ACES ON BRIDGE

“Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.”

— Benjamin Franklin

A forcing pass is usually made to allow for partner’s holding a penalty double, or just to show extra values. But this hand features a different application of a highlevel forcing pass. When South responds two hearts, setting up a game-force, he is free to pass the pre-emptive raise, knowing his side is in a forcing auction. When North doubles, South pulls to five hearts as a slam try. To make a forcing pass and pull partner’s double shows extras and a control in the opponents’ suit. In context, North now has plenty in hand to raise to slam.

West cashes the club ace and continues the suit to East’s king. Declarer ruffs and draws trumps in two rounds. Now, in an attempt to find out more about West’s hand, declarer advances the diamond queen, always intending to put the ace on. When West fails to cover, declarer places the diamond king with East, which leads to the question: What has West bid on? East surely has four clubs. Would even the most hot-headed of Wests bid three clubs with a 2=2=3=6 distribution and 8 or 9 high-card points?

Judging this to be unlikely, declarer plays West for a sidesuit shortness, and as it cannot be in hearts — or in diamonds, since then East would have seven of them — it must be in spades. Declarer crosses to the spade king and, when the nine appears, finesses the eight on the next round. Once that holds the trick, he unblocks the spade ace, crosses to dummy with a trump and throws his two diamonds on dummy’s winning spades.

ANSWER: Bid two clubs, and get your suit into the game. To start with a negative double would not only describe your shape poorly, but it may result in a guess about introducing your suit at the five-level. Bear in mind that West is likely to bounce in spades and leave you feeling as though you haven’t described your hand at all.