Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
ACES ON BRIDGE
Today’s deal has the air of a constructed puzzle, doesn’t it? After the opponents have warned you of the risk of bad breaks all around (and North has shown a weak hand by doubling five clubs), you end up in the normal contract of five diamonds, having cleverly avoided playing your spade fit and running into a 5-0 break. As an aside, it makes sense to agree that after intervention at the four-level and higher, responder’s initial double is weaker than passing.
The defenders lead the club king; you win (nice play!) and take the diamond ace and king. Much to your surprise, it is West who has the doubleton diamond, and the carding in clubs suggests he has eight or nine cards in that suit.
Next you cash the heart king and ace. West follows up the line to suggest three, and no one is astonished when, on your (necessary) play of the spade king, West shows out, pitching a club.
East can do no better than win the trick and play back the spade jack. You win the spade queen then lead the club jack, throwing a spade from hand. That endplays West to give you a ruff-and-discard, which allows you to dispose of a second spade from hand. If East ducks the lead of the spade king, you lead a low spade and play low from dummy to put him on play. Since a spade continuation would clearly be fatal, he shifts to a club. Again, you discard a spade and wait for the ruff-sluff to give you your 11th trick.
ANSWER: Do not look for complex solutions to simple problems. With nine top tricks in your own hand, just go ahead and bid three no-trump. Yes, there are hands in which you will score more in some other denomination, but here I would take the cash and let the credit go.