ACES ON BRIDGE

Today’s deal was recently voted the best-played hand of 2011. Geir Helgemo was at the helm, a man who would be pretty close to the top of most people’s lists of world’s best declarers.

After the two-suited overcall, South heard his partner show short clubs. He asked for keycards, and North treated his fifth spade as the queen, making it easy for Helgemo to bid the grand slam.

When West led the club king, East followed with the jack. With all four hands visible, can you see how Helgemo made his contract?

Helgemo reasoned that West sould be 5-6 and that he also should have two diamonds — since East might have bid an eight-card diamond suit. So he won the club ace, cashed the heart ace, then the diamond king and ace and the heart king. He next played the spade nine from dummy and ran it!

You might wonder how all this maneuvering was going to benefit him, but watch the magician at work. After a spade to the jack, he played the spade king, and by virtue of the earlier trump finesse he was now in position to duck or overtake in dummy, depending on West’s play. This spectacular maneuver is called the Entry-Shifting Squeeze.

If West had discarded a club, Helgemo would have ducked in dummy, after which he could ruff two clubs, setting up the fifth club in hand. If West had thrown a heart, declarer would have overtaken with the ace and been able to set up the long heart.

ANSWER: A once-promising hand has suddenly turned to dust and ashes. The huge misfit suggests that a call of two no-trump is enough. If you do not have a fit, there is no reason to assume your side can make game unless partner produces extra values. Some people play three hearts here as invitational with both majors; even if you do, I’d prefer better spots in my long suits.

“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” — Beyonce Knowles