Do not draw a map for your opponent

Ambrose Bierce was a sardonic fellow. In his “Devil’s Dictionary,” he defines a bore as someone who talks when you wish him to listen. However, it is also true that you learn more by listening than by talking. This approach may pay dividends at the bridge table too.

North didn’t like to open one diamond on the 8-4-3 tripleton. However, playing five-card majors, one must bite the bullet: Que sera, sera.

South saw that he was home if the diamond finesse was working, but after West’s bid, was the finesse likely to win? No way, Jose. So South set out to try to make the slam even if West had the diamond king.

Declarer won trick one with dummy’s heart ace, discarding a diamond from hand. He cashed dummy’s spade royals and ruffed a heart in hand. South returned to dummy with a club to the ace, ruffed another heart in hand, cashed the club king and ruffed the club seven. Finally, South called for the heart nine and, when East discarded, jettisoned the diamond six from his hand.

West won with the heart jack but was endplayed, having either to lead into South’s ace-queen diamond tenace or to concede a ruff-and-sluff.

True, South should find the winning line of play anyway, but what purpose was West’s three-heart bid going to serve? One opponent had opened, and the other had made a strong jump shift. West didn’t even have the highestranking suit. There are times when it is best to utter that underused word, “Pass.”