“I am Independence Hall, the Monitor and the Merrimack.” - Otto Whittaker

At trick one declarer, in four spades, plays a low club from dummy, you win the ace, and declarer plays the six.

What now?

It looks as if you can set up a second club trick, and you expect to make your heart ace, but where is the fourth defensive trick to come from?

It is better not to rely on partner’s producing a trump trick if you don’t have to.

On the bidding and play so far, declarer appears to have five spades and three clubs.

Suppose, after winning your club ace, you play a club back.

Declarer will win, draw three rounds of trumps and play a heart.

No doubt your partner’s signal will tell you how many times to duck your ace of hearts.

But even so, whenever you do win it, you can cash just one club.

Declarer will be able to cross to the diamond ace and discard his diamond losers on the established hearts.

Your only chance is to find declarer with a favorable diamond holding; any three-card holding will do, or a doubleton without the queen.

At trick two you must switch to the diamond king, knocking out declarer’s entry to dummy.

He wins this (if he ducks, you switch back to clubs), draws trumps and plays a heart.

You duck the first heart, win the second and now can play either minor suit to come to four defensive tricks.

This particular play – that of switching to an unsupported high honor to knock out an entry – is called a Merrimac Coup.

Bid with the aces

South holds:

Answer: Bid one heart.

When you have the lowest-ranking suit after this start to the auction, it is best to bid it, or else partner may bypass that suit, assuming you do not hold it.

Additionally, you are less likely to get doubled if you act at once here.