishes a parking place for South’s remaining spade loser.

It is certainly unusual to duck the king of spades at trick one with dummy holding a singleton spade opposite the ace, but if that’s the only way declarer can make the contract, then that’s what he must do.

Tomorrow >> Famous Hand.

— Steve Becker