AceS On briDge

“Mathematics is not a careful march down a well-cleared highway, but a journey into a strange wilderness, where the explorers often get lost.”

— W. S. Anglin

West leads the heart jack against three no-trump, dummy’s queen winning the trick, while East’s card is consistent with showing an even number of hearts. How should you plan to make your contract?

If you take the club finesse, West will win his king and drive out the heart ace, and you will be held to eight tricks. A far better approach is to assume that West has the diamond ace, so cross to your hand with a spade at trick two and lead a diamond toward the king.

If West takes his ace and continues hearts, you will win that ace and lead a low diamond, intending to cover West’s card. West has to follow with his six, and you insert dummy’s 10.

After East wins the jack and shifts to a club, you rise with the ace and cross to the spade king to run the diamonds. You will take 10 tricks: three spades, two hearts, four diamonds and a club.

If West wants to prevent the overtrick, he must follow with a low diamond at trick three. You will put up dummy’s king and remain on lead to run the club 10 to West’s king. You will emerge with nine tricks: three spades, two hearts, a diamond and three clubs.

Finally, if West takes the diamond ace at trick three, clears hearts, then follows with an honor on the second round of diamonds, you will have to hope East started with three diamonds. You need to win the second diamond with the king, then cross your fingers and play a third diamond.

ANSWER: Today’s feature is more about judgment than system, but if we assume this hand is (barely) worth a slam try in diamonds, we must have methods to show a diamond one-suiter and still stay safely low while using transfers to the major. I recommend using three spades as a transfer to three notrump. Following that, bids in the minors show one-suited slam tries, and bids in the majors show both minors.