ACES ON BRIDGE
Life often presents us with a choice of evils, rather than of goods.
— Charles Caleb Colton
Facing a no-trump opener, North invites game with his 8-count — a reasonable decision at this vulnerability — over which South may reasonably pass. But if he does bid on, he should try three notrump. With no ruffing values and poor hearts, the heart game is not especially likely to make, while he could take nine tricks in either hearts or no-trump. North has no obvious reason to overrule his partner’s decision.
West makes the normal fourth-highest diamond lead, allowing declarer a sixth top trick. He could work on hearts for more, but that suit can provide only one extra winner, while establishing the suit would set up two tricks for the defenders in addition to the minor-suit winners they are likely to take. It is better for declarer to put his faith in the spade suit, and take the club finesse as well.
In an effort to create an extra entry to dummy, declarer calls for the diamond nine, which holds the trick. He can now afford to lead spades twice from the table, succeeding not only when the suit splits evenly, but also when there is a doubleton honor to his right. West captures the spade queen with his king and persists with diamonds. Declarer wins the king and plays another low spade, East’s ace falling on thin air.
South finesses on the club return, unblocks his spade 10 and crosses to the heart ace to pitch a losing heart on the spade jack. He takes two spades, one heart and three tricks in each minor, for nine in all.
ANSWER: Make a negative double to show four spades. Get the boss suit into the game, since your side could easily have a spade fit. To raise diamonds pre-emptively may make it harder for the opponents to judge the right level. However, they probably have their best strain diagnosed already, so pre-empting to three diamonds has more to lose than to gain here.
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