ACES ON BRIDGE

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”

-- Aldous Huxley

Jeff Meckstroth has been one of the world’s great players for 35 years. Here is one of his early and favorite declarer-play hands.

Against one no-trump, Billy Rosen led the diamond two, and Meckstroth made the first of many good decisions: to run this to his 10 as Milt Rosenberg played small. Then declarer followed up with the diamond three. When West split his honors Meckstroth did well again, ducking to force East to win his bare ace.

Rosenberg returned a low club, and Meckstroth won the king and led the spade jack from his hand to West’s king. He ducked the next club, won the third round of the suit, and ducked another spade to East, who cashed the master club as both West and South threw hearts and dummy pitched a diamond.

Back came a heart to South’s ace, and declarer crossed to dummy with a spade; on this trick Rosen was squeezed. He had to discard a heart, or declarer could cash two diamonds, so he was forced to reduce to the bare heart queen, and now declarer led a heart from the table.

East could duck -- in which case West would win and surrender the last two tricks to dummy -- or he could take his king and concede the last two tricks to South with the heart six and spade ace.

Some experts would probably refer to this as some sort of a Vise or a Winkle or a Stepping-stone. Most of us would just call it magic!

ANSWER:

Without the competition to two diamonds, your raise to two hearts would suggest extras (maybe 16-18 and four trumps). In competition, the call could easily be made on any shape-suitable double with four trumps. Does that mean you should do more here? No, it does not. You are close to a maximum for your call, but certainly within range -- and partner can bid on with hopes of game.