A sign in a hospital obstetrics unit: “The first five minutes of life are the most dangerous!” Below, a nurse had scrawled, “The last five minutes can be risky too.”

The first trick will often decide a contract’s fate. In a team match, both Souths played at 3NT, and West led the jack of hearts. One South played dummy’s queen, and East won and returned a heart. The defense got the A-K of clubs and four heart tricks.

The second South was in no rush to try for a second heart trick; he put up the ace at Trick One. But East unblocked his king(!), and when South led a club next, East rose with the ace to lead his last heart. Down one.

The first trick was vital: South should play a low heart from dummy. He wins the next heart with the ace and starts the clubs.

South fails only if West had K-J-10-9-x in hearts plus the A-K of clubs (but then West would have bid), in a few unlikely layouts when South misguesses, or when West found a heart lead from J-10-x.

Daily question >> You hold: ? 10 8 5 2 ? K 6 ? Q 10 9 4 ? A 5 4. Your partner opens one club. The next player bids one heart. What do you say?

Answer >> Negative doubles are useful here. Double to show enough strength to act at the one level (at least), four cards in spades, plus club support or diamond length. A bid of one spade would therefore promise five or more spades. If opener then bids two spades, he shows a hand that would have raised a one-spade response to two.

South dealer

N-S Vulnerable

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