ACES ON BRIDGE

“Masterpieces of Declarer Play,” by Julian Pottage, should improve any aspiring player’s game. Consider this deal.

West leads the heart four against four spades doubled. What could possibly go wrong now? Say you put up North’s heart ace at trick one and then try a trump. If you do, you have failed to imagine the possible problems if both trumps and diamonds fail to split.

Specifically, East flies up with his trump king and switches to the diamond five. When you play a second spade, East wins and underleads the club ace, to obtain his diamond ruff and set your contract.

Even if you spot the problem at trick four, competent defense will always set you. But the key to the deal is that before touching trumps, you must either play back a heart at trick two, pitching your singleton club, or just concede a club at trick two. Either way, the defenders’ communications are permanently cut. You can ruff the club or heart return and lead a high trump from hand. Now the diamond ace is the vital entry to dummy to let you lead a spade toward your hand and hold your trump losers to two.

Pottage’s tip is: “To avert an adverse ruff, you should try to attack the defenders’ entries before they play their short suit.” On this occasion, the maneuver known as a Scissors Coup averts the ruff and saves the day.

As a side note, do you think West should have led a diamond to trick one — a play that would have beaten the contract?

ANSWER: People used to double with this shape, but that call would make it very difficult to find a 5-3 heart fit. You have enough strength to take two actions and should therefore overcall one heart, intending to back in later with a double if you have not found a heart fit. Indeed, almost every double facing a partner who has taken no action is for takeout rather than penalty.

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