ACES ON BRIDGE

Against the disease of writing one must take special precautions, since it is a dangerous and contagious disease. — Peter Abelard

In a high-level teams game, both tables reached four hearts on the lead of the club three. Both declarers played low from dummy, and East inserted the club 10. Each declarer won the first trick in hand and guessed well to lead a low trump. After winning the ace, both Wests continued clubs to dummy’s jack and East’s king. The defenders continued the accurate play by cashing the spade ace, then forcing dummy with a club.

At the first table, declarer ruffed low, then drew trumps with the jack, queen and king. After cashing the spade kingqueen, declarer took a diamond finesse; when that held, he called for the diamond ace. When East discarded a spade, declarer had to concede the setting trick to the diamond king.

The second declarer, warned by the premature appearance of the trump ace, ruffed the third round of clubs with the heart nine and continued with the trump jack. He realized that the contract would depend on West holding the diamond king, and that entries to hand were at a premium, so when East followed with a low trump, declarer overtook dummy’s jack with his queen. Now he was in the right hand to take the diamond finesse. Once that succeeded, declarer led dummy’s trump four to his eight.

After drawing the last trump, declarer cashed his spade winners, then led a diamond to the 10 and jack. The diamond ace was his 10th trick: he had made two spades, three trumps, three diamonds, a club and a club ruff.

?

ANSWER: This is not a great 15-count I admit, but it feels like you should take a call. The choice is to bid one no-trump (ugly without a diamond stopper) or to double with only three cards in an unbid major. Your slight extra values suggest that you have just enough compensation for the lack of shape. so I would double.