Temper optimism; tend to pessimism

Gladys Bronwyn Stern, a British author and critic who died in 1973, wrote, "Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane; and the pessimist, the parachute."

A bridge player should be pessimistic unless he needs to be lucky to make or break the contract. How would that approach help South in this deal? He is in three no-trump, and West leads a fourth-highest spade two. Declarer tries dummy's jack (in the hope that West has led from king-queen-empty-fourth), but East covers with the queen.

South might have responded one heart, but with game-forcing values he was right to keep all of the suits in play. Six or seven diamonds might have been the best contract if North had a minor two-suiter. North's two-club rebid guaranteed at least a six-card suit and denied a four-card major. South bid what he hoped he could make.