Bridge: June 4, 2023

Players tend to view big hands through rose-colored glasses: with a pair that comes with magnifying lenses. Players visualize a triumph — bidding and making a slam — if their partner just has a useful card or two.

But partners are unreliable, rarely having what you need them to; all too often, they will have nothing. It takes discipline to say no to the possibility of slam when a voice in your head urges you to take a flyer.

Today’s South picked up a mammoth hand — 29 points — and bid as if he had more. All of North’s bids were forced; North promised nothing, but South launched into six hearts anyway.

West led the jack of diamonds, and South won, drew trumps, cashed the ace of clubs and overtook his queen in dummy. He won a spade finesse with his queen, but East still got two spade tricks.

“It was my partner’s fault,” South sighed. “If he’d held the king of spades instead of the king of clubs, I’d have been a heavy favorite.”

South might have bid only five hearts at his last turn. If North had a key card such as the king of spades, he would — or should — appreciate its value and go on to slam.

In fact, South could make six hearts. He leads a low spade at Trick Two, wins East’s diamond return and cashes the A-K of trumps. South next takes the ace of clubs, overtakes his queen, leads a spade to his queen and takes the ace. As it happens, East has the missing trump as well as four spades, so South can ruff his last spade in dummy.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S 5 4 2

H 6 5 2

D 7 6 4 3

C K 7 3

WEST

S 10 6

H 7 3

D J 10 9 5

C 10 8 6 4 2

EAST

S K J 9 8

H 9 8 4

D Q 8 2

C J 9 5

SOUTH

S A Q 7 3

H A K Q J 10

D A K

C A Q

South West North East
2 C Pass 2 D Pass
2 H Pass 2 NT Pass
3 S Pass 4 H Pass
6 H(!) All Pass
Opening lead — D J

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