ACES ON BRIDGE

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking. But now, Heaven knows, anything goes.

— Cole Porter As West, it is your job here to interpret partner’s signal rather than deliver one to him, when he provides a suit preference signal as he delivers a ruff.

You lead your singleton heart against four spades. Partner tops dummy’s king with the ace as declarer drops the six. Back comes the heart seven for you to ruff, as declarer follows with the jack. What now?

To set the game, partner must have an ace so that you can get him in for a further heart ruff, but his return is not easy to interpret. There are five hearts outstanding: 10, nine, eight, five, three. Partner must have four of those because declarer denied four hearts in response to Stayman. Therefore, partner’s heart seven cannot be either his highest or his lowest. We tend to paint our pictures in the brightest colors we can unless we have no message to send. Thus, partner cannot have either minor-suit ace. Is it time to give up?

No, your only chance is that partner has the trump ace: No other entry is quick enough. Moreover, you must cross to him for the ruff right away, lest declarer potentially discard a heart from dummy on a club winner and deprive you of your ruff. Thus, you shift to a trump in order to take a ruff!

Partner grabs the spade ace and plays another heart for you to ruff. Had you not played a trump immediately, declarer would have pitched a heart on the clubs before touching trumps. Dummy would then be able to overruff you on the third round of hearts.

ANSWER: You should not have two aces for a weak two opening. Partner will not expect two defensive tricks and might over-compete. Your heart suit is the antithesis of what a weak two should be: all defense and no offense. I would pass in any position except third seat non-vulnerable. You could persuade me to act if the heart three were the 10, I suppose.