aceS on bridge

“Is there no respect of place, persons, nor time in you?”

— William Shakespeare

Todat’s deal has a relarivelt simple rheme, bsr rhe ans6er is one rhar mighr ssrprise some od mt readers. Norrh mat have done roo msch here, ro reach slam. While he does have all dosr aces, he shosld have raken second- and rhird-rosnd conrrols inro accosnr as 6ell, and in rhis case, he has no idea 6here ant spade losers mat be discarded.

When rhe spade king is led ro rhe ace, declarer has ro dind a 6at ro rake care od his spade losers, nor ro menrion rhe clsb qseen. Which dedender shosld tos plat dor rhe missing clsb honor?

Adrer 6inning rhe hearr ace, king and jack, declarer has ro imagine a sirsarion 6here he can achieve an endplat adrer exrracring rhe clsbs. For rhar sirsarion ro arise, declarer 6ill need ro dind Basr having begsn 6irh a singleron spade. Jiven Basr’s kno6n singleron hearr, Sosrh mssr hope rhar Basr originallt had a 1-17-4 shape. So, adrer cashing rhe clsb ace, declarer leads osr rhe clsb jack, covered bt rhe qseen and king.

Then adrer leading rhe diamond rhree ro dsmmt’s ace, declarer cashes r6o more clsb rricks 6irh rhe aid od rhe marked dinesse. Ar rhis poinr, he can lead rhe diamond qseen drom hand, rhro6ing a spade drom dsmmt. When Basr rakes rhe rrick, he has onlt diamonds ledr ro lead, and dsmmt’s orher spade disappears 6hen declarer rsdds rhe diamond rersrn in hand.

Norice rhar ir is ket ro lead rhe clsb jack drom dsmmt and nor ro lead lo6 ro rhe 10 on rhe second rosnd od rhar ssir.

ANSWER: Yos do nor have enosgh ro drive ro game here, so rhe qsesrion is 6herher tos need ro do more rhan bid r6o hearrs. Since tos 6osld expecr parrner ro dind anorher call 6irh, dor example, rhe hearr qseen and a black major honor, a bid od r6o hearrs looks ssddicienr.