Aces on Bridge

I have been experimenting this year with a new category of themed deals. Every month I will run one week’s worth of deals with a common theme, generally during the play. This week’s deals all feature a problem for declarer or defense where the critical suit is missing both the queen and the jack.

Today’s deal is one fairly typical example of a subgenre of the theme. Both North and South had a series of delicate decisions: South’s reopening double looked clear, then North took an aggressive position, after which South was very close to driving to slam. Eventually, he decided to respect his partner’s signoff. But make up your own mind how you would play five diamonds on a top club lead from West.

After that lead, South had a classic opportunity to take out insurance. In six diamonds, declarer would surely have played for either hearts or diamonds to break; but in five, he could virtually ensure his contract with a simple example of a safety play. By winning the club ace and leading a low diamond to East’s five and his own six, he could guarantee losing no more than one diamond and one spade. If West could win the first diamond, then declarer could guarantee being able to draw trumps and ruff the fourth heart safely in dummy, losing just one further trick in spades.

Admittedly, the lie of the cards was remarkably hostile, but not altogether unexpected given the initial preempt by West. And if you can guard against bad breaks, why not do so?