ACES ON BRIDGE

North-South did well to utilize the power of a double fit on this hand, bidding constructively to game after an opponent’s strong no-trump. They did even better to make it.

After the two-spade call, showing spades and a minor, West’s decision to pass two spades was a tad meek. If playing Lebensohl, where a direct call of three hearts over two spades would be forcing, the indirect route to three hearts (via a call of two no-trump as a puppet to three clubs) would be weak. By contrast, North took a slightly pushy position to invite the spade game. South had extra shape and, therefore, a straightforward call of four spades. Declarer won what he knew to be an obvious singleton club lead in dummy and saw that he needed to pick up the trumps. The queen was very likely on his right, but should he plunk down the ace-king, playing to drop the queen, or should he try something more inspired, perhaps leading the spade jack from dummy to pin a doubleton 10 offside?

In the end, declarer found the winning play, reasoning that East would not necessarily open a no-trump with doubletons in both black suits. Of course, most modernists would at least consider opening one no-trump if a low spade were a heart in that East hand, since hands that are 4-5 in the red suits and at the minimum end of a strong no-trump are often hard to describe.

But South did not care about theory as opposed to practice: Nothing could take his game bonus away from him.