Harvey Bernstein's Plain Dealer Bridge Column

I have spoken with many bridge players who have had an opportunity to watch "expert" players during a major event and have wound up with the feeling that the "experts" had not done anything that the majority of good players would not do. But what the experts do is to take advantage of every chance to improve the result that they are going to get, whether it is obvious or not. Take this hand from a high level pairs competition as an example. Bobby Goldman of Highland Village, TX sat West and opened the nine of hearts against three no trump.

Declarer ducked the first two rounds of hearts and won the ace at trick three. It was then essential to keep East off lead or he would cash good heart tricks to defeat the contract. Since he had to bring home at least four club tricks to have a chance, it was not at all unreasonable for declarer to lead a small spade to the North hand and then lead the queen of clubs.

East covered the queen with the king. Declarer played the ace and Goldman smoothly played the jack to this trick! It would appear that declarer could now come to nine tricks without playing diamonds. Accordingly, another spade was led to the North hand and a club was then led toward the South hand. When East followed with the four, declarer played the eight and watched wide-eyed as Goldman won the nine. A spade was returned to Declarer's king, and now, when Goldman regained the lead with the ace of diamonds, the jack of spades became the setting trick.

So what, you say, he was always entitled to a club trick. That's true. But if declarer thought he was going to lose a club trick (if the jack does not fall under the ace), he would continue by leading a diamond toward the dummy because he will not be able to come to nine tricks without scoring a diamond trick. With spades still double stopped, this line will always succeed. Goldman did not take a nap while defending this hand. He stopped to consider if there was anything that he could do to mislead declarer, and when he determined that he could, he did!

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