Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
ACES ON BRIDGE
“You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she will hurry back.”
— Horace
Try this defensive problem from the East chair. Your partner’s two-club overcall does little to hinder the opposition as North issues a cue-bid raise and South takes a shot at game.
Declarer takes the diamond jack lead in dummy as you drop the five, wisely refusing to waste your spot-cards. Declarer then immediately advances the heart jack. If you play small, hoping to protect partner’s vulnerable trump holding, you will soon be writing down minus 420. You can win the next heart and attack dummy’s entries by switching to clubs, but declarer counters by leading out the spade ace and another spade before drawing the final trump, and partner is forced to concede an entry to dummy’s spade queen for a diamond discard. A subsequent finesse of the diamond 10 lands the contract.
It is possible that partner holds the heart queen, but it is much more likely to be doubleton than singleton, in which case there is nothing to be lost by rising with the heart ace and returning a diamond in case partner can ruff. Say your partner follows to the second diamond, however. Then if the trump queen is missing, surely declarer will finesse the next heart through you, playing for both the heart ace and heart queen to lie onside. After all, who in their right mind would rise with the ace from ace-third in second chair?
Well done if you gave your partner his ruff at trick three. He would get off play safely with the club ace and another club, awaiting his spade trick for one down.
ANSWER: While you lack the traditional values for a two-level overcall, your shape indicates aggressive action is called for. Overcall two clubs, but I can certainly imagine overcalling three clubs if non-vulnerable against vulnerable or if facing a passed partner. In bridge, effectiveness is more important than elegance.