ACES ON BRIDGE

The judicious application of scissors would have seen the declarers home on today’s hand, but both Souths missed their chance for the unkindest cut of all. The two Souths played four spades, and at each table West led the heart queen. The first South rose with dummy’s ace, then cashed the trump ace and king, being disappointed to find the 3-1 break. Next came the club ace, followed by a diamond to the king. Had West held the diamond ace or had diamonds broken 3-3, declarer would have made 10 tricks. As it was, East won and played a low heart to West’s nine. West continued with the trump queen, and now declarer had no entry to dummy’s clubs for diamond discards. At the other table, after winning the heart lead, just one round of trumps was cashed before South played a diamond to the king. East won; now West ruffed the diamond return and played a heart to East’s king; the second diamond ruff sank the game. Declarer here was on the right track, but after drawing just one round of trumps, had he exited with his second heart — the Scissors Coup — communications between the defenders would have been cut. Declarer could subsequently have gone about his business, in the knowledge that West could obtain a maximum of one ruff — with a trick to which he was entitled anyway. Of course, ducking the first heart is almost as good. Even if the defenders take a ruff, the contract will only go down if one defender has a singleton spade and singleton diamond.