Bridge

“Frank Stewart’s Bridge Club” is a light-hearted collection of stories loosely based on his experiences at the local bridge club. His jokes always have some tie-in to the hand. When a player at the club asks him to define “pedestrian,” his response is “Someone who thought the tank still had gas in it when the needle read empty.” The questioner then explains that his partner had said the line of play chosen in four spades on today’s deal was pedestrian. What do you think?

South captured East’s king on the first heart, drew trumps, and led a diamond to dummy’s 10. East took the queen and returned a heart, and South won and repeated the diamond finesse. East produced the king and shifted accurately to a club, and South had to lose a club to West’s king and a heart to his jack. Down one.

As Stewart points out, South was cold for four spades on an endplay, but it might be unfair to call the actual line of play a pedestrian one. Instead, South must indulge in some fancy footwork by refusing the first heart! He wins the next heart (a club would have been no better so long as declarer hops up with the ace), draws trump, cashes the other high heart, and leads the ace and a low club.

West takes the king and leads a diamond; but when East wins, he must lead a club or a heart, giving South a ruff-sluff, or return a diamond into dummy’s tenace.

Bid with the aces

South holds:

Answer: Jump to five diamonds, since partner’s three hearts suggests interest in game and describes a hand with shortness in clubs. Your club stop may be too feeble for no-trump, but since most of your values look useful in the suit contract, bid five diamonds.