The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, September 1st, 2011

September 15th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  14 Comments 

Dealer: South Vul: Neither	North ♠ Q 9 8 5 2 ♥ K 9 ♦ J 5 4 ♣ Q J 6
West ♠ J 7 6 ♥ 10 8 7 4 ♦ 10 3 ♣ 10 8 4 3		East ♠ 4 3 ♥ Q J 6 ♦ Q 9 8 7 6 ♣ 9 2
	South ♠ A 10 ♥ A 5 3 2 ♦ A K 2 ♣ A K 7 5

 

South	West	North	East
2 ♣	Pass	2 ♦	Pass
2 NT	Pass	3 ♥*	Pass
3 ♠	Pass	5 NT**	Pass
6 NT	All Pass

*Spades

**Choice of slams

Opening Lead: Heart 4

“Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.”

— Francis Bacon

There are plenty of excellent bridge players who claim never to have read a textbook. Personally, though, I find that articles and bookss do help me play better. I learned basic technique — not to mention some of the more complex percentage plays — by reading up on them. However, one of the most obscure combinations you will ever see is featured in this deal’s spade suit, and I had never seen it reproduced in a book until very recently.

There might be something to be said for playing six clubs today, but six no-trump looks like the normal spot. How should you develop tricks in spades? The answer is to run the spade queen! If the suit is 3-3, it is a blind guess which finesse to take. But if the suit is 4-2, your spade intermediates will let you pick up three of the four honor-doubletons by leading the queen. No other play caters to that.

It is only fitting that when this combination came up in the Cavendish tournament a few years ago, it was Fred Gitelman, author of “BridgeMaster,” which features this precise combination, who was at the helm in six no-trump. He made the right play and was rewarded when the cards cooperated.

Just for the record: if you did not have the spade eight, your best play would be to lead low to the 10. This gives you a 50 percent chance against the 3-3 breaks and also picks up either doubleton honor in 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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

September 14th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  6 Comments 

Vulnerable: East-West Dealer: West	North ♠ A K 8 2 ♥ A K 4 2 ♦ Q 5 ♣ 6 5 2
West ♠ 6 5 ♥ J 8 6 ♦ A K J 8 6 3 ♣ A 9		East ♠ 10 9 4 3 ♥ 10 3 ♦ 9 2 ♣ K J 10 7 3
	South ♠ Q J 7 ♥ Q 9 7 5 ♦ 10 7 4 ♣ Q 8 4

 

South	West	North	East
	1 ♦	Dbl.	Pass
1 ♥	Pass	2 ♥	All pass

Opening Lead: Diamond king

“Forever wilt thou love, and she be fair!”

— John Keats

In the past decade Rose Meltzer (the new chairperson of the ACBL Goodwill Committee) has become the first woman to win the Bermuda Bowl, but before Rose, the first woman to play on a U.S. Open Team was Helen Sobel.

Helen’s claims to fame included dancing in a Marx Brothers show, where she learned bridge from a fellow chorus girl, and being married for a while to Al Sobel, the first of the great U.S. tournament directors. Her career at the top lasted for three decades, and she played for the United States in world championships before the war as well as in the ’50s, till her untimely death from cancer.

Lest there be any doubt that Helen was one of the greatest players of all time, take a look at her defense as West, partnered by the legendary Charles Goren.

The defense to two hearts appears to have five easy tricks — but can you see how to score that sixth winner?

Helen began with three rounds of diamonds, dummy pitching a club and Goren throwing off the club seven, using high cards as encouraging. Without hesitation Sobel switched to the club nine! Goren won the king, returned a club to Helen’s ace, and ruffed the fourth round of diamonds with the heart 10, dummy discarding a spade. This promoted Helen’s heart jack to the setting trick.

Someone once asked Helen what it felt like, playing with a great expert. She replied: “Ask Charlie.”

