ACES ON BRIDGE

“One of the pleasures of middle age is to find out that one was right, and that one was much righter than one knew at, say, 17 or 23.”

— Ezra Pound

Today’s deal features a maneuver that every declarer should have at his disposal.

Imagine that you play it in three no-trump on the lead of the spade jack. Naturally, you put up the queen. In the unlikely event that East wins the ace and returns the suit, you will duck once, win the third spade and try to set up clubs without letting West on lead. You will be able to accomplish this whenever East has three clubs or with quite a few of his possible doubletons. For example, if West has any three clubs including the four, he will have to follow with that card on either the first or second round of the suit, and you can simply cover that card and keep him off play.

Curiously, the reverse logic applies if the spade queen wins trick one. Now you have to set up clubs without letting East on lead, if possible, which might be more difficult than it looks if East has three clubs.

It is crucial to maximize your entries to hand by leading the heart queen to your king and then a low club toward dummy’s honors. When West plays the 10, you win the king and follow up with dummy’s low heart to your jack. Now you lead a club, ducking West’s queen. East cannot overtake, and West cannot broach spades from his side, so he will get off play with a red suit.

Whatever he does, though, you have one spade trick, one diamond, three hearts and four clubs, making nine tricks in total.

ANSWER: This call is simply natural and does not guarantee a fit. (There are plenty of ways your partner might not have enough for a two-level overcall.) I would pass now, but be prepared to compete to three clubs over further red-suit competition.