ACES ON BRIDGE

“That kind of patriotism which consists in hating all other nations.” — Elizabeth Gaskell

In today’s deal from the 2007 Cavendish Pairs, as East, you hear South bid the red suits, after which North employs Fourth-suit Forcing. You double for a club lead, and South shows 5-5 shape. When North shows preference for hearts, South raises to game.

Your partner leads the club ace, and a second club goes to your jack. You continue with the club king. Declarer ruffs with the heart queen and then plays a heart to the king. How should you defend?

It is clear that declarer has the top diamonds plus the heart jack based on his play so far.

You must hope to engineer a fourth trick in the trump suit by playing a fourth club through, which will work only if partner holds the heart nine. Still, if you take the heart ace on the first round of hearts and play a club, declarer will ruff small in hand and be home free, whether partner overruffs or not. You must take your heart ace on the second round.

Then the way is clear to play a fourth club through to promote partner’s heart nine.

Tarek Sadek was the unlucky player who reached the best contract but then misguessed to ruff the third club high. This would have been the winning play if West had held an original small doubleton in clubs and if there had been no subsequent trump promotion available. The percentage play might be to ruff with the heart eight, but the double and lead make it closer than it might appear in abstract.

Well done if you found the right defense, as Wafik Abdou did at the table.

ANSWER: A Michaels cue-bid of two spades should show a good hand here since you are forcing to the three-level. You would usually have more than this, but because all your high cards are concentrated in your long suits, you can bid two spades. This carries some risk, but the earlier you get into such auctions, the less danger there is.