ACES ON BRIDGE

“I did not deceive you, mon ami. At most, I permitted you to deceive yourself.”

— Agatha Christie

Today’s deal shows a detective at work. North-south have reached three no-trump after North had cuebid to show a limit raise of diamonds, initially looking for a spade stopper for no-trump. Curiously, East-west can make four hearts on this layout, but it is tough to see how East would ever come into the auction, let alone reach game.

When West leads the spade six, it runs to declarer’s queen. The hand is all about picking up the diamond suit if it splits 3-0, and many declarers would reason thus: West has five or six spades to his partner’s one or two, so West has more vacant places than East; East, therefore, should have the diamond length. Not only is this a slightly inaccurate application of vacant places, but also a premature decision. South should first cash his club winners to see if anything interesting happens there.

Had West followed to all three clubs, declarer would have led to the diamond ace. When West shows out on the third round, South should see that he cannot be void in diamonds; otherwise, he would have 11 majorsuit cards and would have been likely to show a two-suiter at his first turn or to have taken another action over two no-trump. On the other hand, East, with at most two spades and little in the way of values, would not have bid, no matter his shape.

Having exercised his little gray cells, our hero will lay down the diamond king, then take the marked finesse to score up his game.

ANSWER: Pass. When bidding over an opponent’s pre-empt, the emphasis is on reaching a game. That is unlikely here, opposite a passed partner. If you were more shape-suitable, say with 4=1=5=3 distribution, or maybe even if the heart king were in the spade suit, you would venture a double. Of course, balancing with this hand would be much safer, since partner would then inferentially be marked with a value or two.