THE ACES ON BRIDGE

“Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it.” -- Publilius Syrus .....................

Some deals present problems for the expert that would not occur to a beginner or an intermediate. So if you do not find the winning line in today’s deal, you can console yourself by knowing that when an international player was presented with this slam, he went down like a stone. Thus you may be able to put yourself in good company -- or if you succeed, you can claim your spot at the next world championship.

You must plan the play in six hearts after North’s support double has found an easy way for you to identify your fit and to reach the heart slam. West hits on the lead of the diamond queen.

Which hand will you win the trick in -- and what will you do next? If West has jack-fourth of trumps, you would need to guess that from the start, and in practice you will never do that. If East has J-x-x-x of trumps, you can pick up the suit easily. But what if East has five trumps?

To preserve your entries, win your diamond king, play a heart to dummy’s king, and discover the hostile break. Next take a heart finesse, then lead a spade to the king and take another heart finesse. That allows you to draw trump and knock out the club ace while you still have a diamond entry to reach dummy’s clubs.

If you start trumps by leading the ace, you will be unable to pick up the suit.