BRIDGE

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29, 2022

“Third-hand high” is an adage that dates back to the days of whist, the grandfather of contract bridge. In effect, it says that if a defender leads a low card and the next hand also plays low, the other defender nearly always plays his highest card in the suit to stop declarer from winning the trick cheaply.

As with all rules, however, there are exceptions. These deviations are usually based on common sense, and the defenders should constantly be on the lookout for them.

This deal illustrates such an exception. Defending against three notrump, East won his partner’s spade lead with the ace and returned the queen. Declarer ducked the queen and took the third spade with the king.

When East regained the lead a trick later with the diamond king, he was unable to return a spade. He tried leading a heart, but South won with dummy’s king and finished with an overtrick.

Had East not been so quick to play “high” on the opening lead, South almost surely would have gone down one. Observe the effect that the play of the queen at trick one would have had on South. Afraid that a spade return through his king would defeat him immediately if West held the ace, he would very likely have taken the queen with the king. When the diamond finesse next lost to the king, East’s return of the ace and another spade would then have sunk the contract.

From East’s viewpoint, the play of the queen initially could never lose because if West had the king, the queen would win the trick. But if South had the king, which was much more likely on the bidding, only X-ray vision would enable him to find the winning play.