ACES ON BRIDGE

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. — Don Marquis

It is no longer the case that a free raise by North to two spades in competition should guarantee extra values. One occasionally passes minimum raises with three bad trumps and defense against the opponents’ suit; but here, the fourth trump is more than enough for the raise.

Now East has the values to drive to four hearts, after which, at this vulnerability and with little defense against hearts, South should consider the save in four spades, hoping to escape for two or three down. West might pass, but his prospects of a good penalty from four spades are so much better than his prospects of making five hearts that some might double. When West passes, East has an easy double.

Holding trump control, it seems clear to West that he should lead his singleton diamond, and East wins the trick cheaply. Of course, East cannot be sure whether the lead was a singleton or not, and he should next play the heart king. When

West does not overtake to lead a diamond, but discourages by playing a low heart, he confirms that the diamond lead was a singleton.

But now comes the crux of the deal: East’s next play should not be to play the ace and another diamond, but instead he should lead a low diamond so that West gets his ruff while East’s tenace in diamonds is preserved over dummy. After taking the ruff, West cashes the spade ace and exits in hearts, and the defenders still have two tricks to come for a penalty of 500.

BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Although you have an opening bid of sorts, this feels like a hand on which to go low, not high. You have no fit for partner and no real stopper in the opponents’ suit, so I would counsel a call of one no-trump rather than looking higher in no-trump or advancing with a cue-bid. This hand just doesn’t seem worthy of a real invitation to game.