ACES ON BRIDGE

“They (the people of Uxbridge) will steal the very teeth out of your mouth as you walk the streets. I know it from experience.”

— William Arabin

Some players derive more pleasure from making their contract by a swindle than by executing a textbook play.

It’s even more gratifying to achieve the coup against opponents who could use a remedial class in charm school.

In today’s deal, South opened two clubs, and after neither player held back, the final contract was seven hearts. West led his lone trump, and though only 12 top tricks were in view, South was not going to give up lightly. He won and played six more trumps, discarding two spades and a diamond from the table.

In the six-card ending, both defenders had kept all their clubs; West had also kept the guarded spade king as East pitched four diamonds, then the spade nine. Perhaps East-West’s signaling methods were not the most accurate, but when declarer took the diamond ace, West bared his spade king to keep the clubs, and the defense was over.

Declarer unblocked spades, came to the club ace and took the last three tricks with his spades. Then, having scored up the board, he could sit back and enjoy the East-West allocation of blame.

Where would you put the responsibility, and how can the defenders do better? Once they see declarer’s seven hearts, each defender can count his 12 top tricks. Both should see that when neither discards a club, their partner has four. So East must keep clubs, and his partner must pitch them to protect spades. Maybe at trick eight, West can work out what to do, but it isn’t easy.

ANSWER: Hearts cannot be the right place to play here, but should you bid three spades and try to maneuver partner into three notrump, or just revert to four clubs? I think the former action is more flexible, though it may be easier for partner to bid three no-trump.