Tony Robbins, a motivational speaker, said, "Take control of your consistent emotions and begin consciously and deliberately to reshape your daily experience of life."

Take control of your emotions at the bridge table and consciously and deliberately work to shape the play to benefit yourself and your partner.

In this deal, take the East cards. You are defending against six spades. Your partner leads the heart king. How would you try to defeat the contract?

South's four-spade opening bid promised at least an eight-card suit and 5 to 10 high-card points. North, hoping his partner had the ace-king of spades, used Blackwood and jumped to six spades. (This is a good deal for Roman Key Card Blackwood, when North would learn that either an ace and the spade king or two aces were missing and would put on the brakes at five spades.)

East can see one heart trick and must hope to score his spade king. But it looks as though declarer, who will rely on the trump finesse, is about to be lucky. Is there a solution?

Yes, if declarer has at least two hearts, dummy can be forced to ruff a heart at trick two, after which South can take only one spade finesse and not pick up East's king.

East could signal enthusiastically with his heart nine, but West might think that is a suit-preference signal for diamonds. East should take control by winning trick one with his heart ace and leading back a heart.

Don't rely on partner when you can take control.

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