ACES ON BRIDGE

To try to understand the real significance of what the great artists, the serious masters, tell us in their masterpieces, that leads to God. — Vincent van Gogh

Helen Sobel was one of the world’s best players of her generation. When she declared three no-trump here, West led the spade seven, his partner’s suit. Sobel made two winning plays at the first trick: She called for dummy’s 10, and then she ducked East’s queen.

After taking the spade king continuation with the ace, she played the club queen (hoping the club honors were split). East took this with the king and played the spade nine, taken by Sobel’s jack, while discarding a heart from dummy. Then came the club 10. West won and could do no better than exit with a club, taken by the jack. The diamond ace came next, then a diamond to the queen, and the hand was over. Sobel had two tricks in each major, plus a club and four diamonds.

Note the significance of the play to the first trick. If declarer does not put up the spade 10, East covers the seven with the eight. South must duck, or the spades will eventually be set up, as the defenders still have communications in place in spades. After declarer ducks trick one, if the defenders are careful not to open up hearts, declarer can take no more than eight tricks.

But once declarer puts up the 10, it forces East to cover; otherwise, declarer has a cheap trick while retaining two spade stoppers. Now, by ducking, declarer has effectively severed the defenders’ communications in the spade suit.

BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Bid two no-trump here. I believe this to be a forcing auction, though not forcing to game. With one heart stopper and no reason to assume either opponent has five hearts, you should bid what is in front of you. While you might just about have a 4-4 spade fit, your partner can explore (with a cue-bid of three hearts) if his hand is unsuitable to play no-trump, but he wants to drive to game.