Bridge column, September 17: It is easy to get careless

Posted on Mon, Sep 17, 2012 : 5 a.m.

A.R. Ammons, who won the annual National Book Award for Poetry in 1973 and 1993, said, "Is it not careless to become too local when there are 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone?"

It is easy to get careless at the bridge table. How often have you gone down in a contract, then realized that you could -- and should -- have got home?

It would be easy to get careless in today's deal, especially if there were no warning bells ringing. What should South do in three no-trump after West leads the spade three and East puts up the jack?

North was right to raise to three no-trump. Yes, the singleton spade was a worry, but he was tabling seven tricks. If partner had the diamond ace and a spade trick, that would be sufficient for game.

South starts with four top tricks: two spades, one heart and one club. And there are five winners available in diamonds. So what's the problem? Just take the first trick and play a diamond, right?

Wrong! A clever West will immediately take his ace and return a diamond to lock declarer in the dummy. Then, while South is running the diamonds, the defenders can discard spades and more spades. Declarer will end up with only eight tricks; his spade ace will never score.

What was the lead? The spade three. How are spades breaking? Assuming the three is an honest fourth-highest, spades must be 5-4. So it cannot cost South to take both of his top spades before leading a diamond. He will lose three spades and one diamond, but take the rest.

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COPYRIGHT: 2012, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE
DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL UCLICK FOR UFS

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