ACES ON BRIDGE

“I’ll not listen to reason . ... Reason always means what someone else has got to say.”

— Elizabeth Gaskell

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North-South are playing wide-range raises of a major, rather than constructive ones, but even so, one could make a case for a one-no-trump response with this North hand: a soft 7-count with no ruffing value. The idea is to slow partner down by following up with a preference to spades, which might be on a doubleton. However, North is a traditionalist and raises spades, prompting South to take a shot at game. East’s double of two spades indicates that the missing key cards may be lying well.

West’s lead of the diamond jack holds the first trick, and declarer ruffs the next round as East follows small. South can see two unavoidable club losers, so he must negotiate the heart suit for no losers while also taking a successful club finesse. As usual this week, declarer has been left short of entries to his dummy, but he can overcome this problem as long as he sees the problem in advance and allows for it by proper planning.

South draws three rounds of trumps ending on table. He then leads the heart queen from dummy. When East plays small, declarer unblocks the jack under the queen. This way, declarer can continue with the heart 10, and when East plays low again, South contributes the heart four. He thus remains on table to lead a club up. The contract would fail on any other sequence of plays. For example, if declarer runs the heart 10 initially, then East can foil declarer’s plan at the next trick by covering the queen or ducking the nine.

ANSWER: You do not have enough for a two-heart reverse, especially since partner would often put you in a 4-3 diamond fit at the three-level. You can go low with one no-trump (my choice) and hope to play the right partial, or rebid two clubs and submit to playing a super-Moysian fit in a 4-2 diamond fit now and again. With the heart jack in addition, you might bid on over a preference to two diamonds.