ACES ON BRIDGE

“When in doubt, lead a trump” may be correct about as often as a stopped clock shows the right time. But twice a day it will be right — as this Platinum Pairs deal reveals.

The three-heart call was supposed to be constructive, hence the final raise. After West’s top diamond lead, game was cold. Declarer won in hand and led a low spade, West hopping up with the queen to play a heart to the 10 and ace. After a spade ruff, declarer advanced the diamond jack, planning to pitch his club if East ruffed high. When East discarded, away went the club. Declarer won the club continuation and ruffed a club, then ruffed another spade to bring down the ace. Now East-West could score only the heart queen.

And yes, the only lead to defeat the game is a trump! Mind you, even when a trump was led, it was not always enough. For example, a world champion sitting East saw his partner lead a trump. When declarer won in dummy and played the spade nine, ducking East’s 10, that player shifted to his singleton diamond and could no longer set the contract after the spade ace ruffed out. To be fair, East apologized at the end of the deal for missing the textbook defense of continuing with the heart queen, killing two ruffs for the price of one trump trick. (And if declarer later ruffs a spade with dummy’s jack, it repromotes the heart 10.)

East was unlucky to have such a tempting alternative on defense, but when holding the trump queen-10, shifting to the high trump is surely right — if you think about it.