ACES ON BRIDGE

Today’s deal comes from a Common Game event about six months ago, and while it may not show particularly great play, I thought it represented the sort of errors that real people fell into. North-South are actually a very competent pair, but North chose a poor moment to introduce spades instead of making a constructive heart raise — had he done the latter, I would have led a top spade against four hearts. I chose to lead a trump; declarer won and immediately ruffed a diamond in dummy, then played the ace and another club. We defenders could win that and play a second club, and declarer now had no more than nine tricks. This is the sort of hand where you might sensibly play for ruffs on a minor suit lead; but after a trump lead, you must play to set up spades. Say the worst happens, and you win the trump in hand to lead a spade. When West plays low, you put up the king. If East now wins the ace to return a trump, you win in dummy and ruff a spade. When an honor appears, you play a trump to the board and pass the spade 10, pitching a minor-suit card and ensuring 10 tricks for your side. This line almost guarantees the contract against anything but an unlucky lie of the spades. You are likely to make at least 10 tricks unless West began with queenjack-fourth of spades or East started with something like ace-queen-jackfourth in that suit.

“Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” — W.B. Yeats

ANSWER: You should double. Your partner may not have much of anything, but he could have something like four spades to the king-jack and be unable to take action. After all, your hand does not always deliver as many quick tricks on defense. As it is, though, you can surely expect your partner to find a sensible resting place in hearts or clubs if he does not have the requisite trump holding.