This deal was played in the 1978 World Women’s Pairs Championship. When Elizabeth Havas and Barbara McDonald of Australia held the North-South hands, the bidding went as shown. The opening two-notrump bid, as played by them, indicated a weak hand containing at least five cards in each of the minor suits. With her 23 high-card points and excellent clubs, South naturally carried on to six clubs, which East doubled.

East’s double was very questionable. As a general rule, it is unwise to double a slam voluntarily reached when the double might make the play of the hand easier for declarer.

West led a spade, won by East with the ace, and it didn’t matter what East did next. In practice, East returned the eight of hearts, ruffed by declarer in dummy. Next came the queen of clubs, and after West showed out, declarer had no difficulty scoring the rest of the tricks.

McDonald continued with a trump from dummy at trick four, taking East’s ten with the king. She then ruffed the queen of hearts and led dummy’s last trump, gobbling up East’s J-6 with her A-9 to make six clubs doubled for a top score.

Although East should not have doubled, McDonald undoubtedly would have made the slam anyway. The only threat to the contract from the start was the possibility that the trumps were divided 4-0.

If West had all four trumps, the slam could not be made, so McDonald would have had no choice but to start the trumps by cashing the queen first.

Tomorrow: The principle of safety first.