William Lyon Phelps, an author and public speaker who died in 1943, said, “If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.”

In all bridge contracts, as long as declarer does not lose more tricks than he can afford, he will get something – at the least, a plus score. But success for declarer often depends on the careful handling of losers. In this deal, for example, South was in four spades. West led a low diamond. East won with his king and shifted to the club two. What should declarer have done now?

The auction might have followed several paths. West’s negative double brought hearts into the picture. Then North, with only six losers (three spades, one heart, one diamond and one club), a diamond ruffing value, and a club suit to provide winners, took a shot at four spades.

Even the bartender knew that East had shifted to a singleton club. The original declarer won trick two in his hand and played two rounds of spades, trying to avoid East’s gaining a club ruff. Here, though, East won with his spade queen and switched to a low heart. Then South had to lose two spades, one heart and one diamond.

Stopping the club ruff was a mirage. Declarer should have won trick two on the board and taken a spade finesse. Here it would have won, and South, after cashing the spade ace, could have claimed an overtrick.

Now suppose that the spade finesse lost. Yes, East would have gained a club ruff and shifted to a heart, but declarer could have won with dummy’s ace, drawn the missing trump, and run the clubs for his contract.