Learn to defend with care.
Bridge Column for September 23, 2001, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
Neither side vulnerable.  East deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: 6 5 2            
                              H: K Q 5       
                              D: A J         
                              C: K J 9 7 6 
            WEST                             EAST
            S: 9 7                           S: A K Q        
            H: 7 6 3 2                       H: 10 8       
            D: K 8 2                         D: 10 9 5 4          
            C: Q 8 5 4                       C: A 10 3 2    
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: J 10 8 4 3 
                              H: A J 9 4    
                              D: Q 7 6 3   
                              C: Void     
          The Bidding://
                   EAST   SOUTH     WEST   NORTH                  
                    1C     1S       Pass    2C  
                   Pass    4S       Pass    Pass
                    Dbl    Pass     Pass    Pass
     There is no such thing as a "little mistake".  This hand was
dealt on OK Bridge.  The mistakes were numerous and the result
was a disaster.  After East opened one club, South made a one
spade overcall.  
     When I make an overcall, I like to have a suit that I would
not mind having my partner lead if we have to defend the hand. 
In this case, South does not have that kind of suit.  A take out
double or a pass would be more appropriate.  
     North's two clubs shows support for spades and a good hand. 
Since South has only eight high card points, he could not be
faulted for bidding three spades.  His decision to move on to
game was dutifully doubled and should have been defeated.
     When your partner has doubled a freely bid game, it is
usually correct to lead trump.  The last thing that you want to
see are declarer's losers being trumped in the dummy.  West,
however, decided to lead his fourth best club.  This is not a bad
lead.
     Declarer played the nine from dummy and East, licking his
chops, played the ace.  Had he taken a moment to think, he may
have decided that the ten was the correct card to play.  At any
rate, declarer trumped the ace of clubs and led a heart to the
king.  This was followed by the two of spades from dummy.  East
won the ace of spades and continued with two more rounds of
trump.
     The defensive book was complete.  There was little hope of
another trick from the East hand so that player carelessly led
the four of diamonds.  When declarer played low, West, correctly
assuming that East had led from the queen of diamonds, played the
king, forcing the ace.  Declarer pitched a diamond on the king of
clubs and claimed.  Making four spades doubled was worth all of
the matchpoints.
     Had East returned the ten of diamonds instead of the four,
his partner would have known that declarer held the queen and
with no more trumps in the dummy, would simply wait to take the
setting trick.  Learn to avoid the little mistakes and your
scores will improve dramatically.   
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Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.