Anticipate the danger

Half of almost any battle is recognizing the potential dangers. Sometimes it is fatal to rush headlong down a path, however safe it appears to be. You should pause and consider the potential traps. As someone wrote many years ago, “Quidquid agas, prudenter agas, et respice finem.” (Whatever you do, do cautiously, and look to the end.)

On today’s deal, almost everyone would go down in six spades because they wouldn’t spot the danger. Would you have seen it without the advantage of looking at all 52 cards?

South, with only three losers, was worth his strong and artificial twoclub opening. North, holding 14 points, asked, “Did you say one club or two, partner?” When assured it was definitely two clubs, North gave a positive response. Then, after South showed five or more spades, North launched into Blackwood. He tabled his cards, sure that South would be claiming the slam almost immediately.

However, it didn’t work out like that. Declarer won the heart lead in hand and played a trump. West won with the ace and led a second heart, East’s ruff defeating the slam.

South started grumbling, suggesting North should have bid six no-trump, not six spades. North agreed, but he pointed out that South could have played better. As a 5-1 heart break was more probable than a 6-1 diamond split (and very likely given that North had bid hearts), South should have cashed the club ace at trick two. He would have crossed to dummy with a diamond to the jack and discarded his second heart on the club king. Only then would it have been safe to lead a trump.