The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, March 30th, 2017
by Bobby Wolff on
April 13th, 2017
All argument is against it, but all belief is for it.
Samuel Johnson
| S | North |
|---|---|
| None | ♠ 7 6 2 ♥ K Q 10 4 ♦ A K 4 2 ♣ K 6 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ K Q J 4 ♥ 8 3 ♦ Q J 9 6 ♣ J 7 3 |
♠ 10 9 8 5 3 ♥ 9 6 ♦ 5 ♣ Q 10 8 4 2 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ A ♥ A J 7 5 2 ♦ 10 8 7 3 ♣ A 9 5 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♥ | Pass | 2 NT* | Pass |
| 3 ♠ ** | Pass | 4 NT | Pass |
| 5 ♣ | Pass | 5 NT | Pass |
| 6 ♥ | All pass |
*hearts, game forcing
**short spades
♠K
To bid on in this uncontested auction would be to make a constructive try for game. To put it another way, switch your majors and you might just be worth a two spade call. As it is, with three small spades pass, and hope to make it. A one no-trump call by you would show 18-20; more than a direct one no-trump overcall.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ 7 6 2 ♥ K Q 10 4 ♦ A K 4 2 ♣ K 6 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♣ | |||
| Dbl. | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
| ? |
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Bridge-related
In today’s deal the bidding (or lack thereof) gives you a vital clue to the lie of the cards.
When West leads the spade king against six hearts, you win and draw trump in two rounds while ruffing two spades in your hand and one club in the dummy, eliminating the black suits.
West drops the black jacks on the third round of spades and clubs. This tends to suggest that if anyone holds four diamonds, it will be him. Another clue is that if West had a singleton diamond and 10 cards in the black suits, with a known good spade suit, he would surely have bid over one heart.
Taking all of this into account, you should lead the diamond eight, planning to run it. If East wins with a singleton nine, jack or queen, he will have to concede a ruff-and-discard with his return. If he wins and is able to return a diamond, the suit will break 3-2. At the table, if West covers the diamond eight, you will win dummy’s diamond ace and continue with a low diamond toward your 10. West will win the trick, but must then lead away from his remaining diamond honor, or give a ruff-and-sluff.
If the auction or play had led you to believe that East had the diamond length, you would instead cash the diamond ace and lead low toward your 10. When East rises with the queen or jack on the second round, he would then have to lead into your diamond tenace or concede the ruff-sluff.