ACES On BRIDGE

“Evil communication corrupts good manners. I hope to live to hear that good communication corrects bad manners.”

— Benjamin Banneker

Here is a deal from the ACBL’s Senior Pairs simultaneous event played in April, rotated 90 degrees. The accompanying commentary suggests that some Easts may open four spades, but those defensive tricks suggest a one-spade bid instead. West will respond one notrump, and when North doubles, East can rebid two spades. Now South will want to compete, but how?

Depending on your partnership agreements, South’s options may include a takeout double, an artificial two-no-trump call or a simple three-heart bid. When West competes to three spades, par will have been achieved ... but if North now bids on to four hearts, the defenders may have their work cut out to set it.

After West leads the spade king, this deal emphasizes that when dummy has a singleton, standard methods of signaling really aren’t good enough. The default method these days appears to be to use suit preference; in other words, a high card from East suggests playing a diamond, and a low spade maybe asks for a club. But here, East wants to encourage a spade continuation, and middle cards are often hard to read. Perhaps if East calls for a club, West can work out that that play can wait?

West can defeat the game by playing another spade. Then East wins the first heart to play the spade ace, forcing dummy to ruff again. East can now follow up with a fourth spade when in with the heart ace, to promote a trump for North.

ANSWER: Your double of four spades is card-showing, not penalty. Your partner’s four-no-trump call suggests two places to play; and when he corrects five clubs to five diamonds, he is showing the red suits. You should bid five hearts now, to play the longer, if not necessarily stronger, trump suit.