ACES ON BRIDGE

Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before — consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves.

— George Eliot Today’s deal features an approach in which declarer takes his chances in the right order rather than putting all his eggs in one basket.

When South heard his partner transfer to spades, he had no reason to break the transfer, but at his third turn he could show a maximum hand with a source of tricks in his four-club call. Cue-bidding and Blackwood then got him to a slam that would have been excellent if West hadn’t hit upon the heart lead. How would you play it now?

This hand offers a simple choice of approaches.You can cash the spade ace, then take a finesse on the second round. This is an all-ornothing play, but it will lead to 13 tricks if spades behave. Alternatively, you can cash the top spades and, if nothing nice happens, go after clubs, hoping to pitch your heart from dummy on the fourth club, regardless of whether West ruffs in.

Taking the spade finesse (as opposed to the combination chance) wins when West has four spades to the queen and precisely three clubs, or precisely three spades to the queen and fewer than three clubs. Those combined chances happen about one time in 10. By contrast, playing spades from the top, then relying on clubs, brings the contract home (while the other line would fail) whenever East has a doubleton spade queen or when he has three spades to the queen and three or more clubs. That happens almost one time in three. So, cashing the spade ace-king is a far superior line. ANSWER: One choice is to rebid two notrump, even without a heart guard, in order to show the hand type. The second choice is to rebid spades, which might be acceptable even if you play it as promising six. For the record, bidding diamonds might not only mislead your partner, but would also highlight the heart weakness to the opponents.

bobbywolff@mindspring.com