ACES ON BRIDGE

“So, make it one for my baby And one more for the road.”

— Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen

Most Norths would pass two no-trump in today’s auction, but our hero decided his spade builders justified bidding one more for the road.

West kicked off with the club king, asking for an unblock. Declarer let this hold, primarily to retain a sure entry to his hand. West shifted to a passive heart, taken by dummy. Declarer followed up with the spade jack, ducked all around, and then overtook the spade 10 on the second round. West won this and got off play safely with a spade.

Now South ran his remaining spades and crossed to dummy in hearts as West pitched two clubs and a diamond. It seemed likely that West held the diamond ace, or else he might have switched to the suit, especially from a three-card holding.

So, declarer played the heart queen, pitching a diamond from hand, setting up two winners for the entryless East hand.

West was caught in a strip-squeeze now. He let go of the diamond jack in the hope that declarer would misread the hand and exit in clubs, but declarer correctly played his left-hand opponent for a sixcard club suit and tabled a diamond. That endplayed West to concede the overtrick.

West might have opted to follow an active defense by finding the diamond shift at trick two in the hope of setting up that suit. After all, he probably would have to make a disadvantageous lead at some stage. But a low diamond switch would block the suit — unless East inserted the 10! — and declarer (if inspired) could have ducked a shift to the diamond jack.

ANSWER: A call of four clubs would be too much of a stretch here. Not only would you be going past three no-trump, but you would make it all the more difficult to find a spade fit. A takeout double is best. You plan to pass three spades or four diamonds from partner. Neither may be your best strain, but you cannot have everything.