“It is better to know nothing than to know what ain’t so.” - Josh Billings

We are revisiting yesterday’s deal, rotated 180 degrees, to consider four hearts, a contract with four apparent top losers.

In the semifinal of the 1995 Bermuda Bowl between Sweden and Canada, Matts Nilsland (South) declared four hearts on the lead of the club ace, which seemed to do the defense no harm. However, Nilsland won the club continuation and immediately played three high diamonds, the club king, and a fourth diamond, which he was allowed to ruff low in hand.

Now he played king, ace and a third trump. West found himself endplayed, forced to give Nilsland a second-round spade winner for his contract.

The defenders could have done better – East had to guess to ruff in on the fourth diamond with the heart jack, which breaks up the endplay. But had Nilsland played off two high trumps a bit earlier, he would not have exposed himself to this position.

The Canadian declarer, sitting North, went down without a fight in four hearts on the lead of the diamond 10. But the contract should be made even on that lead. Declarer wins in the South hand and advances the club queen, forcing West to win – ducking obviates the need to ruff a club and makes the trump endplay easier to find.

Now declarer has the entries to ruff a club in dummy and also to ruff the third diamond. Then he can finish in his hand after two rounds of trump to lead the fourth diamond, eventually endplaying West.

Bid with the aces

South holds:

Answer: If you learn only one thing from this column all year, it ought to be this: With a balanced 12-14 points, do not make a takeout double of the opponents, unless your hand is playable in all of the other three suits – at least three cards in each. With both majors you can stretch a point over a minor-suit opening bid, but that is the only exception. You must pass here.