Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, August 4, 2009

by admin on August 18th, 2009
Dealer: South

Vul: None

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

 

South West North East
1 NT Pass 4♥* Pass
4♠ All Pass    
       
       
*Texas transfer to spades

Opening Lead:♣3

“Kings and ministers are themselves always, and without any exception, the greatest spendthrifts in the society.”

— Adam Smith

This month I shall be running a selection of deals from my favorite new book of the year. To call it a new book is slightly misleading since Ron Klinger has brought out an updated version of Robert Darvas’s classic, “Right Through the Pack.” The deals are excellent, and Klinger writes with sympathy and humor.

 

Here is Klinger’s story of the spade eight, who laments “Players tend to take me for granted. Instead of appreciating the value I bring them, they think nothing of wasting my strength. Look what happened to me here. My declarer was playing in four spades and West led the club three, which went to the nine, jack, and ace. You won’t believe what my declarer did next.

 

“Yes, my asinine South played ME next. What was the point of that? I was covered by the spade 10, and the spade queen lost to the king. East eventually made four trump tricks for one down.

 

All my South had to do was play the spade two at trick two and cover the spade 10. The right time to play me was on the second round of trumps, letting East win with the spade jack. Next time, the spade nine can knock out East’s top spade, and my brother, the spade seven, will do for the spade six. So simple, how could anyone get it wrong?”

ANSWER: Your partner’s three-club call is consistent with a very good hand so a jump to four hearts by you would be premature. Temporize with three diamonds and see if partner has real slam-interest (when he will cue-bid) or if he was just looking for game, when he will bid three hearts or four hearts.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ 8 2
♥ A Q J 7
♦ A 8 7 4
♣ A 6 4

 

South West North East
    1♥ 1♠
2♠ Dbl. 3♣ Pass
?      
       

 

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact theLoneWolff@bridgeblogging.com. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact reprints@unitedmedia.com.

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