ACES ON BRIDGE

“Every man is the maker of his own fortune.”

— Sir Richard Steele

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North-South reached a thin four-spade contract after South’s 14-16 one-no-trump opening. West led the diamond queen, and East overtook with the king to unblock the suit. Declarer took the trick with the diamond ace and then led out the spade ace, followed by another spade to the jack, queen and king. East returned a diamond to West, who pressed on with a third diamond. Whether declarer ruffed high in dummy or discarded, East would score his spade nine for the setting trick.

Declarer would have done better to duck the first diamond, severing the link between the defenders. Only then would he play the spade ace and another spade. East would take the latter with his spade king and return the suit as his best possible play, denuding declarer of a second heart ruff. Then declarer would eventually have to guess the hearts for his contract.

However, at trick six, rather than commit himself immediately, South could play on clubs first. East must take the first or second club, lest declarer have a lock by taking a ruffing heart finesse against East for a club discard. Upon winning the club ace (say East returned a club), declarer would win and cash a third club, discovering that East had begun with at most four clubs and apparently a doubleton in diamonds. Therefore, he most likely holds at least four hearts. The percentages favor any specific card to be in the holding with the length, so declarer would cash the heart ace-king and run the jack next, playing East for the queen.

ANSWER: Lead the diamond six. I am loath to underlead an honor against suit contracts at the best of times, and all the more so when declarer has a very strong hand. When you are aware that declarer has a strong hand, that is the time to go passive if you have no obvious alternative. Sometimes you will take a finesse for declarer that he could not take himself; more often, the result will be neutral at worst.