ACES ON BRIDGE

When South opened his 11-count, nothing could stop North from driving to slam, and the final contract was a slightly optimistic six no-trump. Despite the fact that it was pairs, perhaps North-South might have managed to find a way to play six diamonds? Even after a trump lead, declarer has six side-suit winners and six trump tricks. Although declarer noticed that at least one extra trick needed to come from the heart suit, or possibly the hearts in conjunction with a squeeze, he missed an extra chance that, as the cards lay, would have brought home his slam. West led a diamond. With 10 tricks on top, South made an immediate start on hearts, winning the diamond with the ace in hand and finessing the queen. When this lost to East’s bare king, there was no further chance for the contract. Even if the heart king had been onside, declarer would have lost a heart at some point. So suppose that, instead of coming to hand to take the finesse, he had won the lead in dummy and led a low heart away from his ace-queen. As the cards lie, East would be forced to win. (And, if East had originally held a doubleton king, it would have taken strong nerves to duck when the small heart was led.) Irrespective of what East returned, South would now be in business. Declarer would play his pointed-suit winners, and West would be subjected to a squeeze in clubs and hearts, since on the last diamond he could not hold on to four clubs and three hearts.