December 26th, 2010 ~ admin ~ 1 Comment 
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
Recently you discussed a sequence where opener bids one spade and the next hand overcalls two hearts. What four options of raising spades are open to the next hand? I would regard two spades as typically showing three-card support and 6-9 points; a jump would show three-card support with 10-12 points. Meanwhile a jump to four spades shows at least four-card support with a moderate hand, while a cuebid forces to game. Is this standard treatment nowadays?
— All Bases Covered, Holland, Mich.
ANSWER: Your interpretation is reasonable, but modern competitive bridge players have altered the meaning of the jump raise. Instead of playing it as limit, they use it as weak — say 3-7 HCP and four trumps. So with a limit raise they must cuebid, losing the ability to force to game with support via the cuebid. You win some and you lose some!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Playing two-over-one, my partner opened one club, and I held ♠ J-9-3, ♥ K-Q-J-9-8-5, ♦ 3-2, ♣ 10-4. I was planning to bid and rebid my hearts, but my RHO overcalled one spade, and now I did not know if my call of two hearts would set up a game force or if it would be an overbid even if that were not the case.
— Heart in Hand, Pottsville, Pa.
ANSWER: Using two-over-one in a noncompetitive auction means a response of — say — two hearts to one spade forces to game. With a hand like yours, you must respond one no-trump then bid hearts to show less than a game-force plus a long heart suit. After the one-spade overcall, your choice is to bid and rebid hearts, which I would do with an additional side queen, or to make a negative double and then convert partner’s response to hearts, suggesting these approximate values.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
If I plan to overcall a strong no-trump to show a single-suited hand, what are the criteria I should use in deciding whether to act or pass? Conversely, if my partner opens a no-trump and the next hand overcalls, does a suit bid from me at the two-level promise four or guarantee five — and is it forcing?
— Jumping Jack, Charlottesville, Va.
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ANSWER: Don’t come in over one no-trump without playing strength. It is much better to hold six hearts to the Q-J and a side K-Q than a solid five-card suit in a balanced 13-count. You might balance with the latter hand though.
If the opponents intervene over partner’s no-trump, a free bid by you (of two spades over two hearts in our example) suggests five with 5-8 points or so, as you could double for takeout.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What is the best defense against an opponent’s pre-emptive bids? I don’t always feel that I have the correct hand to make a takeout double. For example, over my RHO’s three-heart call, I felt I had to bid four diamonds with 13 points and six diamonds, four spades, and three hearts. However, we missed our cold four-spade contract.
— Crystal-Gazer, Seneca, S.C.
ANSWER: You did just fine and you were thinking along the right lines when you did what you did. Takeout doubles are the best defense available; one-suiters are relatively easy to bid, and two-suiters can sometimes be shown with a cue-bid, sometimes by bidding both suits if allowed. But here, your void in clubs and your six diamonds forced you to pass or bid four diamonds. Don’t worry about the result; you did the best with what you had.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Say you are in fourth chair after hearing one diamond to your left and one spade to your right. Does it makes sense to bid either of your opponents’ suits as artificial as opposed to natural? My thinking is that the diamond call normally delivers diamonds, so why bid the suit yourself?
— Real or Fake? Elkhart, Ind.
ANSWER: Standard American assumes that because minors are always suspect (and strong clubbers’ one-diamond openings even more so), we don’t worry about our opponents’ minimum opening lengths. Fourth hand’s bids are natural — end of story. Also, since we have double and a jump to two no-trump for takeout, we don’t need a third call. A bid of one no-trump is best used as strong, and all suit-bids are natural. Is it best? I say yes, but even if not best, it is simplest. |
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 25th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, December 11, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North
♠ —
♥ K 8 7 2
♦ A K J 7 6 2
♣ A 6 4 |
|
| West
♠ J 8 6
♥ J 4
♦ 9 8 5 4 3
♣ Q 10 9 |
 |
East
♠ K 9 4 2
♥ 10 5 3
♦ 10
♣ K J 7 5 3 |
| |
South
♠ A Q 10 7 5 3
♥ A Q 9 6
♦ Q
♣ 8 2 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
5 NT |
Pass |
| 7♥ |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♦ 4
“It is the logic of our times,
No subject for immortal verse —
That we who lived by honest dreams
Defend the bad against the worse.”
— Cecil Day-Lewis
I try not to be too harsh in print when players fall below the standards of perfection; others are not always so charitable. As an example, consider today’s deal, which decided an Indian championship nearly 40 years ago. One table stayed in six hearts, just making. At our featured table, how would you play the grand slam on a diamond lead? (North’s bid of five no-trump asked South to bid the grand slam with two top heart honors.) To make the challenge a fair one, cover the East and West cards.
