ACES ON BRIDGE

“I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything... at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything.”

-- Dan Millman

Today’s deal comes from the winners of the Brighton Senior pairs, which included one of my journalistic contacts, Brian Senior.

As Brian admitted, he had been lucky here. First, the North-South methods meant that Senior, East, could get in a spade overcall to attract the most threatening opening lead; and second, declarer’s technique was found wanting. In three no-trump, declarer won the spade lead in dummy to play a club to the jack and ace, and Geoff Wolfarth as West cleared the spades. When declarer lost the heart finesse, Senior had spades to cash for down one; this represented 75 percent of the matchpoints for East-West.

After the spade overcall, declarer must attack East’s potential late entry first. If East has the club ace as well as the heart king, the contract appears to be doomed unless declarer can manufacture an endplay -- but on the actual layout, it can be made by knocking out, the heart king before the spades have been established. As you plan to play on both hearts and clubs eventually, arrange to take the heart finesse before playing on clubs. That means winning the first spade with the king as before, but then crossing to hand with the diamond ace to run the heart jack.

This approach makes the contract on the actual lie of the cards, while if the heart king and club ace were switched, declarer would score two heart tricks without losing the lead. He could then play on clubs and succeed whenever that suit divides evenly.