ACES ON BRIDGE

“many languages fly around the world

producing sparks when they collide sometimes of hate sometimes of love”

— Bei Dao

This month, I’ll be running a few more deals from Kit Woolsey’s excellent new book, “The Language of Bridge.” Woolsey’s book focuses on one of the most difficult areas of the game, communication between partners.

Almost all books for beginners and intermediates focus on the problem faced by the individual. But really, it is only declarer play that is an individual sport. Both bidding and defense do sometimes involve unilateral decisions, but more often, the partnership must make the decision together. Knowing when to help partner decide what to do, and when to make the decision singlehandedly, is one of the great challenges of the game. Here, for example, as West, you defend against four spades after your partner has opened a weak two-bid in hearts. You lead the heart ace and get to see dummy. When partner encourages with the 10, you have to plan the defense.

Partner is encouraging in hearts, but do you know what four tricks you will take to defeat the contract? The answer is that you must first cash your diamond ace. Then, even if partner encourages in diamonds (which he will do if he has the diamond king), you now play another heart.

This sequence of plays should make it clear to partner — you hope — that you want a third round of hearts for a trump promotion. If you had not cashed your diamond ace, partner might have played a third round of hearts prematurely, allowing declarer to discard his singleton diamond and avoid the trump loser.

ANSWER: You described your hand perfectly at your first turn; if your partner wanted to play hearts, he would have passed when doubled. But he decided to run, and who are you to say that he is wrong? The optimal way to get to the better minor suit fit is to bid two no-trump and redouble if doubled. The additional bonus is that this way you ensure that your partner becomes declarer!