“The pause between the errors and trials of the day and the hopes of the night.” – Herbert Hoover, defining the cocktail hour

On today’s deal from the 2005 U.S. Trials, the defenders should have remembered that you always should do whatever your opponent doesn’t want you to do.

If he encourages you to defend along one particular line, find another one.

South declared four spades on a diamond lead and put up dummy’s diamond king – perhaps just aiming for an extra overtrick.

With 2 IMPs potentially riding on his decision, this was not an unreasonable play, particularly since West might well have underled his diamond ace.

Even if the diamond king lost to the ace, as here, South no doubt thought that this would encourage a diamond continuation.

And indeed, on a second diamond play declarer collected 10 tricks.

Perhaps if East had asked himself why declarer would go up with the diamond king if not to encourage the play of another diamond, he might have found the killing defense of a heart shift at trick two.

Admittedly this requires partner to hold very good hearts, but what else is there to play for?

With spades 4-1 and clubs 2-2, West cannot be stopped from getting on lead early enough to shove another heart through dummy for down one.

If declarer had followed with dummy’s diamond jack to trick one, it would have been much harder for East to get the defense right, don’t you think?

It’s a case of simplest is best, I guess.

Bid with the aces

South holds:

Answer: Jump to four hearts.

Yes, you might miss a slam or find four hearts to be very challenging, but the key here is that you will never find an easy way to help partner decide between staying low and going high.

So bid what you think you can make and do not give away anything more about your hand.