What doctor would know what to do?

This is a French proverb: Greedy eaters dig their graves with their teeth. Sometimes, bridge players dig their graves by forgetting the play that calls to mind someone who works with teeth.

In this deal, South was in four spades. West led the club ace and continued with a low diamond. What happened after that?

North was surprised when West made a takeout double. He wanted to redouble in case the opponents were in trouble, but by partnership agreement that would have been fit-showing, indicating three-card spade support. So he settled for a natural two-no-trump rebid. Then South plunged into four spades.

South, confident that West had the heart king for his takeout double, envisioned at most three losers: two spades and one club. At trick three, he played a spade to his jack. However, West won with his queen, cashed the spade ace and exited with a diamond. Suddenly South realized that he was stuck in the dummy. He tried to cash the club king, but West ruffed to defeat the contract.

South should have executed a dentist's coup. At trick three, he should have played off dummy's second diamond winner. Then, when West won the next trick and cashed his other high spade, he could not have put declarer back into the dummy. Or, if West had a second club, South could have won that on the board, ruffed a club high and drawn West's remaining trump.