ACES ON BRIDGE

Sometimes the elaborate, the learned method, the grown-up method is not as good as the simple and childishly naive method.

— Robert Oppenheimer

Our last deal of the week is from the quarterfinals of the 2023 Winter Games.

South, Wlodzimierz Starkowski (the hero of Tuesday’s column), found himself in three no-trump.

A spade lead might appear to be the normal choice here, but Antonio Sementa preferred to lead his own five-card diamond suit over his partner’s suit. The diamond two went to the ace, and Alfredo Versace (East) switched to a heart, hoping to establish the long card. It appeared as though declarer should lose a club, two diamonds and two hearts now, since he has the diamond king and club king to knock out, giving the defenders a tempo to set up their heart. Declarer showed otherwise.

West clearly had the diamond king, and East held everything else for his overcall. Starkowski thus played a diamond next, to force out West’s high card. Sementa had to rise with the diamond king and continue hearts to stand a chance. Versace won with his heart ace and cleared the suit, but having already discarded one spade on the second diamond, East had two more discards to make when dummy’s diamond jack and 10 were cashed. The final winner pulverized the East hand. Versace let go of a spade, hoping declarer had only three, but Starkowski then cashed four spade tricks. If Versace had discarded a heart instead, declarer could have afforded to knock out the club king. Baring the club king would work no better.

The contract stands no chance against a spade lead, which puts the defenders a step ahead.

ANSWER: Traditionally, support doubles apply only up to two of responder’s major, so a double here would just be for takeout, guaranteeing some extra values and usually an unbalanced hand. You have to pass with this, intending to bid hearts if partner acts again.