ACES ON BRIDGE

“What is the answer? ... In that case, what is the question?”

— Gertrude Stein’s last words

Kit Woolsey offered up today’s problem from a Vanderbilt Knockout Trophy event in Memphis. You are given the full deal, but you may want to focus on just the North and West cards initially.

You lead the club eight (playing third-highest from an even number of cards and low from an odd number) and discover dummy has been simulating more values than he actually has, to keep you out of the auction.

Your club lead goes to partner’s ace. Back comes the heart 10 to declarer’s ace. South plays a second club, and you win the king to continue the attack on hearts.

Declarer wins in dummy, cashes the club queen to discard a heart, then plays a low spade from dummy. Your partner discards the diamond queen, making it clear that underleading the ace won’t give declarer a chance to guess wrong.

So you capture declarer’s spade king with your ace, cash the diamond ace, and play a diamond, locking declarer in dummy. Now declarer has a real problem: How does he get back to hand to take the marked spade finesse?

As you can see, a club is safe, but a heart will be overruffed.

A careful declarer is going to ruff a club to hand (having registered that your partner did not play the club jack to the first trick) ... that is, unless you dropped the club jack under the queen a few tricks ago!

Woolsey found this deceptive play, and consequently declarer went with the odds when he tried to ruff a heart to hand, for down one.

ANSWER: Your partner has suggested a good hand with short spades, or he could not back into an auction where he was unable to overcall at the one-level. He must surely also have club length. So you can safely bid three clubs as a suggestion of a place to play, perhaps a little worried that you have not yet done your hand full justice.