ACES ON BRIDGE

Against your contract of three notrump, West leads the spade seven. You duck East’s queen and win the second spade (since if spades are 4-3, they pose no imminent danger to you).

You have five top tricks and must aim to score four tricks from the diamond suit. Additionally, though, when West holds five spades, you must set up the diamonds without allowing West on lead. This can be done if East holds three diamonds to the queen — but only if you take care to lead diamonds twice toward your hand.

Therefore, after taking the spade ace, cross to the heart ace and lead a low diamond. East plays low and you win with the diamond ace. You return to dummy with a club and lead another diamond. If East rises with the queen, you will let it hold. He will probably play low instead, and you win with the king. When you surrender a third round of the suit, it is East (the safe hand) who has to win the trick. As a result of good fortune combined with sound technique, you make your game.

Do you see why it was right to win the second round of spades? Suppose you had held up the spade ace a second time. West might then have played a middle (suit-preference) spade for want of anything better to do, and a bright East could then ditch the diamond queen! This would promote West’s diamond jack to an entry.

ANSWER:

You have a three-way choice. You could overcall one no-trump without a club stopper (on the basis that East hasn’t really bid clubs yet); you could double for takeout without four cards in either major; or you could overcall one diamond and hope partner will introduce a major suit if that is your best strain for game or partscore. My vote goes to the double, with the overcall close behind.