Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 7, 2010

by admin on May 21st, 2010
Dealer: South

Vul: All

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

 

South West North East
1♠ Pass 2 NT* Pass
3 NT Pass 4♠ All Pass
       
       
*Game-forcing spade raise

Opening Lead: ♣3

“The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field.”

— John Milton

Sometimes imagination is called for when your contract seem hopeless. Some positions are difficult unless you have seen them before, so maybe reading about this one will help you make an apparently impossible hand in the future.

 

Cover up the East and West hands before reading on.

 

You, South, reach four spades after electing to open one spade (a strong no-trump is a viable alternative despite the small doubleton heart). You don’t expect to have any problems making your game,since your partner responded two no-trump to your opening spade bid, showing a game-forcing hand with primary spade support.

 

West leads a club, which you win in hand. However, when you play a spade toward dummy, West shows out, discarding the club two. It now looks as if you are going to lose one trick in each suit. Can you think of any way to avoid this?

 

Would you be surprised if I told you that, assuming clubs to be 5-2 (which West’s discard has strongly suggested), all you need is for East to hold the heart ace?

 

Win the spade ace and duck a diamond, the idea being to cut the defenders’ communications. Say East wins and plays another club, which is as good a defense as any. You win and play a heart. East wins and continues with, say, another heart. You win, cash your red-suit winners, and play ace and another spade. East must win and give you a ruff and discard.

ANSWER: Your partner has strongly suggested at least six hearts, and thus a hand better than a weak-jump overcall. Imagine he has six hearts to the ace, the king-queen-third of clubs, and two doubletons: only a nine-count! You are still heavily favored to make game, since any minor-suit finesses rates to succeed. Accordingly, up and bid four hearts.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ A K 5 3 2
♥ K Q
♦ 6 3 2
♣ 7 5 4

 

South West North East
  1♣ 1♥ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♥ 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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact reprints@unitedmedia.com.

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