Rules are meant to be taken flexibly
Margaret Drabble, an English novelist, biographer and critic, asked, "Why can't people be both flexible and efficient?"
At the bridge table, if your mind is flexible, you will usually play efficiently. In particular, there are many guidelines like "third hand high" and "cover an honor with an honor." But you must be flexible in your thinking, not just follow those adages as if they are etched in stone, because they are not.
In today's deal, for example, how should East defend against six hearts? West leads the spade 10.
North's three-diamond response promised at least eight points and five or more diamonds. Then, when North raised hearts, South used regular Blackwood before bidding the slam.
When this deal was originally played, South took the first trick in his hand, played a diamond to dummy's ace and called for a sneaky heart five. East, thinking about second hand low and not wanting to make a revealing hesitation, smoothly followed suit with his four. South followed the percentages by playing low, and the five took the trick. Then another heart lead held East to one trump trick, and the contract made.
East should have realized that if South had started with ace-king-third of spades, he would have won the first trick on the board. So, the diamond ace was his only dummy entry (since East could overruff dummy on the third round of clubs). If East had just won the first heart, the contract would have failed.
(China Daily 03/26/2016 page20)
