ACES ON BRIDGE

“People count up the faults of those who keep them waiting.”

-- French Proverb

Today’s theme emphasizes the fact that it is essential for the defenders to try to count declarer’s hand. East failed to do the necessary work, and paid the price.

West led the heart three against four spades, and East won. Although he might have underled in hearts on the second round, this seemed like an unnecessary gamble, so he continued the suit from the top.

Declarer ruffed the third heart and drew trumps in two rounds with the ace and queen. He continued by running the club nine to East’s jack. A heart lead would now concede a ruff and discard, and a club appeared suicidal, being straight into dummy’s ace-queen. So East decided to lead a low diamond.

There was the chance that West might hold the queen or that South might misguess or that declarer would still be left with a club loser. However, declarer went up with the queen and, when this held, could now claim his contract on a cross-ruff.

What did East see, all too late, that prompted subsequent self-flagellation? That the apparently foolish club return was in fact safe! South was known to have started with five spades and two hearts -- hence he held six cards in the minor suits. No matter how they were distributed, he would not be able to get enough discards on dummy’s clubs, and East would be bound to come to his diamond king at the end.

Admittedly, had East underled in hearts at trick two, the defenders could have defeated the hand more easily, but this would have been fatal on a different day.

ANSWER: You would have passed out two clubs had your RHO not bid. As it is, should you redouble, and try to make him pay for his indiscretion? I think so. You hope to get your partner to double a call of two hearts to your left, or perhaps to rebid three clubs, with extra offense and maybe a seven-card club suit. Incidentally, passing then doubling would be the way to prevent partner from having to exercise judgment.