ACES ON BRIDGE

“If you think cryptography is the answer to your problem, then you don’t know what your problem is.”

— Peter G. Neumann

If you are going to send a message on defense, be conscious that declarer might be listening in. There is no such thing as a closed line at the bridge table.

South opens one no-trump in this deal from a pairs event at the Austin Nationals, and North invites game, declined by South (a questionable decision, even at matchpoint scoring). East wins the spade lead with the ace and returns the nine, ducked by declarer as dummy sheds a heart. Then comes a third spade to declarer’s king, West dropping the queen to show a liking for hearts.

The key for declarer is to watch and properly interpret West’s suit-preference signal. West does not know the diamonds are running, so if East gets in early, West wants his partner to put him on lead.

It is logical to infer that the heart finesse will lose, assuming West is signaling honestly by dropping an unnecessarily high spade.

Thus, declarer cashes three diamonds ending in hand and exits with a spade. West can cash out but is then forced to play a heart (or a club) to concede an eighth trick.

The heart finesse would be declarer’s only play in game (and he would surely win the second spade to avoid a troublesome club shift), but there was no such urgent action required in two no-trump. Nor did declarer have to risk leading a club to the king.

Had West signaled for clubs instead, declarer might have tried the heart finesse, playing for an overtrick, but that seemed counter-indicated here.

ANSWER: One no-trump would show your hand type in one fell swoop, and having a club stopper that can be knocked out so quickly is not such a serious issue when East might have as few as three clubs. A takeout double would leave you poorly positioned after a one-heart response because a continuation of rebidding one no-trump would be a real overbid, and you might miss game by passing.