The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, April 2nd, 2016
Oh, call it by some better name,
For friendship sounds too cold.
Thomas Moore
| S | North |
|---|---|
| Both | ♠ J 9 2 ♥ J 6 5 4 ♦ K 9 ♣ A K 10 6 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ A Q 10 6 4 3 ♥ Q ♦ Q 7 5 ♣ Q J 4 |
♠ 5 ♥ A 10 ♦ A 10 3 2 ♣ 9 8 7 5 3 2 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ K 8 7 ♥ K 9 8 7 3 2 ♦ J 8 6 4 ♣ — |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass | 1 NT |
| 2 ♥ | 2 ♠ | 3 ♥ | All pass |
♠A
When Zia Mahmood was relatively unknown, he honed his craft at rubber bridge and built up a reputation for originality at Stefan’s Bridge Circle in London. He has gone on to become a bridge icon, and is now universally known just as “Zia”. There are very few people in the bridge world known by a single name – perhaps an indication of his place in the pantheon of bridge.
Here is an example of his ability to pull the wool over his opponents’ eyes; why does it always seem to work for him and never for me?
He was partnering Jan Jansma of the Netherlands in the Open Pairs at the 2013 European Open Championships in Ostend, and they were disputing the lead in the final with Sabine Auken and Roy Welland; they were finally overtaken on the last few boards.
Against three hearts, West led the spade ace, under which Zia, knowing a ruff was in the offing, unhesitatingly dropped the king. This play might have cost him a trick, but seeing the jack in dummy, and believing Zia, West switched to a diamond. Zia ducked in dummy, and when East took his ace, Zia could win the diamond return with the king. That let him dispose of his losing spades on dummy’s clubs.
It was time to broach trump now. Zia played the jack from dummy and saw East’s 10. Now Zia couldn’t conceive of a player holding Q-10 and not covering. So he rose with the king, dropping the singleton queen. 10 tricks made!
Your hand is worth going to game, but don’t raise directly to four spades. You should not eliminate the possibility of playing no-trump, and the best way to do that is to cuebid three diamonds (promising a fit) planning to offer the choice of games by bidding three no-trump at your next turn, and letting partner choose.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ J 9 2 ♥ J 6 5 4 ♦ K 9 ♣ A K 10 6 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ♦ | 2 ♠ | Pass | |
| ? |
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The lead that sets the hand is a diamond or a heart. Should west have found it? Still not easy if declarer drops the king of spades at trick two on the spade switch but at that point, might as well continue spades if west smells that proverbial rat! Leave it to Zia to fool the opps. He is probably a master at that, along with all his other bridge skills.
I don’t believe I would ever lead the ace of spades however.
Hi Jane A,
Your analysis only emphasizes what bridge elitists have preached for years, the opening lead is the most important single feature in bridge, especially at the higher levels.
Of course, the reason being that it is blind but not deaf since the bidding is listened to by both sides with that said opening leader set up to be the first victim.
Yes, Zia specializes in bridge imagination, making him a kibitzer’s delight. The good news is that he is also a sportsman, actively ethical to go with his extreme cunning.
The choice of West to lead the ace of spades would not be the pick by everyone , but once done, and fortunately catching a singleton spade with partner was neutralized by our hero’s brilliance. Perhaps West should smell that rat you mention since partner didn’t raise spades, but perhaps he believed his eyes rather than his nose.
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