aceS on bridge

“There are men in the world who derive as stern an exaltation from the proximity of disaster and ruin, as others from success.”

-- Winston Churchill

Today’s deal demonstrates that one should always go for that slim extra chance. You never know when the card gods are going to reward you for digging around to find a way to overcome a bad break or an unfriendly lie of the cards.

When you declare four hearts, the spade queen is led to the first trick. It seems that you must rely on the diamond ace being onside. Can you do better, though?

There is indeed an extra chance when the diamond ace is wrong, and this is that East holds either the club king-queen or a doubleton club honor. To prevent East from gaining the lead when he has both club honors, you must duck the opening lead in both hands -- a strange-looking play, but one that can hardly cost since you have plenty of other losers to discard on the spade winner. After winning the next spade in hand, cross to dummy by leading the heart jack to the queen, then playing the club two, intending to insert the jack.

East must therefore split his honors, and you take East’s queen with the ace, play the heart two to dummy’s seven, then throw the club jack on the spade ace and lead the club 10. After ruffing away East’s king with your trump king, play the heart two to dummy’s seven. You can now throw a diamond on the good club nine and can even lead a diamond to the king in the search for the overtrick.

ANSWER: Stayman or a simple raise to three no-trump? The balanced shape argues against looking for a major-suit fit, and in the process giving away your shape to the opposition. In favor of investigation are the three small cards in two suits, either of which could be a fatal weakness at no-trump. Put me down for Stayman, but it is a close call. If you made the diamond six the jack, I might go the other way.