ACES ON BRIDGE

Opinions have changed somewhat since I learned the game of bridge as to whether success can more easily be obtained by playing well or by making your opponents play badly. One aspect of this is whether to look for major suit fits facing a oneno-trump opener, or to blast out three no-trump when you have a balanced hand with a four-card major, thus giving away less information. In today’s hand, I would say Stayman is optional for North, but as it turns out, South will end up in three no-trump regardless of what North does. Against three no-trump, West should lead the spade queen, and South must hold up dummy’s ace for two rounds in an attempt to cut the defenders’ communications. But it is the next trick that is critical to the success or failure of the contract. When the heart queen is led from dummy, East must refuse to cover it, and he must also resist the urge to cover when the jack comes next. The point is that his own intermediates are so weak that he knows he can never build a trick for himself, much less his partner, who cannot hold more than two cards in hearts from the play thus far. Provided East saves his king, declarer will end up one trick short in his contract. He has one spade, one club and three tricks in each red suit, but no more. If East covers either the first or second heart, declarer should collect four heart tricks, and East will have a red face.