“The combat deepens. On, ye brave, Who rush to glory or the grave!” - Thomas Campbell

Knowing when to duck and when to win a trick is difficult to learn. Generally, beginners are all too quick to snatch tricks offered them. Experience eventually teaches them when to refuse some of these opportunities. Would you have defended correctly in today’s deal?

Against four spades, a diamond lead would have left declarer without recourse, but West chose the passive club lead. Declarer won in hand with the ace and played a spade to dummy’s king. East played the …?

If you played the ace, you would have soon conceded 420. Suppose you return a diamond. Declarer wins in the dummy and finesses in spades. He then crosses to dummy by overtaking his club queen with the king, and finesses in spades again. He can now draw trumps and run the clubs.

Look at what happens if East ducks the spade king. Declarer immediately finesses in spades, but now has a problem crossing back to dummy.

Suppose he follows the same line by overtaking the club queen with the king and leading another spade. East wins (though ducking again works just as well) and plays a diamond. Declarer now can’t get back to hand to draw trumps.

Alternatively, declarer may choose to go to dummy with a diamond himself. Now, when he plays a spade, East goes in with the ace and continues diamonds. As dummy is out of trumps, continued diamond plays will promote a second trump trick for East.

Bid with the aces

South holds:

Answer: I cannot say that it will never work to overcall in the direct seat with this pattern, but it is against the odds. To make two spades, you probably need partner to hold enough high cards that you would have set one no-trump. You also have the advantage of the lead against their contract, so I would recommend passing. In balancing seat it is more tempting to bid.