The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, March 21st, 2018
If ‘pro’ is the opposite of ‘con,’ is ‘progress’ the opposite of ‘congress’?
Gallagher
| W | North |
|---|---|
| E-W | ♠ A 10 6 2 ♥ 10 2 ♦ K Q J 10 9 5 2 ♣ — |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ Q 8 7 5 ♥ K 8 4 3 ♦ 6 ♣ K J 7 2 |
♠ 4 ♥ A J 9 5 ♦ 8 4 3 ♣ A Q 8 5 4 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ K J 9 3 ♥ Q 7 6 ♦ A 7 ♣ 10 9 6 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | 1 ♦ | Pass | |
| 1 ♠ | Pass | 3 ♠ | Pass |
| 4 ♠ | All pass |
♥3
Today’s hand came up in the second International Olympic Committee Grand Prix, which was held in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1999.
Contradictory as it may sound, it may become necessary to finesse for the trump queen in both directions in order to retain control. In certain circles this is known as the Anne Gallagher finesse.
Try the play as South, declarer in four spades, on the lead of a small heart to the ace, followed by the return of the jack, which holds the trick. Now comes yet another heart. You ruff in dummy, of course, but what next?
If you play the ace and king of spades, the 4-1 break means that you lose control — you are unable to complete the drawing of trumps without being forced. One declarer cashed the trump ace, and when he played a trump to the jack, West thoughtfully let it hold. The end result was down three, since West could now kill the diamond suit.
Instead, at trick four try a small trump from dummy and finesse the nine or jack. Should West win, you are in control on any return. On a club or heart return, you can safely trump in dummy, cash the spade ace, then enter hand with the diamond ace to draw the remaining trumps before running the diamonds.
Should West not take his spade queen, you must find the counterintuitive move of finessing in trumps the other way. When the 10 holds, cash the ace, enter hand with the diamond ace, draw the last trump and run the diamonds, for 11 tricks.
My suggestion here is certainly not without risk, but if you want to come back into this auction, you can double two spades to suggest a hand like this. Since the auction is still live (in that West could have a decent hand), your double should show an opening bid short in spades. A little pushy, but faint heart never won fair lady.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ 4 ♥ A J 9 5 ♦ 8 4 3 ♣ A Q 8 5 4 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Pass | 1 ♦ | |
| Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass | 2 ♠ |
| ? |
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Bridge-related
Hi Bobby,
I’ve seen the idea today before and it is one of many counter-intuitive plays which make bridge so enjoyable (and occasionally scream-worthy). Can I ask your advice on a hand from last night though?
My partner opened 1C at Game All, Pairs on x Kx A9xx KJ87xx (playing 4 card majors although clearly this doesn’t matter), I bid 1H and the next player bid 1S. he bid 2C and I rapidly fired him into 6C (instead of a nice boring 3N) holding AK108 AJxxx x Qxx. The DJ is led to your Ace and, if / when you ruff a diamond, the DQ appears on your right. How would you play the hand?
regards,
Iain
Sorry, after 2C, LHO bids 2S.
Hi Iain,
At least on the surface, a very testing declarer play, necessary to know the habits of your opponents, particularly your LHO who raised spades, but led diamonds and an original vulnerable overcaller (who IMO is perhaps 90% to hold the ace of clubs). Yes, it appears that East may have started with KQx of diamonds, but still there but then only 5 spades to the queen (or QJ) but even so (queen of hearts or not) to come in between two bidders, vulnerable with bland distribution and questionable lead direction holding the KQ of one of the two unbid suits and no real chance of buying the hand. Add to that West’s unusual declination to lead spades while holding only the J10 of diamonds would possibly cause me (especially if playing for my life or even more importantly, yours) as they say, go out to lunch trying to figure out what awaits me at the death.
Of course, yes I am stalling, but I am leaning toward, at trick 2 (I’ll get back later to the actual play by your partner) a spade to the ace and a club off the dummy. I am hoping for the singleton ace to appear (my guess almost a 50% chance to justify his vulnerable chirp). A very important card, the queen of hearts does figure to be with West together with possibly KJ10 of diamonds perhaps with three little ones, then denying that East will have the singleton ace of clubs but after my first three plays I will be at least a little better placed to proceed toward a hopeful make.
However back to the table and the actual play.
Let’s assume that my internal G2 (only an American reference to regimented intelligence information) tells me that West would not lead a diamond from KJ10 I would lead to the king of hearts ruff another diamond with a small club, play the ace king of spades, discarding my last diamond and then lead the queen of clubs from dummy. If ducked I would ruff a spade and I think be home when I then led a high club from hand.
Of course this bridge obstacle course will make all takers aware of not subjecting himself to an overruff in spades, and, if possible not subject himself to the spade overcaller being ultra short in hearts, However it can (and will lose to East being long in diamonds (clever false card with the queen) and thus when in with his (at least to me as already mentioned, the ace of clubs) an overruff in diamonds.
At least I stand by my play today, but perhaps tomorrow……….. It does matter how the declarer perceives his opponents as to their bluffing (bridge bluffing is different than poker bluffing, which makes bridge a game which is truly a card game, rather than poker which is not a card game, but rather only a game played with cards as symbols).
All bridge players who aspire to continue to improve must first realize that an important caveat is that opponents, during the bidding are attempting to inform partner, so they can be trusted, but at bridge (and usually only at high levels) during the play it becomes a totally different story and obfuscation to their hated adversaries becomes the norm, therefore the most important play to either be believed or not is East’s queen of diamonds.
There, after a man undresses in front of a woman, she should be careful not to laugh, but here is everyone’s chance to do the same.
Your great friend, (at least until now),
Bobby
Hi Bobby,
Maddeningly East has DQx and CA10 alone with Q10xx in Hearts. I can’t honestly blame partner for trying to ruff the second diamond small but you can see the result. If you’d played a small club of table, East plays two rounds and you’re struggling for tricks. If you cash SAK after ruffing a diamond low then H to K ruff a diamond high you’re home but partner reasonably tried another low ruff – crash. Worse, 3NT by me would have been a good score after the inevitable spade lead so the less said about my judgement the better. There again, if partner had held the C10 (I thought he might have a better suit, a touch more strength or both, but I’d probably have done the same) we’d have been laughing except after two rounds of trumps. Oh well, live and learn.
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
Yes, I am living, but on this hand, obviously not learning enough. Partner’s LHO made some raise in spades with only s. either xxx, or one of them the jack or queen with partner now overcalling on an extremely emaciated suit, h. xx, d. KJ10xxx,c. xx. I could understand a more or less psychic 2 diamonds instead, made more to inhibit the opponents, but also to get a diamond lead. In any event he didn’t have to signal partner to do that, so he did the next best thing, he led one himself.
However, while at the table and such a thing actually happening, one will always, in the long run, should heed good advice given in the past, “Be quiet and let the winner explain” and just go on to the next hand, very simply because that winner was not me!
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