The ups and downs of a bridge declarer

“If a man will comprehend the richness and variety of the universe, and inspire his mind with a due measure of wonder and of awe, he must contemplate the human intellect not only on its heights of genius but in its abysses of ineptitude.”

So wrote A.E. Housman, and today's deal holds the potential for both the abyss of ineptitude and the height of genius.

How should South plan the play in six hearts after West leads the diamond king?

It was a reasonable auction.

North's initial response was twoover-one game-forcing. When South showed a sixth heart, North made an advance control-bid of four clubs, showing a fondness for hearts and the club ace. South bid what he thought he could make. However, he made short work of going down.

He won the first trick with dummy's diamond ace, played a spade to his ace, cashed the spade king and ruffed the spade six with dummy's heart eight. East gleefully overruffed with the jack and shot back a trump. Now declarer had to try the club finesse, but it lost, and East returned a diamond. With no way to reach dummy's club ace, South conceded down two.

South complained about his bad luck, of course, but the other players were unsympathetic. They had noticed that if South had taken his first spade ruff with dummy's heart king, he would have been safe. South returns to hand with a club to the king and ruffs the spade jack with dummy's heart eight. It doesn't matter that East overruffs: South has the rest of the tricks.