ACES ON BRIDGE

If I’d observed all the rules, I’d never have got anywhere.

— Marilyn Monroe

One of the big no-no’s of defense is to give declarer a ruff and discard, but when you know there are no more defensive tricks outside of trumps, it is often the most challenging play.

In today’s deal, West was not hardpressed to start with a low club to East’s ace, and a club came back to the king. Now suppose West gets off lead with a “safe” spade. Declarer wins in dummy, draws trump, cashes the other top spade, then plays the heart ace and ruffs a heart. Declarer can crossruff spades and hearts until eventually all declarer has in hand is a good trump and a good spade, so the game rolls in.

At first glance it doesn’t look as if there is anything the defense can do, but look at what happens if West continues with a third club at trick three. Let us first suppose that declarer ruffs in dummy, discarding a spade from hand. It is relatively clear to see that this line will not succeed, because there are no longer enough trumps in dummy to ruff both spades. (If declarer does not draw trump, it will not be long before West scores his diamond 10.)

The alternative is for declarer to discard a heart from dummy and ruff in hand. But this does not work either, because although he has enough trumps in dummy to ruff the spades but good, he will not have a trump left in hand for the entry to the established spade.

ANSWER: Where you have huge support for your partner, showing that should take precedence over limiting your hand by defining your high cards. So here I would jump to four hearts, a splinter bid promising short hearts and spade support. If I had only four trumps, I might refrain from making a slam-try.