ACES ON BRIDGE

Opening Lead: Diamond king

Sit South for this deal from an online tournament.You declare four spades on the lead of the diamond king. West shifts to the club king, which you take with dummy’s ace.You draw trumps in three rounds, but what now?

South cashed the club queen, to confirm the layout of that suit, and then exited on a diamond. East flew in with the ace and returned a club to declarer’s jack.When South then exited with a club, East had to win and open hearts, giving declarer two bites of the cherry.Alas, West held both the heart queen and heart 10, and the game failed.

Declarer could have saved himself by playing three rounds of hearts after he won the club jack, or by cashing two hearts and then playing a club to East, but such guesswork was not necessary.

Declarer had a 100% line available by exiting on a diamond without cashing a second club. If clubs are 3-2 at this stage,

I have it on good authority that they are likely to be 3-2 later on. East would win the diamond and would have a heart exit, but then declarer could play three rounds of that suit.The defender who won the trick would have to either offer up a ruff-and-discard or reopen the clubs. Say East were to win the third heart; declarer would run the club 10 return around to dummy and finesse the seven on the way back.

The correct line would work equally well if the defenders had cashed a second diamond at trick two, relieving declarer of his exit card.

ANSWER: The shape is right for a takeout double, and you might double facing an unpassed partner or when non-vulnerable. When vulnerable, opposite a passed hand, you should have extra shape or extra values for a double. You could persuade me to act with an extra high card (make one of your jacks a queen, for example), even at unfavorable vulnerability. As it is, I would reluctantly pass here.