This week, we will be focusing on some fun deals from the 2025 World Team Championships in Herning, Denmark — particularly the open event, the Bermuda Bowl, won by USA.
East’s four-heart opening puts you as South under pressure, so you try four spades. West doubles and leads the heart queen. Plan the play.
It is often right to start on your side suit before drawing trumps. Here, lead a club to the king at once — the trumps can wait and may be needed for control or transportation.
East wins with the club ace and plays back a diamond to West’s king. Now comes the heart jack. You might as well discard your diamond loser on that one. When you do, West plays a third heart, which you ruff.
It looks easy from here — just draw trumps and enjoy the clubs, right? However, the alarm bells should be ringing. On what grounds did West double? Just the diamond ace and king, facing a preempt? Surely not. He probably has five trumps, a theory borne out by his line of defense and East’s six-card four-heart opening, presumably based on extra shape.
If trumps are 5-0, you cannot draw trumps, but you can neutralize West’s holding by running your winning clubs through him as trump substitutes. If West discards, you just keep playing clubs. Whenever he ruffs in, you can overruff with the ace and then overtake your spade jack to draw trumps.
East could have beaten you by holding up his club ace at trick two. You would then be an entry short to establish clubs and run the suit through West.