There are some deals in which only overtricks are at stake. Then, it is usually interesting solely if the deal is in a duplicate pair game scored by matchpoints.

Suppose every deal is played 11 times. If all of the North-South pairs are in four spades making five, each gets an average: 5 matchpoints. But if one declarer brings home a 12th trick, he gets a top of 10 points while every other North-South pair scores only 4.5.

Today’s deal occurred many years ago during a duplicate at the former Beverly Bridge Club in New York City. Most North-South pairs stopped in four spades, but a couple of ambitious bidders reached six spades. What happened after West led a low heart?

At the end of the session, two players had this conversation, the first to speak believing himself to be an expert.

“Can you believe that our opponent dropped the singleton king offside on that deal?”

“How did the play go?”

“I won the first trick with the heart jack and tried to cash the ace, but declarer ruffed and cashed the spade ace. Did he find the play against you?”

“No, he did not.”

“Lucky you.”

Not so lucky. The second player had won the first trick with his heart ace and returned the heart queen. Now South understandably placed the heart king with West and, by deduction, the spade king with East. Hiding key information from declarer is an essential part of expert defense.