ACES ON BRIDGE

“True realism consists in revealing the surprising things which habit keeps covered and prevents us from seeing.”

— Jean Cocteau

In today’s deal, declarer took advantage of a defensive knee-jerk reaction to land his game.

Playing a conventional defense against one no-trump, West had no good call at his first turn. North raised aggressively to three notrump, eschewing Stayman with his flat shape, scattered honors and poor major suit.

The club lead went to East’s king, and back came an attitude heart nine. Declarer chose to duck, and West had to overtake. He continued clubs, East parting with a spade as South finessed. Declarer now weighed the evidence. East appeared to have started with at most three hearts, so he must have a five-card suit, probably spades. East surely would not make a potentially fatal discard from a fourcard holding so early. So declarer crossed to the spade queen and finessed the spade nine on the way back, before running the spades. West had to keep both his hearts and his diamonds in order to force declarer to guess in diamonds, so he discarded down to one club.

It was now relatively straightforward for declarer. Trusting his card-reading, he cashed the club ace and exited with the heart ace and another heart. Whoever won the trick would have to broach the diamonds and resolve declarer’s guess.

Had East pitched a heart instead of the “idle fifth” spade, declarer might have gone wrong by cashing the spade ace and continuing with a spade to the queen, hoping to find West with a doubleton that included either the jack or 10.

ANSWER: Bid two spades. While it is very tempting to pass, partner could have a rock-crusher, and together you could have a game. The club king may be worth its weight in gold. Rebid two spades to show your fifth card, and let partner take it from there. If he makes a minimum call of two no-trump or three clubs, you can pass and hope.