Column 7B07 (5-27-84) by Richard Pavlicek

Slim Chance Is Better Than None

The optimistic bidding at one table is shown above. North was clearly the more guilty — a simple preference to two hearts at his second turn would have been wiser; and his final jump to four hearts was a wild gamble.

4 by South

None Vul	Q J 9 8 6 5 J 4 3 K 8 2 3
10 4 3 A 5 2 A J 7 4 Q 8 2		A K 7 8 7 10 9 6 5 J 10 9 7
Lead: 2	2 K Q 10 9 6 Q 3 A K 6 5 4

West Pass Pass Pass

North 1 2 4

East Pass Pass All Pass

South 1 2 3

West made the excellent lead of a low heart in an effort to cut down the dummy’s ruffing power. After winning the heart nine, our South player embarked on an inferior line of play: club ace; club king; club ruff. Stranded in dummy, there was no way to reach the South hand to ruff another club so the contract had to fail.

A clever declarer could have made this hand with proper play, albeit due to a friendly lie of the cards. At trick two a spade should be led to dummy’s eight and East’s king. This leaves the defenders in a predicament. If trumps are cleared, declarer can win the third round in dummy and lead the spade queen for a ruffing finesse; then the diamond king provides an entry to the established spades. If trumps are not led, declarer can also succeed with careful play — leading first to the diamond king; ruffing spade finesse; then crossruffing (or establishing the spades if West wins the diamond ace to lead trumps).

The story contains a moral. When your partner’s overbid (not yours, of course) puts you in a treacherous contract, look for a lie of the enemy cards that will allow you to succeed. Then play on that assumption.