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

September 13th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 

Vulnerable: East-West Dealer: South	North ♠ A J 7 ♥ A Q 4 ♦ K 9 6 ♣ A J 5 3
West ♠ 9 5 4 2 ♥ J 10 9 7 ♦ 10 7 5 2 ♣ Q		East ♠ 10 6 3 ♥ 6 5 2 ♦ 8 4 3 ♣ 10 8 7 4
	South ♠ K Q 8 ♥ K 8 3 ♦ A Q J ♣ K 9 6 2

 

South	West	North	East
1 ♣	Pass	1 ♦	Pass
2 NT	Pass	7 NT	All pass

Opening Lead: Heart jack

“The chest contrived a double debt to pay;

— Oliver Goldsmith

Today is two-fer Tuesday: you get two problems from the same deal. Looking only at the North and South cards, you have to decide how you would play six no-trump, and also how you would declare seven no-trump.

On the lead of the heart jack, the only suit in which you appear to have flexibility is clubs. In seven no-trump you need precisely four tricks from the suit. What are the options?

A somewhat simplistic approach is to stick with the adage “Eight ever nine never” and take the club finesse by cashing the club king and leading to the jack. So far so good — but that does not cover all the bases, in that it copes adequately only with the 3-2 breaks where the finesse works. But are there any 4-1 breaks you can cope with? Only the specific one shown here, where the bare club queen is onside. To negotiate that lie of the cards, you must start by taking the immediate finesse of the jack, but changing plans when the queen appears. You play the ace, then cash the jack, and next finesse the nine.

In six no-trump you need only take three club tricks. Here you also start by cashing the ace, but if no honors appear, you lead next to the nine. If East shows out on the second round, you can change plans, putting up the king and playing back to the jack. This line insures three tricks against any lie of the cards

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Monday, August 29th, 2011

September 12th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  14 Comments 

Vulnerable: Both Dealer: North	North ♠ 2 ♥ K J ♦ A Q J 7 6 2 ♣ A Q 3 2
West ♠ 10 8 4 3 ♥ — ♦ K 10 9 4 3 ♣ J 10 8 6		East ♠ Q J 9 7 ♥ A Q 9 4 ♦ 5 ♣ 9 7 5 4
	South ♠ A K 6 5 ♥ 10 8 7 6 5 3 2 ♦ 8 ♣ K

 

South	West	North	East
		1 ♦	Pass
1 ♥	Pass	2 ♣	Pass
2 ♥	Pass	3 ♥	Pass
4 ♥	All pass

Opening Lead: Spade three

“Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths.”

— Moliere

Today’s deal play proved too challenging to both expert declarers. Can you do better?

Both tables in the match between Netherlands and France stopped sensibly low at four hearts, but Bompis for France found the deceptive diamond lead. Declarer, Wubbo De Boer, protected himself against the wrong eventuality when he went up with the diamond ace and played the heart king. The 4-0 heart split doomed him, since East, Henri Szwarc, won, cashed the heart queen, and exited with a spade. Now there was only one home for a spade loser. Declarer had to lose a further spade and a heart trick for one down.

At the other table Christian Mari didn’t find quite the best line either after a spade lead, but he had a chance to recover. He won the first trick, cashed the club king, and played a heart to the king. His LHO cashed two hearts and got out with a spade, but Mari could win and play a diamond up. When diamonds were not 6-0, he escaped, since he could now cash two clubs to throw his spade losers away and could then simply concede one more trump trick.

The right play is to unblock the club king at trick two and then ruff a spade in dummy. Now you pitch your second spade loser on the club ace and play the heart king. This way you are sure to lose no more than three trump tricks, whatever the lie of the cards.

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, August 28th, 2011

September 11th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, August 28th, 2011 

If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2011.

The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, August 27th, 2011

September 10th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  4 Comments 

Vulnerable: North-South Dealer: South	North ♠ Q 7 3 2 ♥ A K 7 6 ♦ A Q 4 ♣ 4 2
West ♠ K 9 ♥ J 4 ♦ 9 7 6 3 ♣ A 9 7 5 3		East ♠ 6 5 ♥ Q 10 9 8 5 ♦ K J 8 ♣ 10 8 6
	South ♠ A J 10 8 4 ♥ 3 2 ♦ 10 5 2 ♣ K Q J

 

South	West	North	East
1 ♠	Pass	2 NT*	Pass
4 ♠	All pass

*Game-forcing with spade support

Opening Lead: Diamond six

“What mischief cleaves to unsubdued regret,

— William Wordsworth

As a recent Cavendish Pairs demonstrated, light opening bids sometimes backfire; and if ever there was a reason not to open light, this deal demonstrates it. When one South passed initially, a transfer bid got North to four spades, and he wrapped up his game on a club lead. From the North seat there is no lead that can put the game in jeopardy.

