ACES ON BRIDGE

“The last explanation remains to be made about prudence;

Little and large alike drop quietly aside from the prudence that suits immortality.”

— Walt Whitman

In today's Moysian adventure in four hearts, which side would you back after West picks out the diamond ace lead? An imaginative club shift would be testing — but say the defenders give a ruff-sluff by continuing diamonds.

Declarer throws a spade from hand, ruffing on table, then cashes the heart queen. Can he survive a 4-2 split?

If declarer were to draw two more rounds of trumps, he would fail against the 4-2 break. When he worked on clubs, the defender with the long trump would ruff in on the third round, isolating the dummy and leaving South with a slow spade loser.

Declarer must retain a trump in dummy, and he also needs the player with four trumps to hold a singleton club and four spades. So South cashes two rounds of clubs next. If either defender were to ruff from a three- or four-card holding, declarer could take a further diamond force in dummy, and collect the rest.

East can see that if he ruffs in, the rest is easy. If East discards a diamond, declarer might work out to take the top hearts and give up a trump trick. So East discards a spade. However, now the top spades and a spade ruff see declarer advance the club queen. East can do no better than ruff and play a diamond, but declarer makes his heart seven for his 10th trick.

On the second top club, East was squeezed in an odd way: He would have liked to retain his spade to try to promote a trump trick for West, but he had to pitch something!

ANSWER: Pass. Voluntarily raising to two hearts should show real extras, which you do not have — though your hand is nicely put together, I admit. Partner has at most a 9-count or so, which means you are not likely to have a game. Thus, you should limit your hand by passing. You are well-positioned to compete later on, if need be. I might be tempted to raise if you made one of the small diamonds a club.