ACES ON BRIDGE

Three-level preempts on a six-card suit are rare at unfavorable vulnerability, but West has the shape and suit quality to justify such an action here. North doubles to bring both majors into the picture, and South jumps to four spades. This may be a slight overbid, but here it pays to bid game with a five-card major and a smattering of points.

West leads the club ace and cashes the king at trick two, suggesting he has a sidesuit singleton; otherwise, he would have led the club king to trick one. Then he shifts to a diamond through dummy’s queen. It might seem natural to call for dummy’s two now, but that might cost the contract!

Both pointed-suit kings must lie with East; West has at least 7 points in clubs, after all, and East must have a top heart too. Declarer should therefore look to an unlikely elimination and endplay to make the hand.

He must ruff a diamond along the way, but playing low from dummy at trick three would enable a creative East to insert the king! Declarer would then be unable to extract East’s diamond exit card in time.

The diamond queen is covered by the king and ace. Declarer now leads a spade to the ace. When the king does not drop, declarer plays a diamond to the jack, ruffs a diamond and calls for the heart ace, hoping West’s heart honor is a singleton. The heart jack does indeed appear. Declarer now exits with a trump, throwing East in either to return a heart or give declarer a ruff-and-sluff.

ANSWER: If playing two-over-one, you could still have up to 11 points in a forcing no-trump context. Raising to three diamonds tends to show a full invite or a fifth trump.You cannot pass here, though, when your partner could have as much as 18; your two kings are golden. So give false preference to two spades in order to keep the bidding open. If partner acts again, you will drive to game.