ACES ON BRIDGE

Perhaps my advancing years have made me more conservative, but I am not the greatest fan of weak jump overcalls and responses. I am prepared to accept that at certain vulnerabilities weak jump overcalls make sense, but when vulnerable, I prefer to play intermediate jumps. And in an uncontested auction when my partner opens, I like the strong jump response at the two level, since this gets an awkward hand off my chest all at once. That said, when the opponents intervene over an opening bid, whether with a double or a bid, there is a place for a weak jump response. In today’s deal, South was playing that a jump to two spades looked something like a minimum weak-two opener, typically with points in the suit. Now North took only a mildly aggressive action when he drove to game. The defenders attacked hearts, and South was jolted out of his complacency when East took the first trick with the heart ace and shifted to a diamond at the second trick. The danger was obvious: East might win the spade ace and underlead in hearts to his partner for the diamond ruff that would set the game. Rather than sit back passively to see if the defenders could find this play, South took the first diamond and played the club ace, king (pitching a heart) and jack of clubs. When East covered with the queen, South simply pitched his third heart. With the defenders’ communications cut, the spade ace was their only remaining winner.