ACES ON BRIDGE

As South, you respond one spade to partner’s one-heart opener, then bid and rebid clubs while North repeats his hearts. You end up in four spades after North temporizes with a four-diamond call and passes four spades. (Note that four hearts is nearly hopeless on a diamond lead.)

When West leads the unbid suit, you can see five side-suit winners, so you need five trump tricks. One ruff in dummy and three ruffs in hand should do the trick.You take the diamond ace and cash the heart winners, throwing a diamond and a club.

Next you ruff a diamond, cash the top clubs, ruff a club in dummy and then ruff another diamond to hand. You now have eight tricks and are down to four trumps and the club 10.

Now you exit with your losing club. If East wins, you intend to go up with the spade king on his continuation. Thus, you will make your game whenever the spade ace is onside.

If West is allowed to win the club trick, your chances are even better.

To your surprise, though, West ruffs the club. He exits with the spade nine to your king, and you get off play with a low spade, endplaying West again. Your spade queen will represent the game-going trick.

Your elopement not only allowed you to score your small trumps, but it also reduced your spade holding and extracted West’s exit cards for a trump endplay to bring home a seemingly impossible contract.

It is worth noting that the lead of a trump intermediate would have set the contract easily. Should West have considered this? Maybe.

ANSWER: Bid three hearts. The opponents surely have at least nine spades between them, but it is doubtful that they will find their fit over a jump to either three or four hearts. King-fifth of diamonds opposite is enough to give you play for your game, so you might bid four hearts now; however, a call of three hearts may keep the opponents out while also consulting partner.