ACES ON BRIDGE

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.

— Rudyard Kipling

At the Summer NABC in the round of 32 of the Spingold Knockout, North issued a three-card limit raise. East’s bold intervention of three hearts convinced South to upvalue his heart king and bid game.

Declarer won the heart lead in hand and started trumps with the king and ace. If they were 3-2, he could set up diamonds and (he hoped) lose two diamonds and just one club. When trumps broke 4-1, declarer saw the risk of losing control. He led a diamond to the king, drew trumps and gave up a diamond. Declarer won the next heart and tried a club to the king, hoping to sneak a club trick and then revert to diamonds. Alas, East won the ace and forced declarer for two down.

When the diamond king held, declarer should have played a second diamond before the third and fourth trump. West would win and continue hearts, whereupon declarer would concede another diamond before ruffing the third heart in hand. South would then be able to discern the entire layout. East began with four spades, five hearts and three diamonds, leaving one club, which was surely the ace, to make up his vulnerable overcall.

The defense might already have taken a club ruff if East’s singleton club was not the ace. Declarer could thus duck a club next, felling East’s ace. A trump return would allow declarer to claim. A heart back would see declarer able to absorb the force in dummy, pitching a club from hand. He could then lead the club king as a trump substitute.

ANSWER: I would normally introduce my spades here, showing my major-suit pattern without promising extras, but the suit is so bad and my diamonds so good that I am tempted to raise at once. I’m often influenced by honor location, and this time is no exception. I will raise diamonds and let the chips fall where they may.