Lose losers despite trump break

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Denis Waitley, a motivational speaker, said, "Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future."

At the bridge table, winners, learning from the past, enjoy avoiding losers. In this deal, South was in four hearts. She won the first trick with her spade ace, unblocked the club king and cashed the heart ace, but West discarded a spade. How should South have continued?

It was surprising that West passed as dealer. Yes, in the old days, one did not open a weak two with a void, but no more. Also, it would have been safer to open two spades than to enter the auction with the weak jump overcall. North's three-heart response showed a respectable single raise.

Initially, South thought she saw 10 top tricks: two spades, five hearts and three clubs. But when she learned about the 5-0 trump split, her communications were insufficient.

At trick four, declarer continued with a heart to dummy's queen. Then she played clubs from the top, discarding her three diamonds. Yes, East took the fourth club with his jack over dummy's nine, but he couldn't defeat the contract. He shifted to a diamond, but South ruffed (her seventh trick) and continued her good work by leading a low spade, knowing East was out of the suit.

If West had won the trick, declarer would have crossruffed her last three trumps. But when East ruffed and led a diamond, South ruffed, trumped a spade and still had the heart king in her hand for her 10th trick. Well played.