ACES ON BRIDGE

Today’s deal is basically the problem many encountered at the summer national championships last year. It is a problem for both declarer and defense in three diamonds by South, on a trump lead.

In the early play, no one does anything unreasonable. Declarer wins the diamond lead in hand, plays a club to the king, then a spade to the 10 and queen, then wins the trump return in hand (East pitching a spade) to play the spade king. West wins and plays a third trump, won in dummy as East discards a club. Declarer should delay cashing the spade jack to see if the nine falls. Instead, he should play a heart, and when East wins, she will be endplayed in three suits. At the table, though, declarer did cash the spade jack, pitching a low heart from hand while West threw a club. Now came the heart 10 to East’s king; West had to unblock a heart intermediate on this trick to retain the precious three.

Now East leads the spade nine, and declarer ruffs. If West comes down to three hearts and the bare club ace, then when South leads a heart (discarding a club from dummy), one defender or the other must win, but whatever they lead will set up a club or a heart for declarer if he reads the ending right. So, West must pitch a heart, and again, it must be an intermediate! He is down to two clubs and the J-3 of hearts, and when South exits with a low heart, East can win his seven and lead a club. Now declarer must lose one more trick no matter what.