Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Monday, May 7th, 2012

There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.

Douglas MacArthur


East North
East-West ♠ K Q 9
 4
 K 10 7 6 3
♣ 9 6 5 2
West East
♠ A J 8
 9 7 2
 A 4 2
♣ J 10 8 7
♠ 10 6 2
 K J 10 8 5 3
 Q 5
♣ 4 3
South
♠ 7 5 4 3
 A Q 6
 J 9 8
♣ A K Q
South West North East
Pass
1 NT Pass 3* Dbl.
3 NT All pass    

* Both minors, short hearts

2

This is the normal time of year for the Cavendish tournament in Las Vegas, but this year the event will be held in Monaco in the fall. I shall be running deals all week that focus on the players in last year's event. Here is a deal that saw the winners from 2011 chalk up what seemed to be a normal if mildly fortunate result. But there is more to it than that.

North-South actually play a strong club, so I’ve simplified the auction to a standard sequence. The play in three no-trump saw declarer, Kit Woolsey, win the first heart and pass the diamond jack to East. Back came a heart, ducked, and a club shift. Woolsey won and drove out the diamond ace, and when both aces were onside, he had nine somewhat fortunate tricks — or was there more to it than that?

Contrast what happened when Justin Lall and Kevin Bathurst were West and East respectively. Since South had opened a 14-16 no-trump, North passed initially, Bathurst balanced with two hearts, and North reopened with two no-trump, a nonforcing call suggesting the minors, which South judged to pass.

The heart lead was won by South, who played the diamond jack. Lall hopped up with the diamond ace and cleared the hearts. Now declarer had to guess if East had the bare diamond queen or the spade ace, and he got it wrong by repeating the diamond finesse — down two!

Lall’s defense protected his partner’s entry and deserved the result it achieved.


There is no reason to look beyond your black suits on opening lead. Spades are an unbid suit — but either opponent might turn up with four. The advantage of a club is that your extra length and intermediates make it both more attacking and somewhat safer if partner produces any high card in the suit. As against that, East has bid the suit. I think a club feels right; five-card suits have so much more to offer.

LEAD WITH THE ACES

♠ A 7 5 4
 Q 3
 9 5
♣ Q 10 6 4 2
South West North East
1♣
Pass 1 Pass 1 NT
All pass      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, May 6th, 2012

The ACBL appeal booklets refers to good and bad tempo breaks. I thought they were all bad, by definition. Please explain the difference.

Slow Learner, Twin Falls, Idaho

The ACBL tournaments publish a summary of appeals here. When a player takes a long while to sign off or to double, he is generally conveying unauthorized information to his partner. This is a bad hesitation, and one should strive to avoid such actions. Conversely, many other slow actions do not convey a clear message of what you are thinking about. They are not giving unauthorized information.

Recently you ran a deal where the player in second seat doubled one spade with: ♠ K,  K-10-6-2,  A-K-Q-7-2, ♣ A-J-4. That player then removed a double of four spades by his partner to four no-trump. Was this Blackwood? If not, what did the call show?

Doubly Confused, Selma, Ala.

The four-no-trump bid should have been annotated as suggesting two possible strains in which to play — akin to the unusual no-trump, but here not specifically the minors. Whenever you remove a high-level double, you show a good hand of course. With a one-suiter you'd bid it; with two suits you announce it with an unusual no-trump call, then correct partner's choice if he picks the wrong one.

I'm responding with regard to the letter from the couple who want to learn to play bridge but have no resources where they live. "Bridge for Everyone," by D.W Crisfield, (Morris Book Publishing Co.) is a "Knack Made Easy" book. I know several beginner and intermediate bridge players who have found it very helpful, myself included.

Marian the Librarian, Princeton, N.J.

Thank you. I especially value my readers' opinions on issues like this. The graphics in "Bridge for Dummies" by Eddie Kantar are also helpful for beginners.

Holding ♠ K-7-4,  Q-J-9-5,  A-4, ♣ K-Q-10-2, I assume you would open one no-trump. When the next hand shows the majors and your RHO picks hearts, would you double? I did not do so, and the contract went three down. I felt it was an opportunity lost.

Lucy Locket, Miami, Fla.

You cannot double, at least not in my book. I play that as takeout, typically a hand with a maximum and a small doubleton in hearts — since I might be facing a Yarborough. Maybe if you pass, your partner could find a reopening double with short hearts and a six- or seven-count.

