ACES ON BRIDGE

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet;

This is not done by jostling in the street.”

-- William Blake

In today’s deal, North made a jump raise in hearts at his second turn rather than show spade shortage -- he would have needed something like an additional trump honor to make that call. South also took the discreet route when he made one cue-bid, then jumped to five hearts to ask for a spade control. North had enough for a grandslam try now, but South declined to cooperate. He knew his partner could not have as much as five good diamonds, the spade ace and the club king. If he did, he would have cue-bid six clubs over the jump to five hearts. (North could only make a grand-slam try if he had the spade ace.)

When dummy came down, South thought that his side might be cold for a grand slam, but that was no reason not to be careful. He won the spade lead, immediately led a low heart from dummy, and ducked East’s six. That player shifted to a club, and declarer won the ace, ruffed a spade, crossed to hand with a trump, ruffed a second spade, came to the diamond jack and drew trumps, with four diamond winners to take care of the two club losers in hand.

As the cards lie, with trumps not breaking and the club finesse losing, the only line to make the hand is to duck the first trump. Try it for yourself and you will find that if you win the first trump trick, you can no longer make the hand.

ANSWER: In this position an overcall of one no-trump shows the equivalent of a strong no-trump, but since your hand is at the minimum end of the range with such bare honors and without a diamond stop that it is probably a bit of a stretch. While the choice appears to be to bid one no-trump or to pass throughout, maybe on this occasion discretion really is the better part of valor.