ACES ON BRIDGE

This week’s deals were all played at the summer nationals in Las Vegas last year. Mikael Rimstedt of Sweden reported the following declarer play made by his brother, Ola, from the first qualifying session of the Roth Open Swiss Teams. The Rimstedts, still in their 20s, are reigning world pairs champions and are still improving. Ola opened one no-trump as South (showing 15-17, in theory), and Mikael raised to three no-trump. West led the heart 10 — what would you do as declarer here? The carding seems straightforward ... until you consider that the defenders have five winners to cash. You must somehow find a way to distract them.

Ola won the opening lead in hand and played a diamond to the 10, West ducking. Confident that it was West who held the diamond ace, but concerned that the opponents would switch to spades if he continued diamonds, Ola played spades himself, calling for dummy’s 10 at trick three!

When East covered with the queen (can you really blame him for doing so?), declarer had achieved his target of blocking the suit for the defenders.

East did the best he could now when he returned a heart, but declarer simply knocked out the diamond ace and still had time to safely take nine tricks. Very nice, indeed.

At the other table, South opened one diamond and passed North’s one-no-trump response. That declarer made the same nine tricks, but the Swedes had earned a big pickup.