ACES ON BRIDGE

“To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything.”

— Anatole France

When two Chinese teams met at the Hua Yuan World Women’s Elite Bridge Tournament, the match featured eight world champions, six of whom had won the Venice Cup a few months previously.

Both Easts pre-empted here to three clubs, and both Norths reopened with three hearts, rejecting what would have been a sizeable penalty from three clubs doubled. Both Wests obediently led the singleton club, and when East guessed poorly by putting in the 10, it lost to declarer’s queen.

In the open room, one declarer advanced the diamond queen, holding the trick. She then cashed the top hearts to find the bad news. She could now have made her contract if she had played the ace and another diamond to endplay West into cashing out her red suits. After that, West would have had to lead a spade and concede the balance. Instead, though, she tried a spade to the queen and king. When West won and played another spade, the game went three down.

In our featured room, Wang Ping played a heart at the second trick. After two rounds of hearts, she played a diamond to her queen, won by West. (Ducking would have led to her being endplayed in that suit.)

Now West could not cash out her hearts without setting up declarer’s ninth winner, and a spade would give South the game-going trick with the queen. So, she exited with the diamond 10. Wang won with dummy’s ace, cashed the diamond eight, then exited in hearts. She eventually reached her hand with the spade queen for her ninth trick.

ANSWER: This may be an unpopular answer, but facing a preempt in first seat (especially a nonvulnerable one), I think it is right to pass and try to go plus there. Yes, there are hands where game will make, but even if partner holds ace-king-seventh of clubs, you still haven’t made four hearts or five clubs. Vulnerable at teams, you might persuade me to bid three hearts.