ACES ON BRIDGE

“I have only one eye — I have a right to be blind sometimes.” — Horatio Nelson

South can describe a balanced 23-24 HCP by opening two clubs, then rebidding two no-trump. Some Norths will now use Stayman, preferring to play a fivethree heart fit in no-trump with so much of their hand outside the long suit. But the majority will transfer into hearts and offer the choice of games.

(Incidentally, if North does transfer, there is a lot to be said for selecting hearts, not no-trump, with that South hand — you can see the potential blockage in the heart suit, can’t you?) However, no one would blame you for passing three no-trump.

West will lead the spade 10, and if both North and East cover, declarer will win and unblock the two top hearts, then cross to the diamond queen to dislodge the heart queen, eventually using the spade honor as a re-entry to dummy and coming to 10 tricks, never to realize that two errors have canceled each other out.

Declarer should note that the entries to dummy are few and far between, so he must duck in dummy at trick one to preserve the queen-jack of spades as a sure entry. If you cover the spade and East meanly ducks, how can you reach dummy twice — once to set up, and once to cash the hearts? You can’t.

This play would be far easier to find if you had the spade king instead of the ace in hand; but the desire to build a second spade winner might blind some people (not you, of course) to the entry problem.

ANSWER: Your partner never bid, though he must have around a 7-count. He surely does not fit spades, so I would be reluctant to lead that suit. A low diamond is not such a palatable option, but beggars cannot be choosers. I would lead the two, not the four — the latter is potentially even more confusing than a true count card.