ACES ON BRIDGE

As East, your promising hand comes to naught when South opens a two-suited two spades and North responds with a game-forcing three hearts. South’s three no-trump ends the auction. After your partner’s diamond queen lead, a powerful dummy is revealed. How do you plan to take five tricks?

There are eight tricks on the table, and partner’s lead of the queen marks the diamond king in the South hand. Still, at least declarer has to knock out your club ace.

Suppose you win with the diamond ace and return the suit. Declarer will take the diamond king and play a club. You will be unable to reach the diamond winners in partner’s hand. You will have to try a low spade shift, hoping to find partner with the queen, or that declarer misguesses and lets partner in with the spade jack. However, South will know by that stage that he cannot afford to let West gain the lead. His only chance will be to try the spade queen, and he will be happy with the result. Your job is to disguise the diamond position such that declarer does not know there is a danger hand to keep out of the lead. Win with the diamond ace and switch to a low spade immediately, as if you had a bare diamond ace. Declarer might then insert the spade 10, playing you for the ace-jack or king-jack along with the club ace. If that were the case, he might keep your partner from scoring any diamonds. It is a slim chance for your side, but it is the only one. If nothing else, it is generally desirable to give declarer a guess early rather than late.