aces on bridge

“Science has taught us how to put the atom to work. But to make it work for good instead of for evil lies in the domain dealing with the principles of human duty. We are now facing a problem more of ethics than physics.”

— Bernard Baruch

South’s distribution in the majors makes his hand untenable for a strong no-trump — at least to most of us. After North raises spades, South chooses to invite game with a call of two no-trump, suggesting his hand pattern pretty well, though he would prefer a tad more security in the heart suit. As it happens, North can happily accept the invitation to the spade game.

When West leads the heart king, South can see no losers in the black suits. He must surely lose two hearts, and he must do something with his third and fourth heart, as well as the diamond queen.

West leads out the heart king and queen as East follows highlow, suggesting his doubleton and asking West to continue with the suit. East is clearly hoping to create a trump trick for his side on a third heart.

At trick three, West leads the heart ace. If declarer ruffs low in dummy, he will be sending a boy to do a man’s job. To avoid this ugly fate, declarer ruffs the third heart with dummy’s spade king, then plays a trump to the ace.

When the nine appears, declarer might consider a later trump finesse, but he can almost ensure his contract without needing to make that play. He cashes a second top trump, then the diamond ace, and then takes three top clubs to pitch his diamond queen.

Now he ruffs a diamond back to hand and exits in hearts, reducing to a two-card ending where he has the J-8 of trumps poised over East’s 10-7 of spades.

ANSWER: Your partner has a minimum takeout double, and you have a hand with no clear direction, but your trumps are too weak to consider defending. I’d bid two no-trump, which is not to play (though if partner forgets, you won’t mind too much!), but suggests partner bid a minor. You surely have longer diamonds than clubs, or you would bid three clubs yourself.