ACES ON BRIDGE

In a London league match, the bidding was fairly routine up until North’s four-spade call, which seems strongly contraindicated by his heart holding. Luckily, South held a good fit. West doubled in a fit of pique and led out the diamond king to North’s ace.

Declarer decided on a cross-ruff. If he could score all eight of his trumps separately by way of red-suit ruffs, he would succeed. He had to give up a heart en route, though, after which a trump shift would surely beat him. His only legitimate chance was to find West with a trump void (not impossible on the auction), as well as both top hearts, so that East could not gain the lead.

Even if he found this miracle layout, declarer could not afford to cash the club ace early, as is normally correct on crossruff hands. That would free a path to the East hand for a trump shift. So he gave up a heart at once, leading the heart queen from dummy to try to keep East out. West persisted with diamonds, ruffed in dummy. Now declarer ruffed a heart, cashed the club ace, ruffed a diamond and ruffed another heart. When declarer ruffed his last diamond, East shed a heart and then ruffed the last heart with the spade nine, but it did not help. South overruffed and exited with a club, awaiting a lead into his ace-eight tenace.

It is not every day that declarer wishes for a 5-0 trump break! West would have had to lead a club to set the hand — nigh impossible to find.

ANSWER: Reverse into two hearts, intending to bid clubs or no-trump next. This gets your values across immediately, while a two-club rebid might leave you playing catch-up since you had not yet shown extras. You are probably not going to be able to show your full pattern easily. At your next turn, a club bid probably shows a fragment, not four, but it is the best you can do.