Bridge would be a much easier game if, whenever the critical point of the play arrived, some kind soul would come along and tell you to be very careful at this juncture.

The trouble is that such moments sneak up on you without warning, and the first thing you know, an opportunity to shine has passed you by, and it is too late to do anything about it.

Assume you’re East in today’s deal and partner leads a heart against three notrump. After dummy follows low, you win with the queen and return a heart to the ace.

From this point on, it doesn’t matter what you, or your partner, do, as there is no way to prevent declarer from establishing his diamonds and making the contract. The only tricks your side can score are two hearts and two diamonds.

Now let’s go back to trick one and assume that the kind soul we mentioned earlier gently tugged your sleeve the moment declarer played the nine of hearts from dummy. In that case it might occur to you to play the eight on the nine rather than take the trick. If partner has the king of diamonds, this would make it possible to establish your hearts before your one and only entry — the ace of diamonds — is forced out.

If you made this unusual play, declarer would go down regardless of how he continued. He would not be able to avoid losing three heart tricks and two diamonds, assuming partner won the first diamond lead and returned a heart, and South would have no one to blame for his downfall except your old friend, the sleeve-tugger.

But, of course, if you made this play without any outside intervention, that would be even better.

Tomorrow: Hidden chance.

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