How should I respond to an opening bid of one of a minor when I hold both four-card majors and 6-9 HCP? I know it is standard to bid up the line, but if my partner has a balanced hand with four spades, he may bypass the spade suit to bid one no-trump. Is it reasonable for responder to bid one spade and then introduce the hearts?

Major Major, Tupelo, Miss.

I would never do this unless the spades were very strong and the hearts very weak. My partner would normally bid one spade over one heart with four or more clubs, and if he does rebid one no-trump with a square hand, the board may play just fine in that strain.


For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, May 5th, 2012

If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.

Laurence Peter


West North
Both ♠ K Q J 2
 —
 A K 6 2
♣ A K Q 10 6
West East
♠ 4
 A K J 7 5 4 3
 8
♣ J 9 5 3
♠ 10 8 7 3
 Q 9 6
 Q J 10 9 4
♣ 4
South
♠ A 9 6 5
 10 8 2
 7 5 3
♣ 8 7 2
South West North East
3 Dbl. 4
Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
4♠ Pass 6♠ All pass

K

When West leads the heart king against six spades, you must not ruff it with the spade two, or you will run into trouble when the trumps break 4-1. This is because you will have no entry to the South hand to draw East's last trump. If anyone holds four trumps, it will surely be East. So you should ruff at trick one with the spade king and continue with the spade queen and jack, West showing out on the second round. What now?

You can reasonably place West with 1-7 shape in the major suits, so nothing can be lost by cashing the diamond ace and king. If West follows to two diamonds, you will eventually play clubs from the top. You would then expect clubs to break 3-2 and — more importantly — there would be nothing you could do about a holding of jack-fourth with East. As it happens, it is West who shows out on the second diamond, suggesting that he has 1-7-1-4 shape. You play the club ace to take a look at East’s singleton, and then lead the spade two for a finesse of the nine. After drawing the last trump, you can confidently finesse the club 10.

Incidentally, if your trumps were A-8-6-5 in hand instead of your actual holding, you would again need to ruff high at trick one. This would boost your chances of success when West began with a singleton spade 10 or 9. You would still have the trump finesse available.


Despite the absence of controls and high cards, you are best off raising to two hearts now, rather than passing and hoping to get a second chance. You do have some playing strength, and raising here does not promise the earth. When both sides have a fit, that is the time to bid more, not less.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ 10 8 7 3
 Q 9 6
 Q J 10 9 4
♣ 4
South West North East
1♣ 1 2♣
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 4th, 2012

Praise is the best diet for us, after all.

Sydney Smith


East North
East-West ♠ A 10
 A 9 5 3 2
 A K
♣ 8 6 4 2
West East
♠ —
 10 8
 J 9 7 3 2
♣ Q 10 9 7 5 3
♠ K 9 4 3
 K Q J 7 6
 Q 4
♣ K J
South
♠ Q J 8 7 6 5 2
 4
 10 8 6 5
♣ A
South West North East
1
4♠ Pass 6♠ All pass

10

One often hears the truism about needing to play the cards up if you overbid them. A truer word was never spoken about today's deal, where South's jump to four spades would not appear in any textbook — a three-spade bid looks ideal for these values.

The lead of the heart 10 went to dummy’s ace. Declarer saw the need for reducing his trumps in hand as quickly as possible if the diamonds did not produce a miracle, so he took the risk of ruffing a heart with the spade six, the highest trump he thought he could afford.

When that passed off peacefully, declarer cashed the club ace. Next came a diamond to the king, a club ruff, then a diamond to the ace and another club ruff. The sight of the diamond queen on the second round of the suit, coupled with East’s discard on the third club, gave South a warning. Eventually he decided that the fall of the spots had strongly suggested East was likely to have begun with a 4-5-2-2 shape. He therefore ruffed the next diamond with the spade ace, and the expected news was confirmed when East pitched a heart.

Another club ruff with a low trump let South take a diamond ruff with the spade 10. Whether East overruffed or discarded, declarer would be able to score his spade eight at the next trick and come to 12 tricks — a triumph for overbidding!


Some people would tell you that they know whether it is right to open one no-trump or one heart with this hand. I don't feel strongly either way, but my general approach is to open a five-card major when I have a 5-4 pattern in the appropriate range. This hand is something of an exception — the strength of the two doubletons and the absence of intermediates both argue for the no-trump call.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ A 10
 A 9 5 3 2
 A K
♣ 8 6 4 2
South West North East
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

When I hoped I feared,
Since I hoped I dared.

