ACES ON BRIDGE

Today’s deal comes from a rubber bridge table in London and was reported by West, a player who thought he had seen it all. He had led a top club against six diamonds, being more hurt than surprised to see declarer ruff it. South now cashed the heart ace and trumped a second heart. He then ruffed another club and another heart, West discarding a club. This was followed by the spade king and ace, then a club ruff and another heart ruff, West now discarding a spade.

In the four-card ending, declarer had a losing spade in each hand, three clubs in dummy and A-J-9 of trumps in hand. When declarer played a club from the dummy, East (who had two hearts and a spade as well as his trump 10 left) ruffed in, hoping to promote a trump trick for West. However, South overruffed as West followed suit, then exited with a spade.

In the three-card ending, West had to ruff and was endplayed in trumps. Contract made. But had East discarded a spade instead on the previous trick, he could have overruffed his partner on the spade exit. Now the defenders would have come to two tricks.

However, it was my reporter who apologized to his partner. For when declarer played the fourth heart from his hand in the five-card ending, West should have ruffed in front of the dummy. Now in the ending, he has one fewer trump and an additional spade, so he would be able to discard rather than ruff in at trick 11, thus escaping the endplay.

ANSWER: This auction is traditionally played as forcing — though whether you play a change of suit as forcing after a one-level overcall is down to partnership agreement. You cannot raise hearts, so the question is whether to rebid two no-trump or repeat the clubs. You have so few tricks, I prefer a three-club rebid; but it is close.