ACES ON BRIDGE

Today and tomorrow, we will see two remarkably similar deals played in quick succession at the 2014 European Team Championships. Even stranger, Jacek Kalita of Poland declared both contracts.

Kalita preferred to bid his suits here, rather than open an off-shape no-trump. That let Simon de Wijs (West) show the red suits. Michal Nowosadzki eventually drove his partner to three no-trump, and de Wijs led a spade to the nine and 10. His partner, Bauke Muller, then shifted to the heart king. Kalita ducked, won the next heart with the queen and led a low diamond toward the jack. Had West ducked, declarer would have played a club to his hand to find the 5-0 split, then ducked a spade to endplay East into leading a black suit, for his ninth trick. Instead, de Wijs took his diamond king, and now declarer was home free. In the other room, a weak two-suited two-spade opening had bought the pot for -200, so Poland had 9 IMPs.

Had East found the inspired shift to the heart seven at trick two, declarer surely would have misguessed and inserted the heart 10. If so, South would have been able to recover only by the unlikely move of winning the heart ace and crossing to the club ace to lead a diamond to the jack. Even without the extra heart trick he had managed at the table, declarer could then survive by endplaying East with the heart king. He would thus pick up a trick in the black suits and force one defender or the other to give him a ninth.