ACES ON BRIDGE

This week’s deals come from last year’s Summer NABC in Toronto. Our hero was Mark Cohen, playing with his wife, Stasha, in the Freeman Mixed BAM Teams. To make his contract, Mark managed to make the most of his club spots; yes, that 5-3 of clubs had a part to play.

Mark reached four spades, and after the diamond-six lead to the jack and king, Mark cashed the spade ace-king to get the first bad news, then led the diamond two to get more bad news as West showed out.

But there was some good news when West pitched an odd-even heart nine to encourage the suit, a card that he could not afford. Cohen ducked the diamond in dummy, and East won to return a diamond. Yes, a club would have been better, but the obvious power of the 5-3 was evident to all.

After West ruffed the third diamond, he shifted to the club 10. Mark won the club ace, crossed to dummy with a trump, took his diamond winner, discarding his club, and then led the club five from dummy. When East followed lazily with the club four, declarer pitched a heart and took the rest after West won the trick and was endplayed to lead hearts.

Had East covered the club five, Cohen would have ruffed to lead the heart queen. With West obliged to cover, the blockage in hearts would have caused South to be endplayed upon winning the heart 10 at the next trick. He would have to concede a ruff-sluff, allowing the third heart to go away.

ANSWER: The double of a four-heart opening (or any auction where the opponents bid hearts and raise to four hearts) is primarily for takeout. It is less clear how to play a similar sequence where the opponents get to four spades — I personally believe that is takeout-optional. But here you should have no problem bidding four no-trump to get partner to choose between the minors.