ACESONBRIDGE

Today’s deal comes from a Youth Bridge Team Championship in the Netherlands, where John Kranyak of the USA was partnering with Joe Grue. The Danish East opened a weak two spades, and Grue doubled. Kranyak set up a game force, then raised diamonds to game. Five spades was a cue-bid that showed first-round control of spades and denied first-round control of hearts. Kranyak would have liked to cue-bid hearts, but was not prepared to force his partner to the sevenlevel.

Since a six-diamond bid at this point would end the auction, he bid five no-trump, showing the heart ace and asking Grue to determine the final contract. Grue was happy to bid the grand slam.

When trumps broke, Grue ruffed a spade and a heart in dummy to score 13 tricks. At the other table, the Danes stopped in five diamonds, making seven.

On a spade lead, if everyone follows to the diamond ace, South can claim. If West shows out, declarer unblocks the heart ace, crosses to the club ace and throws a spade on the heart king. He ruffs a spade with the diamond 10, returns to hand with a club ruff and ruffs his losing heart high. He can then take the marked trump finesse against East. If East shows out on the diamond ace, declarer cashes the club ace, finesses the diamond 10 and ruffs a club high. He crosses back to the diamond king and then can arrange to ruff out the clubs, unless East started with a freak major two-suiter, which is impossible on the given auction.