Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 26th, 2023


3 Comments

Iain ClimieMay 26th, 2023 at 11:15 am

Hi Bobby,

You might be amused by what happened to me last night. I was in 4S at pairs after an unontested auction holding SAKJxx J8x Jxx Ax and dummy had SQ9xx AKxx AKx xx. CQ led so I drew trumps in 3 rounds led a heart to the Ace and a small heart back playing for HQ on my right or H3-3 for a discard. RHO, not a strong player, played a small H without a care in the world so I went for the extra chance of LHO holding HQx and ducked. A surprised LHO won and cashed a club but RHO apologised at the end of the hand as she’d pulled the wrong card from Qxx but managed not to react. I complimented her on a devastating piece of low cunning.

Classic Grosvenor but my regular partner and the lady he was playing with did better. They bid the almost no play 6S (I suppose both red Qs could drop) and got a club lead. Declarer drew trumps and conceded a club only for the defender holding HQxx and DQ to decide that a red suit back was too dangerous (a diamond isn’t) and they gave a ruff-sluff. With H3-3 that was +980 to NS.

Regards,

Iain

Iain ClimieMay 26th, 2023 at 11:25 am

TBF I’ve got an extra chance if I play the HJ and it loses to HQx. If RHO has 4 hearts to the 109 and the DQ, I can cash the DAK as a Vienna coup and finish the trumps squashing RHO. Even so…

Iain

bobbywolffMay 26th, 2023 at 9:31 pm

Hi Iain,

Not only did you get to play bridge last night, you got to discuss the Guggenheim coup
and while you were at it, recognize a built-in Vienna coup with the same 52 cards.

If only every hand or even one hand per session would be guaranteed to offer those thrills.