By contrast, both Geir Helgemo and Fred Stewart opened the South hand, the one fueled by youthful exuberance, the other by a strong club system. After a game-forcing trump raise, both played four spades on a diamond lead to East’s jack. It looks natural for the defenders to play clubs now, but as you can see, that would deprive them of their second diamond trick. In fact both Easts at their respective tables (Alain Levy and Roy Welland) found the devastating trump shift. Declarer took his ace, but had lost his hand entry. He tried the club king, but both defenders in the West seat (Paul Chemla and Bjorn Fallenius) continued the good work on defense.

They ducked the first club, won the second, and played a second diamond. Both declarers inferred that the diamond finesse would lose. They rose with dummy’s ace and played heart ace, heart king, and ruffed a heart high, hoping to be able to get back to hand to cash the club winner and pitch dummy’s diamond queen. No such luck! The defense could overruff and cash the diamond king for down one.

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Friday, August 26th, 2011

September 9th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, August 26th, 2011 

Vulnerable: East-West Dealer: North	North ♠ J 5 3 ♥ 9 8 3 ♦ K Q 10 9 3 ♣ Q 8
West ♠ K Q 4 ♥ Q 10 4 2 ♦ A 2 ♣ K 10 7 4		East ♠ 10 9 8 7 ♥ J 7 6 ♦ 7 6 5 ♣ 6 5 2
	South ♠ A 6 2 ♥ A K 5 ♦ J 8 4 ♣ A J 9 3

 

South	West	North	East
		Pass	Pass
1 NT	Pass	3 NT	All pass

Opening Lead: Heart four

“This fellow’s wise enough to play the fool,

— William Shakespeare

Bruce Ferguson is one of the most imaginative players; it is always entertaining to see how far he will go. As the things he does become more outrageous, the more people suspect him, so he has to keep trying ever more unusual tricks. But he still keeps reeling in the victims!

Consider this example from a recent Cavendish Teams, where he caught another world champion and added yet another notch to his belt. If you play three no-trump as South, as did the vast majority of the field, you find the cards lying exceptionally well. With the diamond ace doubleton, plus spades and hearts behaving better than one has a right to expect, it looks very hard to go down. Ferguson fired the first shot by leading a deceptive heart four, playing fourth-highest leads. When you have a hand this strong, it can be a good move to randomize your spot-card leads. When South ducked the first heart, Ferguson had won the first battle. Back came another heart and South won, crossed to a top diamond, and passed the club queen. Ferguson won and put the spade four on the table! West eyed this suspiciously and decided to duck. We can all see that this may not be technically supportable, but West had given him the chance to go wrong and he took it. All credit to Ferguson, who left chortling, with another victim added to what is by now a rather long list.

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, August 25th, 2011

September 8th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  4 Comments 

Vulnerable: Both Dealer: East	North ♠ 10 4 ♥ 9 6 5 ♦ K 8 6 5 ♣ 10 9 3 2
West ♠ 8 3 ♥ Q 10 3 2 ♦ J 7 4 2 ♣ Q 8 7		East ♠ J 6 ♥ A K J 7 4 ♦ A Q 10 ♣ 6 5 4
	South ♠ A K Q 9 7 5 2 ♥ 8 ♦ 9 3 ♣ A K J

 

South	West	North	East
			1 ♥
Dbl.	3 ♥	Pass	Pass
4 ♠	All pass

Opening Lead: Spade three

“And now the matchless deed’s achieved,

— Christopher Smart

Today’s deal is from a match between England and Japan in the 2004 World Championships. When the English East opened a strong no-trump, the Japanese South settled for a conservative two-spade overcall because he did not have a penalty double in his arsenal. He duly collected nine tricks.

In the other room Justin Hackett drove to four spades — as might we all. West led a trump and declarer played the 10 from dummy, hoping that it would be an entry. When East covered, Justin ran off all but one of his trumps. East discarded two hearts and two clubs, while West discarded four hearts. This led Justin to conclude that West held the guarded club queen, so he gave up all thoughts of exiting with a red suit in the hope that an opponent would eventually lead a club, allowing him to finesse.

