ACES ON BRIDGE

On the following deal, the play and the defense were very complex, and it was Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell who prevailed in a taut battle between Ron Rubin as declarer and the defenders, after an artificial sequence. Against four spades, Rodwell found the best lead of the diamond 10. Rubin won the ace perforce and played a spade, on which Rodwell discarded a heart. Rubin eventually went up with the spade ace, ending his chances to make the contract, as long as the defenders did not err.

Rubin next played a club to the king and Rodwell’s ace and ruffed the diamond return. He then cashed the club jack, played a club to the queen and ruffed dummy’s last diamond. Now he played a heart to the king in dummy and another heart, covering the jack with the queen. Rodwell could have let the contract through if he had played a diamond, for declarer would ruff, discard his club, then on the play of dummy’s club, discard the heart if East split his spade honors, taking the final two tricks with the spade king-10. Rodwell accurately continued with the heart 10, however, and now it was up to Meckstroth to do the right thing by discarding his diamond instead of overruffing. Rubin was down to two trumps in each hand, and he had to lose two of the last three tricks for minus 50.

At trick two declarer must run the spade 10. He can then use his entries to dummy to take a second trump finesse and eventually draw trumps whichever red suit the defenders play on.