ACES ON BRIDGE

“Passive defense is actually a sham defense; active defense is the only real defense, the only defense for the purpose of counterattacking and taking the offensive.”

— Mao Zedong

At the European Championships last year, the England team bid boldly, then played even better to create a swing from nowhere against Israel.

When Andy Robson overcalled in diamonds, he dipped his toe into 800 territory, and Tony Forrester pushed the boat even farther out. But their opponents ignored them and settled for four spades rather than the superior four hearts they would surely have reached without the intervention.

Forrester accurately led a diamond, which Amir Levin ducked, giving Robson a choice of defenses. He decided to continue with a top diamond on the basis that if a shift were correct, declarer would not have ducked — good psychology.

Levin now found a splendid play; he led his low heart from hand. If Robson won and returned a top diamond, declarer could use the heart king as his re-entry to hand to draw trumps, conceding just one trump trick. But if Robson returned a heart, declarer could lead out trumps from the top, again losing just one trump. He would take three top trumps, cross to the club ace and play the heart jack to pitch his diamond. In fact, the first round of hearts went to Forrester’s three (giving count) and dummy’s jack, so Robson ducked!

Now declarer played a second heart. Robson won with his ace and shifted to a club to dummy’s jack. All declarer could do was lead dummy’s top heart, pitching a diamond. Forrester ruffed and led a club for his partner to ruff, for down one.

ANSWER: Two diamonds can be played either as encouraging but not forcing, or as forcing for one round. Either way, though, you have a great hand and should cue-bid two hearts to try to dredge up some spade support from your partner. I would bid on over a three-diamond call, preferring three no-trump.