Salma Hayek, a Mexican and American film actress, director and producer, said, “Life is tough, and if you have the ability to laugh at it, you have the ability to enjoy it.”

Bridge can be tough, and if you have the ability to enjoy it anyway, you will find the game very rewarding.

Some deals are tougher than others. This one is well up the scale. You are West. You lead a trump against four hearts. When that dummy appears, how would you hope to collect four tricks?

North’s three-heart response was a game-invitational limit raise. Duplicate players these days (sensibly) treat a jump raise in competition as pre-emptive: four-card support but a weak hand. With at least gameinvitational values, they cuebid the overcaller’s suit; here, bidding two spades.

Count the points. Dummy has 11, you have 13, and declarer had enough to go to game. Clearly, your partner, East, has few values. He cannot hold the spade king or club ace, unless South has taken a gamble.

So, you should hope to take these four tricks: two spades, one diamond and one club. But to get those spade winners, you might need partner to lead the suit through declarer.

South draws trumps and plays a diamond. Rise with your ace and exit safely with a diamond. Declarer will take his tricks there and play a club to his ace. You must be ready – sacrifice the king under the ace. Then East will get in for the lethal spade shift.

Keep the club king in your hand and you will be endplayed, forced to lead a spade or concede a ruff-andsluff.