The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 5th, 2022
by Bobby Wolff on
May 19th, 2022
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Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns |
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The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 5th, 2022
by Bobby Wolff on
May 19th, 2022
4 Comments |
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Hi Bobby,
If West has nerves of steel (and provided that South doesn’t have 5D!) he can duck the first diamond and watch if East uses the Hayden / Smith peter, whether normal or inverted, showing attitude to partner’s lead. Mind you, if EW are playing that, South should play the D3 under the Q to conceal the 2 and muddy the waters on the first round. Also West has to worry that East with DAx might have dozed off and not played the DA on the first round. He shouldn’t but then what if South had 5 small diamonds?
Still a good coup, though although there is a mollo story where RR leads the S2 from 109xxx(s) or similar (“nodding vigorously to himself in Italian” having learned about different leads to 4th), dummy has 3 or 4 small cards in the suit, HH (East) has SKJ alone and Papa has AQ. HH plays the SJ at T1 to deter a continuation as he thinks RR only has 4 but Papa wins with the Ace, loses the lead to RR (W) who plays another spade. The K drops the Q and a shift through declarer’s vulnerable Red K (I think) leads to several off – despite S having made a rather ingenious play.
regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
Oh yes, there can be nasty reprises to what could be thought of as sheer genius. Perhaps, if so, the word sheer could be thought of as only lengthened and, of course, miss spelled, when, and, of course the hateful diamond king turns up with East.
And also regarding the last sentence, should the word ingenious morph into outgenious when and if playing matchpoints, this declarer scores up +630, instead of the 660 perhaps a 1 1/2 matchpoin6t result (with 12 top) to most all
other scores listed as +660 with only one other +630.
Would it be worth checking the other 630 to commiserate or just, after the game (losing winning by a matchpoint or two)?
Or, for that matter, while playing IMPs just barely losing by only 1 IMP and then getting little to no congratulations for your hoped and received coup (especially by your self-indulged OX (short for partner), that is, because of the cursed result.
Do not think for one second that lady luck doesn’t get even for her supposed favors, since she too, sometimes becomes jealous, even if, as usual, 100% caused by her choice.
What a great week of hands. Sometimes doable, thinking of the play in real time, but only if visualizing the layout early. Silk purse out of a sow’s ear, if that’s the best or only option. They say hope is not a strategic plan, but sometimes it is. Oh those Wiley opponents!
I am sure all of us daily readers, but infrequent posters, really enjoy Bobby and all of the regulars, thanks for making our days better!
Hi Joe 1,
In spite of your reluctance to give us an incredibly great bridge tip, I thoroughly enjoyed your post.
Wonder why? But only just perhaps the Russians, especially their leader, can and should learn that everything works better and a whole lot more comfortably when people like each other enough to stop hurting them.
Joe 1 leads us in a toast for making all our days better, even if it only requires cards instead of killing machines.
Thanks for your very hopeful “woke” comment, assuming I’m interpreting that modern word correctly (to which I can never be even close to sure).
Much thanks