Sure, South should try for overtricks, but not the way he did. How about playing the club queen at trick one? The odds are very strong that West has the club king (why lead a minor unless you are long and strong in the suit), but possession of the club jack is only slightly in favor of west.

Hi M. Wolff

Why not play a Heart for the 10 at trick two ? Opponent will take the trick but will probably play a second Club, and West may continue Clubs hoping to cash them when in with the H Ace …?

I do not agree with David suggestion to play the Club Queen at trick one, a play which can transfrom two tricks in one, and then your are destined to get a zero..

Anybody can make 4NT assuming diamonds run. The only question is can you make more? My line of play guarantees success if west holds the club king The original declarer’s line of play succeeds if east has the club king and not the jack, a much smaller possibility, or the opponents make a mistake. Albert’s line of play succeeds if east has the club king and not the jack or the opponents make a different mistake. Bottom line, I always make at least 10 tricks for an average board, not a zero, plus a much better than average chance that I make 11 tricks for a top. The original declarer and Albert might succeed by playing low on the opening lead, but otherwise risk taking only 8 tricks (and a zero). Of course the textbook play is to play low on the opening lead. The beauty of this hand is that that is the wrong play here

Another way to look at the problem: anybody can make two slow tricks in clubs. The trick is, with the threat of the heart suit, to make two fast ones..

Hi David & Albert,

Thanks to a combination of your discussions, other readers should benefit, bridge learning moves forward, and for those who prefer to learn who is to blame, I will offer my opinion (for what it is worth).

After due consideration (a pet phrase, overused, and often coming from committees, usually protecting one’s flank and, at least, pretending that valid thought has gone into the decision), I, from a bridge standpoint, ever so slightly side with David.

Let me explain (as if you two could keep me from it). Representing the defense, they are possessed with 8 clubs and only 6 spades (the 2 unbid suits), making it significantly odds on that a club will be chosen as an opening lead, particularly when hearts, possibly another choice, has already been bid by the dummy. Therefore, at least in my opinion, is that the King and the Jack are equals in which one or the other may be held by the opening leader and with between the two choices it might be slightly better, at least cosmetically, for the declarer if the opening leader has both (50%, since the presumably 4th best lead of the 7 might indicate that East has only 1 card higher). The main reason is that, at trick 1, declarer cannot be certain that diamonds will break 3-2 and if not, complications will be very much with us and the guarantee of a 2nd club stop (by playing low from the dummy at trick 1) may turn into a necessity for just making the contract rather than just a slight advantage, particularly since the heart layout around the table is, of course, not yet known by declarer.

However, David’s play of the queen tends to resolve the advantage of 2 immediate club tricks and with the diamonds presumably 3-2 makes for, what we all wish, a simple squeaky clean, straightforward maximum result.

The culprit was I, the author, (certainly not either of you) for not explaining briefly (if possible) what was involved which would only begin to delve into the complications to be considered with even what, on the surface, appears to be a very simple bridge declarer’s play.

The real original reason for writing about this hand was not the above, but rather to suggest what the defense needed to do in order to maximize the defensive ability to take all 4 possible heart tricks (e.g. with West on lead to start off with a low heart away from the ace).

Thanks to both of you for allowing thousands of bridge lovers all around the world to at least have a chance to use their bridge brains to inch forward in their pursuit of positive thinking about the subtleties of card combinations and even more so, to do it in the context of other considerations.