At the table declarer took the diamond lead and played the heart king and ace. Now the contract could no longer be made when diamonds failed to break. Declarer had five trump tricks, five diamonds and two black aces, but no route to a 13th trick.
However, as declarer needs only five diamond tricks, he should try to cater to diamonds being 5-1 by generating an extra trump trick. The required play is to ruff a spade in dummy at once, then play the heart king and ace, take a second spade ruff, and come back to hand with a diamond ruff. The heart queen and spade ace take care of dummy’s losing clubs, and dummy is now high.
Whoever wrote this hand up said, “South played without thoughtful planning and went down in a hand that a well-trained player would not fail to make.” This was perhaps a little harsh on a player who represented India at the 1972 Olympiad!
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q 10 7 5 3 |
| ♥ |
A Q 9 6 |
| ♦ |
Q |
| ♣ |
8 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
1 NT |
Pass |
| ? |
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ANSWER: When holding a six-four pattern, always introduce the second suit if you can do so economically, unless it is not headed by a top honor and you are dead minimum for the auction. The point is that by doing so, you let partner know 10 of your cards at once. Repeating your long suit tells him only about six cards in your hand.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 24th, 2010 ~ admin ~ 10 Comments
| Dealer: West
Vul: All |
North
♠ Q 9 6
♥ A 9 8 6
♦ K 6 5
♣ K 8 3 |
|
| West
♠ 10 7 5
♥ 5 2
♦ J 9 8
♣ A J 9 4 2 |
|
East
♠ K 8 3
♥ 10 7 4
♦ A 7 3 2
♣ 10 6 5 |
| |
South
♠ A J 4 2
♥ K Q J 3
♦ Q 10 4
♣ Q 7 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♣ 4
“Art is long, life short; judgment difficult, opportunity transient.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Today’s deal demonstrates that the inferences you can draw about how normal mortals defend may be sound, but they may not be proof against the very best. Sometimes you have to pay off to a defender in top form.
For example, when Geoff Hampson and Eric Greco were defending against Steve Garner and Howard Weinstein in the 1997 Cavendish, they produced one of the best defenses of the tournament.
Weinstein had done well to get his side to three no-trump rather than four hearts, and Greco led his fourth-highest club. Garner won the club queen to lead a diamond to dummy’s king. (It is not clear to me whether playing on spades is theoretically better, but if the diamond king holds, declarer can shift to spades with a useful gain of tempo.)
Be that as it may, Hampson as East took the diamond ace and returned the club six, ducked by Greco. Garner took the club king in dummy and led the spade queen, which Hampson ducked without hesitation! Now declarer assumed the spade finesse was wrong. He rose with the spade ace and cashed his heart winners (on which Greco threw two spades), then took the diamond finesse. Greco could win his jack and cash out for a spectacular one down.
Of course, if East had followed the rules for normal mortals (cover an honor with an honor), Garner would have taken two spade tricks, and that would have given him nine tricks without needing the diamond finesse.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 7 5 |
| ♥ |
5 2 |
| ♦ |
J 9 8 |
| ♣ |
A J 9 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♠ |
Pass |
| ? |
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ANSWER: Today’s problem illustrates the point that the correct way to raise partner depends considerably on whether you use a forcing no-trump response to a major. If you do not, then you should raise to two spades here, conscious that the range for this action is 6-10 points. If you play the forcing no-trump, then don’t raise directly — that shows 8-10 points. Instead, respond one no-trump and support at your next turn.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 23rd, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, December 9, 2010
| Dealer: North
Vul: All |
North
♠ A 6 5
♥ K 6 5
♦ A J 10
♣ Q J 8 7 |
|
| West
♠ Q 9 4 3
♥ 10 9 7 4
♦ K 8 2
♣ 6 3 |
|
East
♠ J 10
♥ A J 8 3
♦ 9 6 5 4 3
♣ 9 2 |
| |
South
♠ K 8 7 2
♥ Q 2
♦ Q 7
♣ A K 10 5 4 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1 NT |
Pass |
| 2♣ |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 3♣ |
Pass |
4♣ |
Pass |
| 6♣ |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♣ 6
“Imagination is that sacred power,
Imagination lofty and refined.”
— William Wordsworth
At first glance, today’s six-club contract at the Dyspeptics Club looked hopeless. An ace was missing and there was seemingly no way to avoid a spade loser. But if South had assumed that the diamond king needed to be onside, he could have turned disaster into triumph.
