ACES ON BRIDGE

In an online league match, North started by showing his high-card raise. Then he aggressively guessed to bid four spades over four hearts, which West happily doubled.

At trick one, declarer should have known West was likely to have all the missing key honors. Even if the diamond finesse worked, it would be tough to avoid the loss of either a second heart or a long diamond. South also wanted to limit West’s trump tricks to two if he could. Declarer covered the club lead with dummy’s 10. East mistakenly played the jack, putting declarer in hand to lead a low spade. West stormed up with the queen and shifted to the diamond jack. Declarer finessed and then played a club to the eight. West ruffed and should have played another diamond, but he unwisely tried the heart ace and a second heart. Declarer could then lead the spade ace and another spade, pitching his slow diamond losers on the clubs for down one. Had West continued diamonds after ruffing the second club, declarer would have been a tempo behind (and would have finished down two).

It would have been better for South to play back a club at trick two. West would be able to ruff, but declarer could finesse West’s diamond return and throw a diamond on a club. Again, West would ruff and play a diamond, won in dummy for a fourth round of clubs, to take care of South’s last diamond. West would ruff again and exit with his last trump, but declarer would now be able to ruff out the diamonds. He would then cross with a trump to cash the 13th diamond, for down one.