Ruffing your ace

Sometimes you have to ruff your ace. On this deal (playing online at OKbridge), I didn't ruff an ace, but I did ruff one of my good tricks (hands rotated):

                   ♠ J 8 4
                   ♥ 10 6
                   ♦ K J 8 7 3
                   ♣ K 8 6
♠ 6 2                            ♠ Q 5 3
♥ A Q 8 4 2                      ♥ K 7 5
♦ A 4                            ♦ 10 9 6 5
♣ A J 9 4                        ♣ Q 5 3
                  ♠ A K 10 9 7
                  ♥ J 9 3
                  ♦ Q 2
                  ♣ 10 7 2

       West   North   East   South
       1♥    Pass    2♥    2♠
       3♥    3♠     All Pass

West led the ♠6, I played the jack and East erred by covering with the queen. I tried the ♦Q, ducked all around, and another. West won his ace, switched to the ♥A and another to East's king.

East now led the ♦10 and that was ominous. If I discard, West can ruff and I have a club left to lose. Time to ruff your "ace!" I ruffed with my ♠K for maximum style points -- anyone can ruff with the 7.

I was not quite ready to claim, however, because if I drew trump, ending in dummy, I could discard my losing heart and one club, but would have to lead a club away from the king. So, I drew one more round of trump and led my losing heart and ruffed with the ♠8. I played the ♦K and discarded a club. West didn't ruff! I led the ♦J and East ruffed, I overruffed and led up to the ♣K for my ninth trick. Whew!

Looking back on it, I should have led up to the ♣ K instead of ruffing my heart loser. If West wins the ♣A and has the last trump and leads it, I have nine tricks via five spades, three diamonds and one club. That's a better line, obviously, because it doesn't matter who has the last trump.

Making plus 140 was worth 6.37 IMPs. You can read about what everyone else did by clicking here.