Hannah More, an English writer and philanthropist who died in 1833, said, “Goals help you overcome short-term problems.”

In bridge, solving a bidding problem will give you a goal, the number of tricks needed to make or break the contract.

In this deal, South is in four spades. West leads the club ace, and East correctly drops the queen to show the queen and jack. (It could not be a singleton queen here.) When West continues with a low club, East wins with his 10 and shifts to the heart nine. How should South try to attain his goal of 10 tricks?

This deal features a secondary problem. If you were North, what would you respond after partner opens one spade, and West makes a takeout double?

Over West’s double, North might jump to four spades. This is a slight underbid, but it could keep the opponents out of the auction, and a slam is unlikely given West’s double. North’s alternative is to respond two no-trump, which shows at least gameinvitational values with four or more trumps. Here, South would rebid four spades.

At first glance, declarer needs to take a winning heart finesse or to find the diamond queen. But actually the contract is guaranteed. South should win the third trick with the heart ace, draw trumps, and exit with a heart. Whichever defender takes the trick (here, West) must either lead a diamond, finding the queen for declarer; or concede a ruff-and-sluff, allowing South to ruff on the board and discard a diamond from his hand. Problem solved and goal achieved.