ACES ON BRIDGE

“Is there in the whole world a being who would have the right to forgive and could forgive?” — Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Sometimes the cards allow for a slight inaccuracy, and sometimes they are in unforgiving mood. Here they showed mercy to declarer.

In the qualifying rounds of the 1996 World Olympiad, South Africa appeared to be heading for a big win until this deal came along.

In the closed room, West opened two spades, and the South African North bid three diamonds. South converted to three no-trump, and West led two rounds of spades, then accurately shifted to hearts. When declarer lost the diamond finesse, that meant two down.

On Vugraph, Krzysztof Martens, as North, doubled two spades, and that led to a contract of five clubs. Again, an initial heart lead is best — but few of us could resist leading a spade with the West hand. Declarer Marek Szymanowski won this and had to find the best way forward — on the reasonable assumption that trumps might split badly, but diamonds would not, since West had not led a singleton.

Szymanowski finessed in diamonds at trick two. Now if trumps had been 4-1, a trump return would have left him without the communications to get 11 tricks. Unlikely as it might seem, you are much better placed if you take a spade ruff at trick two and then lead a low diamond from dummy. If East wins and forces you again, then ruff and play two rounds of trumps, overtaking in hand. Even if trumps are 4-1, you can still come home by playing four rounds of trumps to East, pitching dummy’s hearts.

ANSWER: A negative double promises four spades here (and, unlike when you double one spade, you rarely cheat here with three). So what are the options? A stopperless one no-trump response does not appeal, which leaves a club raise. With a choice between two hearts as a limit raise or better, or a two-club call, I go high — albeit with misgivings.