BRIDGE

IT WAS Terence Treese who proffered the advice that, when defending against Three No-trumps, you should not be in a hurry to cash your side's fourth trick unless you could see where the fifth was coming from. It was Sam Leckie, the celebrated Scottish international, who illustrated the idea (from the wrong seat) on this deal.

The bidding was simple: Sam, as South, opened One No-trump, North raised to game and West led the ten of spades against Three No-trumps.

After winning in dummy, declarer ran the seven of hearts to West's jack. He won the next spade on the table and took another heart finesse to lose to West's queen. A third spade was won in hand and another heart lost to the ace.

You or I might have cashed the 13th spade now (was there really any hope of getting in later?) which would have forced declarer to take a successful diamond finesse for his contract, but West ref-rained and switched to a low club. South won East's jack with his king, cashed his long heart, and tested the clubs. When West proved to have four it became manifest (to Sam, at any rate) that West's original distribution was 3-3-3-4. He exited with the fourth club and waited complacently for a diamond lead from West.

It came, but only after West had taken the setting trick with the seven of spades.