ACES ON BRIDGE

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.”

— Ebenezer Scrooge

Today's award-winning deal showcases Thomas Kluz of Poland at the European Junior Championships.

When South took the push to four hearts, North produced an equally optimistic raise to slam. Once West chose a spade rather than a club lead, declarer Kluz had his chance. He won with the ace, cashed the heart ace, then led the heart two to his five. He then ruffed a spade and continued with the diamond six, attempting to give up his diamond trick while he could still ruff a spade return in dummy.

A duck by the defense would simply allow declarer to ruff another spade and take the ruffing diamond finesse. After ruffing out the diamond king, declarer would play out the trump king and another trump, discarding clubs from dummy, and East would have to give dummy the rest of the tricks. So, East won the diamond six with his diamond king and played his remaining spade, forcing dummy to ruff.

Kluz pitched two clubs on the third and fourth diamonds. When the last diamond was led from dummy, the best East could do was to pitch a club. Declarer ruffed, to shorten his trumps, and returned to dummy with the club ace. The next club enabled him to pick up East's trumps and land the slam.

Note the importance of ruffing a spade before playing on diamonds. If declarer had taken a diamond finesse at trick four, East could have won and returned a trump. Now declarer would be unable to both ruff a spade and return to hand to pull trumps without sacrificing a diamond winner.

ANSWER: To some extent, this depends on style and the colors. My instincts are to open two spades, which may give me an opportunity to bid clubs later if partner makes a move. Four spades is too much and risks our playing in the wrong strain. Non-vulnerable, you might drop a grenade on the table and open three spades — but only in first or third chair.