Emily Dickinson


South North
Both ♠ A 6
 Q 10 9 8 3 2
 J 6
♣ 8 5 4
West East
♠ 10 9 8
 A 7 6 4
 10 9 7 2
♣ Q 2
♠ Q J 7 5
 J
 A K 8 5 4
♣ 10 9 7
South
♠ K 4 3 2
 K 5
 Q 3
♣ A K J 6 3
South West North East
1 NT Pass 4* Dbl.
Pass Pass Rdbl.** Pass
4 All pass    

*Texas transfer to hearts

**Re-transfer

10

Isn't it just like partner to bid most aggressively when you have to play the contract? That happened to George Steiner playing with Gaylor Kasle.

The heart game was no shoo-in here: It was missing the A-J-x-x-x of trump, with two sure diamond losers — and what about the clubs?

West led the diamond 10 in response to his partner’s lead-directing double. East won the king and switched to a low spade. Steiner took the spade in dummy and called for a low heart. Up popped the jack; That was one hurdle cleared.

West took the heart ace and played a second round of diamonds to East’s king. Back came the club 10. Steiner won with the ace, picked up trumps with three more rounds (as East discarded three diamonds), then played a spade to the king and ruffed a spade. It wasn’t a sure thing, but it looked as though East had started with four spades. This meant that his original shape appeared to be 4-1-5-3.

If so, Steiner realized that he could catch East in a show-up squeeze. When Steiner played the last heart from dummy, East had to find a discard from the spade queen and the club 9-7. East discarded a club on the heart, and Steiner threw his spade.

When Steiner played a club from dummy and East produced the nine, Steiner was confident that the queen would drop under the king. It did, and Kasle’s aggressive bid paid off with a near top.


Although you have a maximum hand for your first call, the combination of the negative double on your left (suggesting spade length), coupled with your partner's silence, argue for caution. I don't think you are likely to get badly hurt if you bid two spades now, but I believe you should pass and hope your partner will be able to balance if he has values and the two-diamond bid comes back to him.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ K 4 3 2
 K 5
 Q 3
♣ A K J 6 3
South West North East
1
2♣ Dbl. Pass 2
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Quarry mine, blessed am I
In the luck of the chase.
Comes the deer to my singing.

Navajo hunting song


West North
North-South Teams ♠ J 10 6
 8 6 2
 Q J
♣ A K Q J 6
West East
♠ A K Q 8 5
 J 9 7 3
 K 5
♣ 10 5
♠ 9 3 2
 4
 10 9 7 6 4 2
♣ 8 7 2
South
♠ 7 4
 A K Q 10 5
 A 8 3
♣ 9 4 3
South West North East
1♠ 2♣ Pass
2 Pass 3 Pass
4 All pass    

♠K

South claimed that he had been desperately unlucky to run into a lie of the cards that led to his defeat in today's deal. But you, the jury, will get to decide his case. Was he unlucky or careless?

What happened at the table would probably be mirrored at many tables in even a top-level duplicate field. Against four hearts West led three rounds of spades. Declarer ruffed the third one, cashed the heart ace and king, and was discomfited to see West with the length. He switched his attention to clubs, and when two rounds of the suit stood up, he played a third. West ruffed and exited with the heart jack to leave declarer with a diamond loser.

South was at fault for not taking the diamond finesse after two rounds of clubs, but as the cards lie, that would not have helped.

However, a better approach would be to ruff the spade at trick three, then play the heart ace and follow up with the heart 10. If West wins and plays another spade, you can ruff in dummy, then cross back to hand with the diamond ace, and draw trump. If East wins and leads a diamond through, you simply rise with the ace and run the clubs after extracting the remaining trump.

Almost but not quite as good is to draw one trump, then cross to dummy with a club to play a heart toward your hand, intending to finesse. However, you might conceivably run into a club ruff by following this line.


This is a difficult hand to evaluate. You have enough to commit the hand to game in spades, but if you believe you have enough to make a mild slam-try (which is aggressive but certainly not unreasonable), then you should bid four hearts now. This has nothing to do with presence or absence of a heart control, but simply shows opening-bid values in a raise to at least four spades.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ J 10 6
 8 6 2
 Q J
♣ A K Q J 6
South West North East
1♠ 3
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

My family pride is something inconceivable. I can't help it. I was born sneering.

