ACES ON BRIDGE

In this deal from a multiple teams event, the respective declarers, playing in the same strain, managed nine and 12 tricks.

The auction in the featured room was very optimistic. North’s splinter bid of four hearts was about right, but South’s jump to five spades, a general slam invite denying any outside controls, was something of a stretch when his side had only eight trumps. North pressed on in the hope that at least one minor would run.

Against the slam, West’s passive trump lead ran around to South’s nine. Declarer finessed the club 10 to East’s king and won the club return in dummy. He then cashed two diamonds, ruffed a diamond high and crossed to the spade queen. If both defenders had followed, he intended to cash the club ace and ruff a club, succeeding when clubs were 4-2 and the last trump was with the length. When East showed out on the spade, declarer had to rely on a 3-3 club split. He crossed back to the spade king before reentering dummy in clubs. The 3-3 break saw him home.

When in with the club king, East should have deduced that a heart was best. Then declarer would have been unable to spare a trump from hand to ruff out the opponents’ diamond winners.

At the other table, North declared four spades on the heart king lead. He ruffed, cashed a top spade and played the diamond ace, king and another diamond, pitching a heart from dummy. He ruffed the next heart and proceeded to overtake the spade jack in dummy. Now the bad trump break meant he had to go down.

ANSWER: I can see a case for opening three hearts. You have little hope of making a game, and your heart holding is poor in terms of defense, so put a premium on getting in the opponents’ way with a heavy preempt. You would open one heart rather than two facing an unpassed partner, even in second seat vulnerable, but here obstruction is the order of the day.

“Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions.” — John Milton