ACES ON BRIDGE

“They constantly try to escape

From the darkness outside and within

By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.”

— T.S. Eliot

The ACBL organizes simultaneous pairs every year to benefit various different activities, and last month they had a senior pairs, with duplicated hands all around the U.S., plus a book of commentary.

This deal tickled my fancy because I suspect that the play that would produce the best result possible for the East-West pairs on defense would escape most people, even with the sight of all four hands.

Let’s look at how the bidding might develop. When East preempts to two hearts over North’s one-club opener, South can double, then introduce spades, or bid and rebid spades, neither of which would be forcing, though the second route suggests a real invitation. However, both approaches should see South declare three spades.

Strangely, however, it is hard to defeat four spades after South captures the heart queen lead. West must duck his diamond ace at trick two. If South wins the diamond king then runs the spade nine around to him, West must next take his diamond ace and shift to a club.

Now if declarer cashes both top clubs and leads a third, East ruffs in with the spade jack and West will be able to avoid any endplay easily enough.

But if South instead ruffs the second club in hand and cashes the spade ace, West must unblock in trumps to avoid the throw-in! If he doesn’t, he will be forced to win the third spade and lead a minor, after which dummy’s winners will let declarer discard his heart losers.

ANSWER: In a game-forcing auction, every partnership must agree whether a jump to four spades here is minimum or indicates fitting cards in spades and diamonds; both treatments are playable, of course. In either event, a jump to four hearts by you should be shortage. If it shows extras, the hand might not be worth the call, but my instincts are that you should make it even with a minimum hand here.