Guillaume Apollinaire, a French novelist who died in 1918, said, “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”

At the bridge table, a welltimed pause might help you to make or break a contract, making you and your partner happy.

In today’s deal, many players would go down at the table, but more would find the winning play on paper because they would pause at the right moment. What should South do in five hearts after West leads the diamond ace? Did West have a more effective lead?

West used the Unusual No-trump to show at least 5-5 in the minors. Then East and South bid at the five-level, unsure who could make what.

If the defense were accurate, five diamonds would go down one, losing two spades and one heart. Five hearts is in danger if West has the club ace. Then declarer might concede one spade and two clubs. Of course, if East has the club ace, no problem. But if West holds that card, what chance does South have?

Declarer can get home if spades are 3-2 and hearts are 2-1, if he does not ruff at trick one, but instead discards a spade.

Suppose West continues with a low diamond. South ruffs, cashes his heart king and spade ace, plays a spade to dummy’s king, ruffs a spade high, returns to dummy with a trump, and pitches his two clubs on the high spades. Five hearts bid and made with an overtrick.

Afterward, West said that next time he would lead a low diamond at trick one.