ACES ON BRIDGE

“It was beautiful and simple as all truly great swindles are.” -- O. Henry

Some people play that South’s two no-trump response shows a balanced 13 to 15 points with no four-card major, while others would bid three no-trump with this hand. Here, when South shows his minimum game-force, North can raise to three no-trump without considering any other action.

After a spade lead, South can determine that to make game, he needs a total of four tricks from the minor suits. Each suit will easily furnish three tricks but no more, so South will need to utilize both suits in some fashion to make his game.

If South follows a straightforward approach, the opponents are likely to win an ace, then knock out the spade queen. They will now be in position to take their second ace and run the spades, defeating the contract.

South must therefore try to steal one trick in clubs or diamonds. He can then switch to the other suit and make his game by knocking out the second ace.

There is little chance to engineer a swindle in clubs, but the diamonds are a horse of a different color. South should lead the diamond jack at trick two, as though planning a finesse against the queen. Even though South owns the diamond queen, his opponents don’t know this.

As South hopes, West plays low on the diamond jack, expecting South to lose a finesse to East’s presumed diamond queen.

Having thus stolen a diamond trick, South can shift his attention to clubs and ensure his nine tricks.

ANSWER: There is no rule against using Stayman on flat hands. But the weaker your major, the less attractive it is. Here, a 4-4 or 5-4 heart fit might be right if the diamonds were open; equally, a 4-4 heart fit breaking badly might go down when the no-trump game came home. And Stayman may allow a lead-directing double or may reveal declarer’s shape to the defense. So I’d just raise to three no-trump.