W.S. Gilbert


West North
Both ♠ Q 8 3 2
 A 6 5 4
 5 2
♣ K 9 8
West East
♠ 10 5 4
 3
 8 7 4 3
♣ Q J 10 7 2
♠ K J 6
 K 7
 K J 10 9
♣ A 6 4 3
South
♠ A 9 7
 Q J 10 9 8 2
 A Q 6
♣ 5
South West North East
Pass Pass 1
1 3 3 Pass
4 All pass    

♣Q

Thomas Bessis is part of what would surely be the strongest bridge-playing family in the world, since both he and his brother and his parents have been successful in U.S., European, and world championship events.

Here, he was declarer in four hearts. Against that contract West led the club queen, which was allowed to hold. A second club was ruffed by Bessis, who continued with the heart queen.

When it was not covered, he rose with the ace as, on the bidding, he fully expected East to hold the king — which might even have been singleton. Had West held high-card values, it was perhaps more likely that he would have made an unassuming cue-bid of two hearts, showing diamond support, instead of making the pre-emptive bid of three diamonds directly.

Next came a successful finesse of the diamond queen, then the ace and a diamond ruff eliminated the suit. A club ruff eliminated that suit too, and now declarer exited with a heart and could claim his contract when East won the trick.

The point was that with the minors eliminated, either he would receive a ruff and discard, or the defense would have to broach the spade suit, and with East on lead, the defense could get only one trick. If West had shown up with the heart king, East would have been a lock to hold the spade king, and declarer would have been able to hold his spade losers to one by force.


The best way to make a slam-try here is to jump to four clubs. This is a splinter raise of spades, suggesting short clubs, and lets your partner evaluate his assets accurately. A simple forcing raise of spades might work well, but the key may well be whether there are wasted values in clubs.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ A 10 7
 Q J 10 9 8 2
 A Q 6
♣ 5
South West North East
1♠ Pass
2 Pass 2♠ Pass
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Monday, April 30th, 2012

It is incident to physicians, I am afraid, beyond all other men, to mistake subsequence for consequence.

Samuel Johnson


North North
East-West ♠ A J 5 3
 K 10
 J 4
♣ A Q 9 8 3
West East
♠ K 10 7 4 2
 7 4 2
 8 5 2
♣ J 4
♠ Q 9 6
 A 5
 A K Q 10
♣ 7 6 5 2
South
♠ 8
 Q J 9 8 6 3
 9 7 6 3
♣ K 10
South West North East
1♣ Pass
1 Pass 1♠ Pass
2 Pass 3 All pass

2

Today's deal is from the 1960s British Bridge World Simultaneous Par Contest.

The directed contract was three hearts by South, and the required lead was the unbid suit, diamonds. East wins the opening lead with the 10, and has to decide on a plan at trick two.

The problem is that declarer must be denied diamond ruffs in dummy, but besides that East should realize he must restrict the diamond discards from declarer’s hand.

Ace and another heart apparently solves the first part of the problem: Dummy’s hearts as a source of ruffs are removed. But that does not deal with part two. Declarer simply draws the last trump, then throws losing diamonds from hand on clubs. And if East passively exits with anything but a trump, declarer plays to ruff diamonds in dummy and emerges with at least nine tricks.

The card to defeat the partscore is the heart five. Appreciating that the heart ace is still lurking, ready to deal with dummy’s second trump, South sees that playing for diamond ruffs is a hopeless plan. He cashes the club king and ace, then discards a low diamond on the club queen. If clubs break 3-3, all would be well.

But as the cards lay, West ruffs the third club, returns a trump to East’s ace, and there are still two diamond tricks to come — one down.


On auctions of this sort, when you have no easy lead (e.g., an honor sequence or a five-carder), you tend to look for safety. Here it feels right to lead hearts; dummy rates to have either one heart or two, and as long as partner has any heart bigger than the eight, you should not cost your side a trick. If dummy has a singleton or doubleton honor, you surely rate to build your side quick tricks.

LEAD WITH THE ACES

♠ J 9 2
 J 10 7 4
 Q 5
♣ A 6 5 3
South West North East
1♣ Pass 1
Pass 1♠ Pass 1 NT
All pass      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, April 29th, 2012

Where will the next world championships be, and how will I be able to follow them online?

