“Civilizations, I believe, come to birth and proceed to grow by successfully responding to successive challenges.” – Arnold Toynbee

Today’s deal comes from the world championships held in Estoril a couple of years ago. There always are two teams from North America permitted to compete, but they always must meet before the finals. In this case it was at the quarterfinal stage that one team had to eliminate the other. In the women’s event, the Venice Cup, Jill Levin, South, and her partner, Sue Picus, were part of the successful squad. Today’s deal helped them on their way.

Levin took a rather idiosyncratic approach in the auction, insisting on hearts rather than proposing diamonds as a possible trump suit. Had she done so, she might have reached a safer game of five diamonds.

However, no harm befell Levin in four hearts. On the opening spade lead, she covered in dummy and ruffed East’s spade queen away, then passed the heart three around to East. That player returned a trump, and declarer eventually emerged with 10 tricks when the diamonds behaved.

In the post-mortem, a curious defense to the game was discovered. The only way to beat four hearts, not easy to find, is for East to play a low spade back into the tenace, forcing out one of dummy’s high spades. Then West can force declarer twice more by leading spades when she gets on lead with trumps. That would establish West’s long trump for the setting trick.

Bid with the aces

South holds:

Answer: Although it looks counterintuitive, it is correct to respond one spade here, planning to compete to two hearts if the opponents bid further in the minors. You may not have a great hand, but you surely have a decent fit in one major or the other, so you want to get them both in economically.