Instead, he boldly laid the club jack on the table! And West played low, assuming his partner would win with the king. In truth, West’s play may not stand up to analysis, but well done to Justin Hackett for making such a brave move. Brilliancies in bridge are often based on psychology, not on complicated lines of play. I’m sure that most of us would not have thought of Justin’s stratagem, but even if we had, we would have rejected it in favor of the legitimate line of cashing the club ace and king, hoping tp drop a doubleton queen.

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

September 7th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  4 Comments 

Vulnerable: East-West Dealer: North	North ♠ J 8 2 ♥ Q 6 3 ♦ K J 7 6 ♣ 9 5 3
West ♠ A K 7 5 4 ♥ J 7 2 ♦ 2 ♣ J 7 4 2		East ♠ Q 10 9 6 ♥ A 9 5 4 ♦ 10 4 ♣ A 10 8
	South ♠ 3 ♥ K 10 8 ♦ A Q 9 8 5 3 ♣ K Q 6

 

South	West	North	East
		Pass	Pass
1 ♦	1 ♠	2 ♦	3 ♦
4 ♦	All pass

Opening Lead: Spade king

“The most decisive actions of our life … are most often unconsidered actions.”

— Andre Gide

A partnership I’ve always had a lot of affection for is Bart Bramley and Sidney Lazard. Sidney has cut back on his bridge these days, but I believe he is presently one of the longest-lived U.S. Bridge Internationals, having played for USA in the 1959 Bermuda Bowl. Only Bill Rosen from the 1954 team can beat that record. (Incidentally, Pietro Forquet, from the 1951 Italian team, represented Italy in the Seniors a couple of years ago.)

When Bramley and Lazard played together in a recent Cavendish Pairs, Bart drew an interesting inference to bring home today’s delicate four-diamond contract.

On the spade-king lead and continuation, Bramley put up the jack to force the queen and to confirm the location of the spade honors. He ruffed this trick, then drew two rounds of trump and led a club to his king. Now came a third diamond to dummy and a second club.

East took the ace and played a third club. Bramley won and paused to count up the hand. Since East clearly had both rounded aces to justify his cue-bid and had also shown up with the spade queen, he was less likely to have the heart jack than his partner. Had he held that card, he might have opened the bidding since East-West were playing weak no-trumps. Backing his judgment, Bramley advanced the heart 10, and whether West covered or not, Bramley had his 10th trick.

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

September 6th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  3 Comments 

Vulnerable: North-South Dealer: North	North ♠ 5 4 2 ♥ Q J 4 ♦ 9 5 4 ♣ 7 5 4 2
West ♠ 9 3 ♥ K 9 6 2 ♦ A Q 10 7 2 ♣ K 3		East ♠ K J 8 7 6 ♥ 3 ♦ K J 3 ♣ Q J 10 9
	South ♠ A Q 10 ♥ A 10 8 7 5 ♦ 8 6 ♣ A 8 6

 

South	West	North	East
		Pass	1 ♠
2 ♥	Pass	Pass	Dbl.
All pass

Opening Lead: Spade nine

“I saw their starved lips in the gloam

— John Keats

In today’s deal from the 2004 Cavendish tournament, many East-West pairs were going down for large numbers after East had opened the bidding. Quite often South could double three no-trump, and Al Roth, the apostle of sound bidding, would have been able to say, “I told you so.” However, Billy Cohen as South was in a position to collect a different sort of large number. Having missed his winning play at the table, I can only applaud him on his subsequent analysis and his public-spirited masochism in then passing it on to the Daily Bulletin!

He declared two hearts doubled on the auction shown and won the lead of the spade nine cheaply in hand. The defense was threatening a spade ruff, so if declarer delays drawing trumps, East-West will obtain an easy sixth trick. Suppose you lead a low heart up toward dummy. North’s queen will hold the trick; now what? If you play a spade, the defense will surely arrange to get a ruff; if you lead a heart to the 10, that holds the trick too. The defense now doesn’t get a ruff, but you can never collect your third spade trick. The winning move is to lead the heart 10 at trick two! Whether a defender wins this trick or ducks it, this play gives you your entry to dummy when you need it. The defense gets only one heart trick now, and you get to repeat the spade finesse in peace and quiet.

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 2011. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].