aceS on bridge

“I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”

— Abraham Lincoln

A he European Open Championships last year, Cedric Lorenzini played six spades on the lead of a low heart to the 10, East’s queen and a low ruff. He played three rounds of diamonds, ruffed a heart to hand, took the spade ace and led a fourth diamond. West ruffed in, and that was fatal. (Pitching a heart now, and again on the fifth diamond, is better. Declarer ruffs a club to dummy and advances the heart king, which East must duck to set the slam.)

As it was, declarer overruffed and led the heart king to pin the jack. West ruffed the fifth diamond, but declarer could discard dummy’s club loser and ruff one club in dummy, pitching the other on the established heart nine.

At trick five, declarer does better to lead the heart king. When East covers with the ace, South ruffs with the queen or jack. Next, he cashes the spade ace and follows with the fourth diamond, giving West a choice of poisons.

If he ruffs low, South overruffs in dummy, ruffs a heart back to hand and plays the last diamond, pitching a club from dummy. South can arrange to cash the club ace, ruff a club and discard a club on the established heart nine.

If West ruffs high to return the spade eight (the best play), declarer wins dummy’s 10 and ruffs out the heart jack. Finally, if West pitches a club or the heart jack, South throws a club from dummy and leads the fifth diamond. Declarer now either scores his trumps separately or sets up the heart nine, if necessary.

ANSWER: Your partner’s twospade call shows extras and sets up a game force. It feels right to me to bid clubs, then raise diamonds at your next turn if your partner rebids three no-trump. While a diamond raise doesn’t guarantee four, if you can bid your suits in economical order, you should do so.