ACES ON BRIDGE

“My thoughts by night are often filled

With visions false as fair: For in the past alone, I build My castles in the air.” — Thomas Love Peacock

We have all been victim of an endplay toward the middle or end of the hand, but an endplay rarely happens at trick two!

Today, a simple auction sees South declare three no-trump on an uninspired club lead, but even so, there are only six top tricks. Another can be established easily enough in the heart suit, though.

While declarer would be unlucky if all his finesses were to fail, he should make some effort to prepare for it.

The club lead is probably from length; after all, who leads from a three-card minor on this sequence? That is one of declarer's chances likely gone already — that of a threetwo club break. However, a sharp South can turn this to his advantage by ducking at trick one!

Left on lead, East has to open one of the other suits. A spade or a diamond gives up a trick at once, but a low heart merely postpones the evil hour.

Declarer's heart queen holds, then he cashes two top clubs, East pitching a spade and diamond. Now South plays a spade to the 10.

East wins the jack and is once again endplayed. Hoping for the best, he tries another low heart, but declarer wins his jack. Now he cashes the third top heart and is at the crossroads. If he guesses well, he will decide that East's defense indicates the spade and diamond finesses are losing. Instead of taking those finesses, he will play the spade ace and another spade, to throw East in. That player can cash his heart winner but will then have to lead into the diamond tenace.

ANSWER: It is borderline, but this hand is worth a limit raise to three spades. Two spades is too little, with four-card support and a singleton, while four spades

is too much — suggesting a different sort of hand. You cannot be sure how your hands will mesh, but three spades is the happy medium.