ACES ON BRIDGE

“Times go by turns, and chances change by course,

From foul to fair, from better hap to worse.”

— Robert Southey

North’s aggression in today’s deal landed his partner in a horrid contract. Though the cards lay well, and declarer guessed accurately, the defenders missed their chance to set the hand.

When North found an ambitious double of three diamonds, South tried three no-trump, knowing he could shut East out of the diamonds. Passing might also have been a reasonable option.

East overtook West’s lead of the diamond queen, and declarer ducked, in case the suit split 6-2, then won the diamond jack continuation. South needed West to have both major-suit aces, but he first needed to set up clubs and wanted to keep East off lead. So he began with a club to the king and returned the club jack, picking off East’s queen. Even so, declarer was still only up to six tricks.

However, on the run of the clubs, with dummy reducing to kingthird in each major, West came under severe pressure. He chose to come down to four spades and two hearts, hoping declarer would misread the position. But declarer led a heart to his king to establish two tricks there and made a spade in the ending for his ninth trick. Had West pitched two spades instead, declarer would have needed to play a spade at trick eight, but South probably would have diagnosed the layout.

West should have kept three cards in each major, then when declarer played a heart, he could have put in the queen to create an entry to East’s hand with his doubleton heart jack.

ANSWER: Game is not in the picture, and partner should have a good suit for a two-level response as a passed hand; otherwise, he would respond one no-trump. And he is quite likely to have a six-card suit, for the same reason. Your singleton queen should prove useful, but perhaps only if you are playing in diamonds. So it is close between passing and correcting to two hearts. A good hand for Flannery!