ACES ON BRIDGE/

Four spades was a popular contract on this deal from the Gold Coast Teams qualifier. Few managed to make it, since there appears to be a loser in each suit.

But sometimes appearances are deceptive. Let’s shift to Ishmael Del’Monte’s table, where the defenders led a heart to the king and ace and a low club back to the king and ace for a second club. Del’Monte ducked in dummy, and East put up the jack. South ruffed, then led the spade jack, ducked all around, with East throwing a heart, and played a second trump.

If West had ducked, declarer would win in dummy and cash the diamond king and ace plus the heart queen, then crossruff clubs and hearts. This way, at trick 12 he scores the last trump in dummy en passant, with the defense’s diamond and spade winner falling together at trick 13.

So West won the second spade and played a third spade, won in dummy, leaving East to find two discards. One diamond and one more heart were painless enough; but when declarer ruffed a club to hand, then crossed to the diamond king to play the last trump, East was caught in a triple squeeze.

Dummy had a trump, three diamonds and the club 10 left, while declarer had Q-10-8 of hearts and ace-doubleton in diamonds. East had to discard from his doubleton heart jack, doubleton diamond jack and master club, and whatever he threw, declarer could arrange to take the rest of the tricks.