ACES ON BRIDGE

If the defenders false-card early in the play, they must be concerned about their partner being led astray. Declarer is not constrained by any such concerns.

Many classic opportunities for mischief crop up when declarer has a wide-open suit in a notrump contract, but the defenders fail to attack it at trick one. If so, when declarer may have to surrender a trick, he must encourage a continuation of the originally led suit, sometimes sacrificing a trick to create an illusion.

Here, North’s sterile shape persuades him to eschew Stayman and blast out three no-trump. As it turns out, his choice of action neither helps nor hurts the defense, but leaves declarer’s shape a little less defined. West naturally leads the heart six to East’s jack. If South wins the queen, the defense may see little future in hearts and attack clubs if they regain the lead with the diamond king. So South might try the effect of winning the heart ace. He has tricks to burn, after all, if the diamond finesse succeeds. Declarer then leads the spade jack to the ace and finesses the diamond queen to West. Who would not continue hearts, expecting the heart queen to be with East? Thus, declarer regains his second heart trick, with interest.

West might legitimately wonder why declarer had taken the first trick if hearts were the danger suit. But wouldn’t West have gotten the defense right if he knew South had the hearts under control?