Victor Cherbuliez, a French novelist who died in 1899, said, "What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of having a patient but restless mind."

At the bridge table, you have lots of opportunities, especially if you have a restless mind that works logically.

If things seem desperate, restlessly look for a lie of the cards that will allow you to get home. In this deal, for example, South is in four hearts. West leads his singleton club. East wins with his ace and returns the club 10, his highest being a suit-preference signal for spades. So West, after ruffing, shifts to the spade 10, which runs to South's ace. Declarer cashes his heart ace, but both opponents follow low. Should South continue with a low heart, hoping the king falls, or with the heart queen, trying to pin the jack?

After East opens one club, South might overcall one heart or four hearts. One heart will work better if North-South can have an uncontested auction, and especially if they can make a slam. However, since North is a passed hand, a slam is unlikely. And jumping straight to four hearts might keep the opponents out of four spades.

There are only 14 high-card points missing, so East must have the heart king. But at first glance, South's next play appears to be a guess. Suppose, though, that he leads a low heart and East's king drops from an original king-doubleton holding. It would not help, because East would lead another club, which would promote West's heart jack as the setting trick. So, South should lead the heart queen, hoping that he pins West's jack.

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