Two chances are better than one

First of all, I hope all of my American readers enjoy a fun Independence Day.

Victor Hugo said, "Mankind is not a circle with a single center but an ellipse with two focal points of which facts are one and ideas the other."

At the bridge table, you use the known facts to form an idea of how to try to make or break the contract. Also, if you can see two chances to succeed, that is twice as good.

In today's deal, how should South play in four hearts after West leads the diamond queen: king, 10, two?

If it is part of your methods, North could respond three no-trump to show 13-15 points with a 3-3-4-3 or 3-3-3-4 distribution, leaving opener to decide between three no-trump and four hearts (or a slam). Otherwise, North should bid two clubs, planning to jump in hearts on the next round to show a game-force with exactly three-card heart support.

South should see a potential loser in each suit. Maybe the trump finesse will work, but if he takes it immediately and it loses, another diamond would require declarer's establishing a club winner in the dummy for a spade discard.

However, perhaps West has the spade king. Then dummy's queen can become a winner. South should hope that West has one of the major-suit kings. At trick two, declarer plays a spade to his ace, then leads his second spade. Here, West wins with the king and plays another diamond, but South takes that trick on the board and pitches his last diamond or the club jack on the spade queen. Then he can try the trump finesse for a possible overtrick.