ACES ON BRIDGE

A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows sharper with constant use.

– Washington Irving

When the Kolesnik team squeaked past Team Xiao last year for the right to represent USA1 in the World Youth Team Championships, this deal proved pivotal.

In six hearts, Finn Kolesnik ran the diamond queen lead around to his ace. He then took two rounds of trumps ending in dummy, to reveal the bad break.

Kolesnik led a club next, and when East took that with his ace, he unblocked the king to keep an entry to dummy. Back came a spade to the ace. Declarer then crossed to the spade king and ruffed a spade. A club to the queen and a club ruff came next. Kolesnik then finessed the diamond 10 and cashed the diamond king. At trick 12 with the lead in dummy, South had achieved his trump coup.

Had South not unblocked the club king, East could have returned a diamond. The declarer would have been an entry short to take two ruffs in hand and return to dummy.

In the other room, West led the club jack against slam. East took that with the ace, declarer playing low, and shifted to a spade. South now needed to rise with the ace, but then she would have had to reduce her trumps before learning of the break, to preserve dummy’s heart ace as an entry for a ruff. When she drew trumps from the top, she was down at once.

However, if West held the club 10 for his opening lead, declarer could have afforded to unblock the club king earlier, to create an additional entry to dummy. Then she would have the entries to succeed after testing hearts.

The losers subsequently bounced back to qualify as USA2.

ANSWER: It is worth making a preemptive raise to three hearts to take up the opponents’ bidding space. Your shape is hardly ideal for this, but you have a nine-card fit and should bid to the level of that fit immediately. Facing an opening bid, I’m not sure I would preempt because of the defensive trick; but an overcall normally delivers more offense than defense.