That is the last, does it matter?

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Susan Orlean, a journalist and author, said, “My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays.”

A bridge player’s ace in the hole is knowing when to break the “rules” of the game, like “second hand low,” “third hand high” and “cover an honor with an honor.”

In today’s deal, South opens one no-trump, and North raises to game, thinking it will be a breeze. Well, after West leads the spade king, how should the declarer play and defense proceed?

South starts with seven top tricks: one spade, three hearts, two diamonds and one club. A winning finesse in either minor will see the contract home with at least one overtrick.

In isolation, the correct technique is first to cash the diamond ace and king, hoping to drop the queen; then, if she has not appeared, to take the club finesse.

Here, as you can see, this results in down two, the defenders taking four spades, one diamond and one club.

However, declarer can set a small trap for East. At trick three (or two), he should play a heart to the board, then lead the diamond jack. If East thinks only about covering the last of touching honors, he will play his queen, and the contract will make.

How does East know what to do? By checking the high-card points as soon as the dummy appears. With 14 on the board, five in his hand and five (the spade king-queen) in partner’s hand, that leaves only 16 points missing. These must be in declarer’s hand, given that all four jacks are in the dummy. So there is no point in covering the jack of diamonds.

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