The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, August 8th, 2019
by Bobby Wolff on
August 22nd, 2019
When I consider how my life is spent, I hardly ever repent.
Ogden Nash
| S | North |
|---|---|
| None | ♠ A 6 ♥ Q J 7 2 ♦ A 4 2 ♣ J 10 6 2 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ K Q 9 8 7 5 ♥ 10 8 6 5 4 ♦ Q ♣ 7 |
♠ J 4 3 ♥ A 9 3 ♦ J 8 7 5 ♣ 8 4 3 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ 10 2 ♥ K ♦ K 10 9 6 3 ♣ A K Q 9 5 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♦ | 2 ♠ | Dbl. | Pass |
| 3 ♣ | Pass | 3 ♠ | Pass |
| 5 ♣ | All Pass |
♠K
There are many misapprehensions about the unusual two-no-trump call. Do not wait for the perfect hand; if you have decent suits, get in there — especially when (as here) the lower suit is stronger. With the minors switched, I could understand overcalling two diamonds to make sure you played the better trump suit facing equal length.
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ 10 2 ♥ K ♦ K 10 9 6 3 ♣ A K Q 9 5 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♥ | |||
| ? |
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Bridge-related
On today’s hand, an unorthodox (many would use a stronger term, with five cards in the other major) weak jump overcall from West propelled North-South into a dicey five clubs, not that the no-trump game would have fared any better. North started with a negative double, then tried to right-side three no-trump. South showed his extras and fifth club with a jump to game, but North had nothing more to say.
Declarer won the spade lead in dummy and drew trumps in three rounds, ending on the table. A heart followed, East swooping in with the ace to cash the spade jack before returning a passive heart.
South now decided not to play for a red-suit squeeze on East. Given that West apparently had six spades and one club, he therefore had to hold a fourth heart or three diamonds.
Instead, declarer discarded diamonds on the heart queen-jack and, when everyone followed, East was marked with diamond length. West must hold either the queen-jack doubleton or a singleton honor for the game to stand a chance, but which?
Aiming to get a count on the hand, declarer ruffed dummy’s last heart. When East showed out, declarer now needed to find West with a singleton diamond honor. When it appeared on the diamond ace, he tabled his cards, taking the marked diamond finesse.
A neat discovery play — while a singleton honor is more likely than the doubleton queen-jack, why guess when you can be sure of the answer?