ACES ON BRIDGE

The question of which team would represent America in the 2000 Bermuda Bowl was determined by today’s deal.

Bob Hamman and Paul Soloway had a disagreement about their continuations over Stayman in a two-no-trump auction and wound up in four no-trump. Slam is obviously excellent, and although Soloway made his game, he might have managed to lose 12 IMPs here.

By contrast, Larry Cohen as South opened a strong club and reached six clubs with the spade tenace protected. The defense kicked off with a spade, and Cohen put up the queen. What now?

Cohen chose to play three rounds of hearts, ruffing with the club 10 in hand, and then cashed two top trumps. The bad split was not yet fatal. He could play the spade ace, ruff a spade and then cash the two top diamonds.

As long as West followed twice, declarer would have

12 tricks. When West ruffed the second diamond, the defense had a heart trick to come for down one.

The arguments raged on the internet as to the best line, but no one produced anything approaching a 100% line. Since this line only failed to 4-1 trumps offside (when an elopement might still have succeeded), or jackfourth trump onside and 6-1 diamonds, it is certainly not clear that there is a better line available. Of course, if declarer had drawn trumps first (leading the 10 to the king and then low back to the ace), he could have drawn trumps, passed the diamond nine and claimed. Ruffing two hearts in hand also would have worked on this layout.

ANSWER: Raise preemptively to four spades to consume as much bidding space as possible. It is clear the opponents can make a lot of tricks, perhaps even a slam. At some vulnerabilities, if your partner had opened two hearts, you might have raised only to three because of the suitability of your spade holding on defense. But even then, you might try to take up your opponents’ bidding space.

BOBBY WOLFF