North-South vulnerable.

If you’re a careful declarer, you don’t always take things for granted. Instead, you assume the worst and try to guard against it. It would be easy to go wrong on this deal; yet there is really no good reason for falling down on the job.

West leads a diamond against your four-spade contract. There seems to be nothing to the play when dummy appears you may lose a club and two hearts but everything else looks solid. However, being naturally cautious, you recognize that you could go down if the trumps break 4-0. There’s one quick way to find out, so you cash the ace of trump at trick two, and lo and behold, your worst fears are realized.

You’re now sure to lose a club and a spade, which means that the only way to salvage the contract is to reduce your two heart losers to one. The million-dollar question, therefore, is: How can the hearts be divided so that you lose only one heart trick?

A little thought produces the answer. While it is true that West opened the bidding with one heart, that doesn’t necessarily mean he has the K-J-10. East may have the jack or ten, in which case the problem can be solved.

So, at trick three, you lead a spade to the queen and return a low heart. When East follows low, you play the eight. West takes his jack and you ruff his diamond return.

The moment of truth has arrived. After cashing the king of spades, you play the queen of hearts, hoping East started with the doubleton ten. When that turns out to be the case, your second heart loser vanishes whether or not West covers the queen, and the contract is home.

Tomorrow: >> Famous Hand.

Steve Becker