Blackwood may transfer the declarer

Alberto Moravia, an Italian novelist, claims: “One becomes a writer, but one must be born a novelist. If a person has sensitivity, culture and imagination, it is not difficult to become a writer. It is impossible to become a novelist, story-teller or fabler; either you have a natural gift for narrating or you don’t.” Similarly, top bridge players are born with a natural gift. Others can be competent but will never be great.

In today’s deal, North bid and South played with imagination. Look first at North’s hand. You are playing rubber bridge for high stakes. Your partner, bless him, opens four spades. After your right-hand opponent passes, what would you do?

Sitting North was Robert Sheehan, a top British international. It looked like a clear-cut pass, but Sheehan, hoping his partner held one ace, responded four no-trump, simple Blackwood. Then, when his partner did bid five diamonds, Sheehan passed! At first, South wasn’t amused, but note that four spades could have been defeated.

South, after ruffing the club lead in the dummy and drawing trumps, had to play the heart suit for only two losers. Realizing it couldn’t help to start with one of dummy’s honors, South called for the heart two. When East played low, South paused. It looked like a guess between finessing the eight (playing East for the nine) and going up with the 10 (playing East for the jack). However, if East held the jack, perhaps he would have played it to guard against South’s having a singleton 10. So, South finessed his eight.

When West won with the jack, South claimed his contract, conceding a second heart trick.