The Aces on Bridge: Friday, June 17th, 2016
Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.
Cardinal Newman
| S | North |
|---|---|
| N-S | ♠ A Q 5 ♥ Q 7 ♦ A Q 7 6 ♣ K J 10 4 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ J 8 4 3 ♥ 10 9 8 4 3 ♦ 4 ♣ 9 6 3 |
♠ 10 7 6 2 ♥ A J 6 ♦ J 8 3 2 ♣ 8 5 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ K 9 ♥ K 5 2 ♦ K 10 9 5 ♣ A Q 7 2 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 NT | Pass | 6 NT | All pass |
♥10
At matchpoint pairs the North hand should probably simply raise one no-trump to six. It is possible to imagine hands where a minor-suit slam might be better — indeed six clubs today might be the top spot, but if you simply look at the North and South cards you’d feel you were heavy favorite to make six no-trump. Should diamonds break, or if you can guess who has four diamonds, you are home and dry. In real life, you play slam on the heart 10 lead; now you can place East with the heart ace, and the contract is 100 percent certain on careful play.
To make your slam you must play low from dummy at the first trick. East has to withhold his ace, or you have 12 top tricks. So your heart king wins, and at this point you cash four clubs and three spades, throwing a heart from hand.
You have no real clue as to which of the defenders might be short in diamonds, but you can cover your bases by next taking the diamond ace-king. If diamonds were 3-2 or West had jackfourth of diamonds, you can claim 12 tricks.
But when worst comes to worst, and East shows up with the long diamonds, you have reduced everyone to three cards. East has had no option but to have already come down to the bare heart ace, together with the guarded diamond jack. So at this point a heart to the queen and ace sees East forced to lead away from the diamond jack.
For the time being your partner has not promised anything more than game interest, so you should just give preference to spades. If there is a slam on the cards it may easily be in diamonds, but your job is to let partner know about the fit in the major and let him decide on level once he knows the strain to play in.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ A Q 5 ♥ Q 7 ♦ A Q 7 6 ♣ K J 10 4 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♣ | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
| 2 NT | Pass | 3 ♦ | Pass |
| ? |
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Hi Bobby,
Can I add a very warped caveat. Suppose West is a beginner who has been looking at tables of stadard leads or an absolute genious or maybe even a madman. Imagine he has led the H10 from A1098(x) and now what happens! If the run of the black suits doesn’t get the HJ from East, setting up the end position you describe, then something strange must be happening. So, if West has found the maniac lead, East has to co-operate by letting the J go from Jx(x) at some point.
Back in the sane world, of course, when yesterday’s medication has finally worn off, the hand is still very instructive!
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
Yes, you always have earned the right to add caveats, warped as they may be.
The real beauty (for your warpidity) in that defense is, since the last four tricks now will belong to the defense, is that the opponents
can chalk up +300 and can either report that back to their Captain or, at the very least, talk about it at the local bar, after the duplicate game.
Also, if the “shocked” declarer is anywhere within listening distance (and he should be expected to be there or very close to that same bar) that winning player (who led the heart 10) should be espousing how he always has preferred to lead the 10 from that holding rather than 4th best, never mentioning that this lead is against a slam.
Like “trash talkers” during sports events, never miss the chance to “rub it in” when playing against haughty opponents, since it might be a long time before that 2nd chance will arrive, if ever.
Finally, we have all given and taken advice about, after a spill, to get right back on that horse. However, this one may be an exception as that horse is sure to be nieghing.
Dear Mr. Wolff and Mr. Climie:
I do enjoy both of your comments and the ensuing bantering and language. I especially like “yesterday’s medicine wearing off” and the “warpidity” in this one and hopefully will be able to use both at just the right time. Thanks also for your encouragement to all of us hoping to one day make the Grand Slam.
PRC
Hi PRC,
Very kind of you to say this, but Bobby is the real star of the show day in and day out. There is a cast of supporting actors (Jim 2 and the curse of TOCM, David Warheit, Peter Peng, Jane A, Clarksburg, AVRR and Michael Beyrouti to name just a few) who try to chip in; the great news is that we always get sensible advice in a really friendly discussion forum. Even with thoughts which can be easily refuted, we get let down gently and its all FREE!
Regards,
Iain
All true, and I am fortunate enough to live in the same city as Bobby and Judy. Bobby is as nice in person and is always willing to answer questions. Judy also. I see him and Judy at the local tournaments and enjoy playing against them. Once in awhile, i even get an average board. Some day it would be fun to meet the “cast of supporting actors” face to face but I know we all live in different locations.
Kind words! 🙂
This is a hand I would have made at the table, but with inferior play.
Specifically, I would have missed that East having the AH made the later diamond play a sure thing.
What I would have done is played the QH to force East to win the AH and rectify the count for me for any later squeeze and to let me count the hand better. I would have played off winners (including one diamond honor from board) and learned West had three clubs to East’s two, that West had likely begun with more hearts. That would make me lead the 10D towards board … making 6. This time … unless West had begun with specifically:
xxx(x)
109(8)
Jxxx
xxx
Hi Jim2,
Yes, I was awaiting someone mentioning the slight indication made available with the 3 to 2 evidence of West having more clubs than East although the heart combination still remained pretty much unknown.
However, there is a caveat usually available when playing that fairly routine combination which is designed to prevent a clever false card of the 9 when and if a declarer is called on to guess which hand, if either, might have the 4 card length.
Always lead the first diamond from dummy (in full sight) to make it difficult indeed for a potential J9xx to follow suit with the nine during the first lead of that suit for fear of his partner having the singleton 10. If so, he has just taken a sure trick and in a real sense, will (should) make it a sure thing that the 2nd seat nine is indeed a false card since why would his partner then ever false card the ten, unless he was VERY fond of grosvenors (a synonym for intentionally giving tricks away which need not be lost).
However, since on this subject hand, the eight card holding included both the 10 and the 9 (and in full sight) it would not apply here.
However the above concept , because of its frequency, is indeed an important one to play technically correct, taking into consideration that sometimes there is a shortage of entries into one hand or the other, preventing it.
Wouldn’t it indeed be exciting to be associated with a charter school which was including bridge as an accredited course for credit with the charge of proof reading teaching bridge books to be used? You, of course, and others on this site (not named by me because of possible omissions of some but not known for sure, if super qualified) could join me in Hog Heaven for the chance to do so.
However, because of IMO the total sloth of not getting such a thing done, or at least on the way, pains me no end in the lack of vision for our otherwise,. nothing short of great game.