ACES ON BRIDGE

“The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us.”

— Paul Valery

After West’s Unusual No-trump, a call of three hearts by North would have been non-forcing. Instead, he showed a good hand with hearts, setting up a forcing pass at the five-level so South could show a desire to bid on. North then disclosed his spade support, and South gave it one more for the road.

Declarer won the diamond-king lead and saw that he would have to set up hearts. But if hearts split 3-2, the trumps were bound to split badly, West having shown 10 or more minor-suit cards. If dummy’s hearts were to act as trump substitutes, it would require two trump entries to dummy, so West would have to hold the singleton spade 10 or the heart king.

After winning the first trick, declarer took the spade king, West duly producing the 10. Then came the heart ace and another heart, a play that also allowed for king-third of hearts with East. West won the second heart and played another diamond, declarer ruffing high. Next came one top club, and then the spade five to dummy’s eight.

Now declarer ran the hearts. East discarded at every turn, but South pitched all his clubs and claimed two more trump tricks at the finish. Had East ruffed in, declarer would have overruffed and reentered dummy with the spade ace to run the hearts.

Declarer needed not only to retain dummy’s trump entries by ruffing the diamond high, but also had to cash the club ace before crossing to dummy. If not, East would have discarded on all the hearts and ruffed the forced club play at trick 12.