The Aces on Bridge: Friday, October 30th, 2015
Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.
Lyndon B. Johnson
| S | North |
|---|---|
| E-W | ♠ K 4 2 ♥ 7 3 ♦ K Q 7 5 ♣ K 8 6 4 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ 8 7 6 5 3 ♥ — ♦ J 10 8 4 ♣ J 10 9 2 |
♠ J 10 9 ♥ 10 9 8 6 5 ♦ 3 2 ♣ Q 7 5 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ A Q ♥ A K Q J 4 2 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ A 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ♣ | Pass | 2 ♦ | Pass |
| 3 NT | Pass | 7 NT | All pass |
♣J
Sometimes the most straightforward of deals becomes complex when a suit splits unexpectedly badly. In today’s example you would expect to be able to claim 13 tricks, barring a very hostile break in hearts. But even then you may be able to recover, so long as you plan efficiently, and take note of your opponent’s discards.
Against seven no-trump West leads the club jack, dummy and East playing low. Declarer wins in hand with the ace and counts 12 top tricks. He cashes the heart ace, getting the bad news that the hearts will not run. So he continues with the spade ace and queen, then the three top diamonds, ending in dummy. No luck there either, but had East been long in both suits, running all the black-suit winners ending in dummy would have squeezed him.
As it is, South next plays the spade king, discarding a low heart from hand, reducing everyone to five cards. As East has to keep four hearts, he can only keep one club. When declarer cashes the remaining top hearts, West has to throw either his diamond jack, establishing dummy’s seven, or a club. In the latter case dummy discards the diamond seven and the club king is cashed to establish the eight as declarer’s 13th trick.
For those of you who like to categorize the position this is a double squeeze, and since the opponents were squeezed on different tricks, it is technically a nonsimultaneous double squeeze. Easier to name than to play!
Whenever you hold a powerhouse of this sort you do best to start by doubling. You may not learn anything from a minimum response, but once in a while partner shows extra shape or values, after which the sky will be the limit. If your partner makes a minimum call in spades or diamonds, as you expect him to do, you will have to judge whether to settle for game or try for more.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ A Q ♥ A K Q J 4 2 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ A 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Pass | 3 ♣ | |
| ? |
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Okay, pard responds 3S and it is back to you. Now what?
Hi Jim2,
Thanks for the good practical question.
Here is where your knowledge of the opponents (and sometimes your partner) could come in handy.
Technically, and to be conservative, the only choice you need make is whether to play 3NT or 4 hearts, Therein, figuring to take 6 heart tricks in either contract, it is just a guess as to whether to play your partner for a "little something" or not. 3NT is right to the point and should make opposite a total nothing with pard. 4 hearts may need at least a trick somewhere, but would allow for a little extra time to produce it, such as the jack of spades and the 10 of hearts with partner in order, to between the two cards, produce an extra trick.
There is no special knowledge which will allow a winning decision, so the science in bridge bows to the experience of the South who has to make that critical decision, especially at matchpoints. At IMPs 3NT appears to be the strong favorite to select since against all normal distributions, the NS side appears to have at least the right number of tricks.
If however, you think in a grander fashion you can now bid 4 hearts which shows a "moose" since you didn't just bid 4 hearts the first time. However even that strong effort IMO, does not do complete justice to this hand. Rising one step in strength venture 4 clubs first and then over a normal return to 4 spades (partner thinking that you are making a strong spade raise, then bid 5 hearts which, if anything is a slight overbid, not in strength, but in perhaps too many losers in spite of great strength (and overrated HCPs). Perhaps if South's losing club was either a diamond or a spade, the latter description would be right on.
I could go further with more hands, but your imagination could supply those.
Hi Bobby,
On your suggested 4C then 5H sequence, might partner continue to think you have a massive spade raise and are highlighting 2 quick diamond losers? Or would partner be expected to have cue bid 4D over 4C no matter how weak his overall hand?
Thanks for all your insights.
Hi Ted,
First thanks for the kind words.
High-level bridge, even at the very highest level, has many glitches. Those are the subjects which are most discussed among the very few world class partnerships which exist today.
From an unbelievably sad side the above may lead some very good players, but not of high moral character, to consider dirty, filthy cheating. Simply because no partnership can have things their own way with too many impossible answers to guess.
Yes, you are correct in what you likely surmise, but what if the hand in today’s column appears, what then are the answers? Only with players who have confronted the problem will have a way of explaining to their expert partner what can be done and, more importantly, what cannot.
In any event I hope my suggested handling is an alternate solution to what still may get us to the best contract. However, the old wives tale that you and many other very good players on the up elevator to success MUST learn, or else restrict their eventual results to less than they desire.