Bridge

ACES WERE created to capture kings - sometimes even your own. This should give you a strong clue as to the best way to tackle today's hand.

South opened One Heart, North responded Two Clubs, South rebid Two No- trumps and North raised to game.

Against Three No-trumps West led the queen of diamonds, and declarer surveyed his prospects. Outside the club suit he had four top winners, therefore he needed the club suit to produce the other five. Dummy was also short of entries - the queen of spades might prove to be one but, equally, might not.

If the clubs were to break 3-3, that would see declarer home, but the odds are against this. However, as he needed only five club tricks, not six, he would be safe if the suit broke 4-2 with either the jack or the nine doubleton in either hand. Or, indeed, 5-1 with a singleton jack or nine.

Carefully preserving his diamond king for a later entry to dummy, South won the opening lead in hand with the ace. Then he led his king of clubs and overtook it with dummy's ace. The queen of clubs gathered the jack from West and, after cashing the ten, South conceded a club to East's nine. The heart switch was taken by South's ace and the king of diamonds provided the entry to run the clubs.

If the clubs had broken 3-3 all along, an unnecessary trick would have been lost - a small price to pay for securing a vulnerable game.