ACES ON BRIDGE

East failed to give declarer a losing option on this hand, and he was punished for it.

The bidding was routine, South angling for the no-trump game if his partner had a stopper in the opponents’ suit, but ending in four hearts when North had no spade stopper.

West’s spade queen lead was ducked all around, and declarer won the spade continuation. West took the second round of trumps and shifted to a club, but declarer was in control. He only needed to set up the diamonds without letting East on lead to cash a spade, so he won the club king and drew the last trump. Then he ran the diamond jack to West’s queen, making 10 tricks.

East should have overtaken with the spade king at trick one, forcing declarer into an early decision. Rather than risk having his ace ruffed out on a 6-1 break, South might have won his ace immediately. The defenders’ communications would then be in place to cash two spade tricks. West might, for example, take the first heart and continue spades, thus leaving East with an exit card in the trump suit.

South would then have a two-way diamond guess.

As an aside, though, by far the best defense on that line of play would be for West to win the heart ace at trick three and get off lead in one of the rounded suits, rather than cash out the spades. Might declarer not then assume West had a singleton spade and finesse diamonds into the “safe” hand, to disastrous effect? West would produce his second spade, and South would wither in embarrassment.

ANSWER: You might have raised if partner had responded one heart, given your trump honors. However, facing a one-spade response, a one-no-trump rebid must be correct, since you have so much stuffing in the unbid suits. Raising with three trumps should be restricted to unbalanced or semi-balanced hands with a singleton or small doubleton in a side suit and, preferably, an honor in the trump suit.

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