ACES ON BRIDGE

“The old know what they want; the young are sad and bewildered.”

-- Logan Pearsall Smith

The central idea on this deal is one that has been around for a while, but I think it deserves another airing.

Imagine you play three notrump on the predictable lead of the heart 10 to dummy’s king. It is hard to see much prospect of making your game if you cannot get the diamonds going, so you lead a diamond to your king, which holds. So far, so good -- but what next?

I suspect the majority of declarers would cross to a club in dummy and play a second diamond. If East gets it right, he will hop up with his ace, and the defenders will cash their hearts. Now declarer is left with a black- suit loser at the end -- unless West does something very foolish like discarding a club on the fifth heart.

Instead, declarer must rely on the hearts being 5- 4 ( as they are heavily favored to be), and should cross to dummy with a heart at trick three to lead a second diamond. The point is that he has to keep the club king as the entry to cash the long diamond after East has played the ace on the second round of diamonds, temporarily blocking that suit for declarer.

The difference is that the defenders can cash three hearts, but now the diamonds play for three tricks; the club king can no longer be dislodged from dummy as the eventual entry to enjoy the long diamond.

ANSWER: The modern style ( which I certainly would not insist you play) is to use all jump raises facing an opening or overcall in competition as shapely, not based on an invitation in high cards. But I would not bid three hearts here at any vulnerability. You are not just weak with a square distribution, you have all your assets -- such as they are -- in the side suits. A simple raise to two hearts should more than suffice.