The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, September 19th, 2017
by Bobby Wolff on
October 3rd, 2017
Is there in the whole world a being who would have the right to forgive and could forgive?
Fedor Dostoevsky
| W | North |
|---|---|
| E-W | ♠ 6 ♥ A 8 4 ♦ A K J 7 4 ♣ Q J 10 5 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ K Q J 10 8 5 ♥ Q 10 9 ♦ 10 2 ♣ 8 7 |
♠ 9 7 3 ♥ K J 6 5 ♦ Q 9 6 ♣ 9 4 3 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ A 4 2 ♥ 7 3 2 ♦ 8 5 3 ♣ A K 6 2 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 ♠ | Dbl. | Pass | |
| 3 ♣ * | Pass | 5 ♣ | All pass |
*guaranteeing values
♠K
A negative double promises four spades here (and unlike when you double one spade you rarely cheat here with three). So what are the options? A stopperless one no-trump response does not appeal, which leaves a club raise. With a choice between two hearts as a limit raise or better, or a two club call, I go high – albeit with misgivings. (comments?)
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ A 4 2 ♥ 7 3 2 ♦ 8 5 3 ♣ A K 6 2 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | 1 ♣ | 1 ♥ | |
| ? |
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Bridge-related
Sometimes the cards allow for a slight inaccuracy, sometimes they are in unforgiving mood. Here they showed mercy to declarer.
In the qualifying rounds of the 1996 World Olympiad South Africa appeared to be heading for a big win until this deal came along.
In the closed room West opened two spades and the South African North bid three diamonds. South converted to three no-trump and West led two rounds of spades then accurately shifted to hearts; when declarer lost the diamond finesse, that meant two down.
On vugraph Krzysztof Martens as North doubled two spades, and that led to a contract of five clubs. Again an initial heart lead is best — but few of us could resist leading a spade with the West hand. Marek Szymanowski won this and had to find the best way forward – on the reasonable assumption that trumps might split badly but that diamonds would not, since West had not led a singleton.
At the table, Szymanowski finessed in diamonds at trick two. Now if trumps had been 4-1 a trump return would have left him without the communications to get 11 tricks. Unlikely as it might seem, you are much better placed to take a spade ruff at trick two and then lead a low diamond from dummy. If East wins and forces you again, then ruff and play two rounds of trump overtaking in hand. Even if trumps are 4-1 you can still come home by playing four rounds of trumps to East, pitching dummy’s hearts.