One card can credit or cost

Which is the worst contract in bridge? Most players will probably answer five no-trump. That contract maximizes the risk for the minimum of profit. You could have stopped in three or four no-trump to collect the same game bonus. However, my least favorite is any small slam that is on a finesse.

Slams are worth vast numbers of points. To have your empire resting on the position of one card always seems undesirable to me. Any losing slam is bad business. If you go down one, you have lost not only the 50 or 100 penalty points but also the available game bonus. It isn’t in the same league, of course, but the Challenger shuttle disaster was caused by the disintegration of a rubber ring weighing ounces.

To some, today’s grand slam would depend on a finesse, but not to others.

North’s response of two no-trump was the Jacoby Forcing Raise. South’s jump to five spades announced two heart losers and asked his partner to act given that information. North’s six-diamond control-bid showed both red-suit aces.

What should you discard at trick one? The immediate reaction is your heart loser. However, that results in defeat when there is an unavoidable club loser. You should discard a low club. Then draw trumps, cash the club ace-king and, when the queen doesn’t drop, play a heart to dummy’s ace. Discard your last club on the second top diamond, ruff a club, play a trump to the dummy and discard your heart loser on the established club jack.

— FEBRUARY 22, 2023