SOME SOLACE

Hope the scorching days of summer will end soon. Though you see only a faint cluster of fleecy clouds and not the rain-bearing galleons.

West leads the ♠K, which is allowed to hold. South has to win the second spade.

Duplicate players will surely try for a no-trump game with today’s North-South cards. Nine tricks at no-trump will equal the score of a minor-suit game; an overtrick will yield a fine score. Note that 5♦ makes on almost any lie of the cards.

After winning the second spade South could count only eight tricks without the diamonds.

South risks going down two instead of one in return for success with his vulnerable game.

At trick three, South leads a heart to dummy’s ♥J making a silent wish for the finesse to win. When the ♥J holds, he unblocks dummy’s ♥A and returns to his ♣A to cash the ♥K. Finally he overtakes his ♣J in dummy, and dummy’s clubs provide the game going tricks. ‘The kind of solace that arises from having company in misery is spiteful’.

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