Cable Subscriber, Tucson, Ariz.

It pains me to admit that the venue for the championships has not yet been determined. It was planned for the UK to coincide with the Olympics there, but it is now more likely to be in France or Italy. Watch this space — and if you want to follow the contest live, you can listen to live commentary on BBO and livespring. We DO know that in 2013 the world championships will be in Bali.

My LHO held ♠ A-J-9,  A-4,  K-Q-8, ♣ Q-5-4-3-2 and overcalled one no-trump over my one-heart opening bid. That got him to a hopeless three no-trump contract with three small hearts facing the ace. What do you think about his choice?

Weak Link, Newark, N.J.

I would prefer to double with this hand because of the danger that my opponents have a long suit where I have a delicate stopper. By contrast, switch my red suits and I would bid one no-trump if my RHO had opened one diamond. The danger associated with a one-diamond opening bid is far lower.

Should you play Drury to show values and support for partner if the opponents double your partner's opening bid of a major? I understand there is a convention to handle that.

Drury on the Down-Low, North Bay, Ontario

Marty Bergen invented a convention called Bromad (Bergen Raises after a MAjor is Doubled). Bids of two clubs and two diamonds in response — whether by a passed hand or an unpassed hand — show 6-9 high-card points and three or four trumps respectively. There are many variations on this theme.

My partner was in third chair and after I opened two diamonds the next player bid two hearts. He held ♠ J-5,  Q-10-9-4,  J-5-4, ♣ A-Q-6-2 and passed, because he had good defense to hearts. This did not work out well since the opponents got together in spades. Any comments?

Gumball Rally, Sunbury, Pa.

The reason why it is clear-cut (some would say automatic, but I've been told that one should not use that word no matter how much I think it to be the case) is that raising diamonds makes it so much harder for the opponents to judge competitive auctions, and to locate a black-suit fit if they have one.

If the opponents double your partner's Stayman inquiry, how can you show a stopper? And how should you handle the continuations?

Fighting Back, San Francisco, Calif.

If the opponents double Stayman, you should redouble when you want to play there, and bid only when you have a stopper. Thus passing denies a stopper, letting responder redouble to reinitiate Stayman. If responder bids two diamonds after your pass of your double or redouble, that should be natural and nonforcing.


For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, April 28th, 2012

Love your neighbor, yet pull not down your hedge.

George Herbert


North North
North-South ♠ 8 2
 A 8 6 4
 8 4
♣ A Q 10 8 2
West East
♠ Q 7 6 4 3
 K J 7 2
 7 6 3
♣ 7
♠ 9 5
 9
 A J 10 9 5
♣ K 9 5 4 3
South
♠ A K J 10
 Q 10 5 3
 K Q 2
♣ J 6
South West North East
Pass 2 NT*
Dbl. 3 Dbl. Pass
3 NT All pass    

*Minors

7

While most declarers were in four hearts in today's Yeh Brothers deal, Liu Jun was in three no-trump.

It might have been easier to pass out three diamonds doubled: A trump lead will apparently net a minimum of 300. But on the informative auction shown, West led a diamond to the nine and king. A club finesse held, the next one lost as West threw a spade, and back came a low diamond. Declarer won in hand, cashed his spade and heart winners, and presented East with a diamond. That player could cash three diamonds, but then had to concede the last three clubs to dummy.

East should have returned the diamond jack at trick four, in which case West would have had the option to win the diamond six on the third round. But declarer has a resource.

He advances the heart queen, hoping for a bare jack or nine with East, then cashes one club, pitching a heart, comes to hand with the second top spade, and exits with a diamond. If East wins, he must surrender the game-going tricks in clubs. If West wins, he has a spade to cash, but can’t manage more than one heart trick.

Incidentally, if West pitches a heart on the second club, declarer wins the diamond return and returns a third diamond. If East cashes out, West is squeezed in the majors; if East switches after taking a diamond or two, declarer sets up hearts as before.


I recommend that you use the call of two hearts here as natural and nonforcing — less than an invitation. The logic is that with invitational values or better, you can bid the new minor (here, two clubs) as a forcing relay asking for three-card spade support or four hearts. If you do that, a jump to three hearts should show 5-5 with invitational values.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ Q 7 6 4 3
 K J 7 2
 7 6 3
♣ 7
South West North East
1 Pass
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2012. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].