ACES ON BRIDGE

“Amid the pressure of great events, a general principle gives no help.” — Friedrich Hegel

In today’s deal, on his second turn, South can either reverse into hearts or simply jump to two no-trump. Either way, he will get to show his real extras, suitable for no-trump, by his third turn. Now North can jump to slam.

In six no-trump, on the opening lead of the spade eight, South needs to generate extra tricks from diamonds or spades. It looks logical to play on diamonds first; if the finesse succeeds, South can then develop his 12th trick from spades.

So South wins the spade king, then the club ace, and takes the diamond finesse. West wins with his king and returns another spade through dummy’s tenace. Since the finesse looks like a broken reed, South must put up the ace and play for a squeeze.

First he cashes the diamond ace, then runs his clubs, and at trick nine, West needs to save two diamonds and must therefore reduce to two hearts. Dummy’s threat card in diamonds has served its purpose and must now be discarded so that dummy can preserve the spade jack as a threat against East.

Declarer next crosses to dummy with the heart ace and cashes the diamond jack, squeezing East. East cannot release a spade, since dummy’s jack would then become established. East therefore discards a heart, and South wins the last two tricks with the heart king and nine.

Did you see the defense against the slam? West must shift to a heart at trick four. This disrupts declarer’s communications for the squeeze.

ANSWER: There is no need to jump to game; you cannot be sure that four spades (or three notrump) is the right place to play, and slam might be cold. All of this suggests that the right way to develop this hand is to cue-bid two diamonds, planning to bid two spades over two hearts, which will be natural and forcing. The cue-bid by an unpassed hand is forcing to suit agreement.