Managing your entries.
Bridge Column for March 29, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
North-South vulnerable.  West deals.
                              North
                              S: A Q J 7 3        
                              H: 6 4 2       
                              D: K Q         
                              C: A 9 6   
            West                             East
            S: 9 6 5                         S: 8 4 2        
            H: K J 3                         H: 9 7        
            D: J 8 5 2                       D: A 10 7 4 3        
            C: Q J 5                         C: 10 8 2      
                              South                         
                              S: K 10  
                              H: A Q 10 8 5 
                              D: 9 2       
                              C: K 7 4 3  
          The Bidding:  
                   West   North     East   South                  
                   Pass    1S       Pass    2H  
                   Pass    3H       Pass    4H  
                   Pass    Pass     Pass
     This hand was dealt at a rubber bridge game and the contract
of four hearts was reached in short order.  It certainly looks as
though declarer should be able to score ten tricks, but the
defense presented declarer with a chance to go wrong, and he did.
     The opening lead was the eight of diamonds.  East won the
ace and returned a diamond.  West would have prefered a club
return, but this worked out just as well.
     Declarer played a heart to the queen, losing to the king. 
West returned a small spade, which declarer allowed to run around
to his king.  It appears correct to take another heart finesse,
not necessarily to score an extra trick, but as a safety play
against East possibly holding four hearts to the jack.  To this
end, declarer played a small club to the ace and then a small
heart to the ten.  
     West won the jack and returned another spade, which came
around to the ten.  Here is the position at this point:   
                              North
                              S: A Q J          
                              H: 6           
                              D:             
                              C: 9 6   
            West                             East
            S: 9                             S: 8            
            H: 3                             H:            
            D: J 5                           D: 10 7 4            
            C: Q J                           C: 10 8        
                              South                         
                              S:       
                              H: A 8 5 
                              D:           
                              C: K 7 4 
     Had declarer been watching the spots, he would have played
the five of hearts to the six, drawing the last heart, and then
cashed the good spades, making ten tricks.  He did not realize
that the six was high enough to complete the task, and so played
the ace of hearts.  He now had no entry to the dummy and lost a
club trick for down one.
     It is very possible that the hand just looked to easy and
that fact caused the declarer to take a relaxed attitude during
the play.  Simply returning to dummy with the ten of spades to
the ace in order to take the second heart finesse would leave the
ace of clubs as a late entry so as to enjoy the spades after
trumps were drawn.
     The lesson is also simple:  When the hand looks easy, stop
to consider what can go wrong and guard against that possiblity. 
You will be glad that you did.
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Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.