The Aces on Bridge: Friday, June 1st, 2018
One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.
Walter Bagehot
| S | North |
|---|---|
| N-S | ♠ A K 8 6 3 2 ♥ K 8 ♦ K Q ♣ K 7 4 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ 4 ♥ 6 3 2 ♦ 10 9 5 2 ♣ Q 10 9 6 2 |
♠ Q J 10 5 ♥ 7 5 ♦ A J 6 ♣ J 8 5 3 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ 9 7 ♥ A Q J 10 9 4 ♦ 8 7 4 3 ♣ A |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♥ | Pass | 1 ♠ | Pass |
| 2 ♥ | Pass | 4 NT | Pass |
| 5 ♠* | Pass | 6 ♥ | All pass |
*Two key-cards and the trump queen
♠4
Against six hearts, West leads the spade four, which all but marks him as having started with a singleton. Plan the play as declarer.
Once you realize that you need one of the major suits to break 3-2, the play here is virtually forced. You win the opening lead with the spade king, cross to hand with the club ace, then lead the trump four to dummy’s eight. After throwing your remaining spade on the club king, ruff a spade with the trump nine. Next, you cross to dummy via the trump king, noting that trumps are breaking, and ruff another spade, setting up the suit. Then you can draw the last trump and play a diamond to the king.
Here, East will take the diamond king with the ace and play a club. You ruff this with your last trump, then cross to dummy with a diamond to the queen and cash the spade ace. The last trick is taken by an established spade: You make three spades, six trumps, a diamond and two clubs for a total of 12 tricks.
Note that if you draw all the trumps early, your entries to dummy are compromised. You will be able to ruff out the spades, but you will not be able to get back to dummy to cash them. Similarly, if you play to ruff a diamond in dummy by playing that suit immediately, before drawing trumps, the defenders can arrange a spade ruff. That line would at least work if West had the diamond ace, though.
It is tempting to force to game, but you don’t know which game you want to play. However, if you invite game in spades or no-trump, you are somewhat misrepresenting your assets. I suspect the least lie is to raise to two no-trump to show a balanced 18-count. This may lead to your missing a spade contract, but it still looks sensible enough. My second choice might be to invent a force to three clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ A K 8 6 3 2 ♥ K 8 ♦ K Q ♣ K 7 4 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♠ | Pass | 1 NT | Pass |
| ? |
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Bridge-related
Hi Everyone,
At least to me, this hand suggests the rhythm of bridge.
The discarding of that second spade instead of a losing diamond is, of course, the critical theme even though that most, if not all, worthwhile players would immediately understand that establishing the spades is especially the necessary theme.
Call these two beautiful aspects of our game the melody which is ever present in a significant percentage of both declarer’s play and often, intelligent defense.
Pity, if spades happened to be 3-2 where declarer first discarding one wouldn’t make any difference.
Any important learning experience would greatly benefit, whether the contract is even just game rather than slam, by having the declarer paying a dear price for not leaning to dance at bridge.
And so it goes, with real bridge lovers appreciating the beauty of such melodious efforts and not missing a trick in executing them the right way when, and if, they occur.
Indeed, Mr. Wolf. I was recently called in to make up a table and was assigned to play, not with a beginner, with whom I would play a very simple Standard American, but a professional, who wished to play a complicated system, including undifferentiated first and second round control cue-bids. I picked up a nice hand, consisting of
AJxx Qxxxx AQxx A
And opened 1 Spade. I was startled and pleased to hear a response of 4 Clubs, which was a splinter under our methods. I envisioned a slam, possibly a grand slam, but decided the correct way to get there was to cuebid. My next call was 4 Spades. He responded 5 Hearts. Placing his stuffing in the majors, I bid 5NT, and he responded reluctantly with 7 Hearts. The opening lead was the correct heart and partner laid down
Xx AKxx x KJxxxx
Fortunately, trump broke 2-2 and clubs 4-2, so it made, despite partner’s two bidding errors IMO (his first response should have been a limit raise, and his second the Club cue bid).However, in that hand, like today’s column, the point is the establishment of the long suit.
Bob
Hi Bob,
Somehow, somewhere, life in general, has provided a safety net for those who were wronged, but, indeed, good things happened, allowing the remembrance to be happier than condemning
Bridge, in its infinite demands, always is in charge, which means they do as they desire in passing both bad, but sometimes good feelings to those they control.
Thanks for your story which emphasizes, at least to me, the special emotions which often occur during a bridge auction (especially a slam, a GRAND one at that).
Yes, remember the whole event, but do not ever forget your undoubted elation when, by good play (suit establishment) you enabled a make out of a combination of cards, when others may fail.
BTW you may want to proof read your announced cards (14 instead of 13, and likely hearts trump, instead of spades) together with a possible confused meaning of your partner’s jump to 4 clubs.
But all that last paragraph relates to are unimportant details in what, no doubt, was an exciting and very satisfying ending. And to even go further, all with a novice as a partner!!!
Thanksamundo for the post.Really thank you! Awesome. fgaedddgaeck
Hi Johnc202,
You are certainly welcome and glad to have you tune in our friendly site.
Even if English happens to be only a 2nd language, you may learn to enjoy our daily get togethers. Hoping that you continue to pay us a visit whenever you have the urge.
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