At the table declarer drew trumps and ran three diamond winners, pitching a heart from hand, then cunningly led a heart toward his bare queen. Alas for him, East worked out to rise with the ace, and there was still a spade to lose at the death.
Declarer would have had a much better chance of success as long as he had guessed correctly which opponent held the heart ace. Assume that it seems only fair to play East for that card since you intend to play West for the diamond king, and you are in business!
Take the trump lead in dummy, then lead a low heart at once. If East rises with the ace, there would be two discards for declarer’s losing spades — one on the heart king and one on the diamonds. So assume East ducks his ace, and South’s queen holds the trick. Trumps can be drawn and the diamond finesse taken. South’s losing heart now goes away on the third diamond, and after conceding one spade, declarer can ruff the fourth spade in dummy.
For the technically minded, South has performed a Morton’s Fork Coup, whereby East was forced either to lose his heart ace or present declarer with a vital discard by taking it prematurely.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K 8 7 2 |
| ♥ |
Q 2 |
| ♦ |
Q 7 |
| ♣ |
A K 10 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
Pass |
2♦ |
| ? |
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ANSWER: When the opponents open with a pre-empt, it often acts like a red rag to a bull. And when you hold a 14-count, it seems wrong to pass and perhaps let the opponents steal from you. But remember that the auction is not over yet, and that since your hand would barely have been worth a two-level overcall, how can it be worth a three-level overcall facing a passed partner? You must pass, like it or not.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 22nd, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, December 8, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North
♠ 10 6 3
♥ A Q 3
♦ K 8 6 5
♣ 8 6 2 |
|
| West
♠ A K 5 4
♥ K 9 7
♦ 10 2
♣ J 9 7 5 |
|
East
♠ Q J 2
♥ 8 6 5 4
♦ J 9 7 4 3
♣ 4 |
| |
South
♠ 9 8 7
♥ J 10 2
♦ A Q
♣ A K Q 10 3 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
| 3 NT |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♠ A
“I would far rather feel remorse than know how to define it.”
— Thomas a Kempis
My thanks go to Jean-Paul Meyer, editor of France’s Le Bridgeur, for the original theme of today’s deal. Assume you are facing top-notch defenders.
Against the no-trump game West led the spade ace. When East contributed the queen, showing the jack, West underled his king at trick two. Now, with the defenders’ spades fluid, the defense was able to cash four tricks in the suit. The key question, then, is what does declarer throw from his hand and from dummy on the fourth spade? There is no great problem with the choice from dummy — a club or diamond fits the bill. But South’s discard is trickier.
It looks natural to pitch a heart from hand, but in fact declarer must discard a club. This is not a case of foreknowledge of the unwelcome split, but relates to the diamond blockage. This determines that the heart king must be with West for the contract to make.
The point is that a heart switch by West at trick five means that the heart finesse will have to be taken at once. Even if the clubs play for five tricks, declarer cannot afford to rise with the heart ace since it would cut him off from the diamond king.
Therefore, if the heart king must be onside, no more than three club tricks are required. But if you discard your low heart, the devastating return of the heart king by West would mean that declarer would again be reliant on the club jack dropping in three rounds.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 6 3 |
| ♥ |
A Q 3 |
| ♦ |
K 8 6 5 |
| ♣ |
8 6 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♦ |
1♥ |
| 2♦ |
2♥ |
2♠ |
Pass |
| ? |
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ANSWER: Your simple raise in diamonds suggested 6-10 points, and your partner’s advance with two spades suggested extra shape and high cards. With hearts well stopped, the question is whether to drive to three no-trump or to make a simple call of two no-trump to get your values across nicely. I’m torn here, but will opt for two no-trump for fear that the defenders might lead clubs if I insist on three no-trump at once.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 21st, 2010 ~ admin ~ 2 Comments
| Dealer: South
Vul: N/S |
North
♠ A 7 5 2
♥ 6 2
♦ 7 3
♣ 10 9 6 3 2 |
|
| West
♠ K Q J 6
♥ 10 9 4
♦ Q 8 6
♣ Q 7 4 |
|
East
♠ 3
♥ Q J 8 5 3
♦ J 10 5 4 2
♣ 8 5 |
| |
South
♠ 10 9 8 4
♥ A K 7
♦ A K 9
♣ A K J |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 2 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♠ K
“There’s no time for a man to recover his hair that grows bald by nature.”
— William Shakespeare
Against today’s contract of three no-trump, reached after North had refused to use Stayman over his partner’s opening bid, West led the spade king. Now South’s problem was to set up a late route into dummy after the only obvious entry had been attacked at trick one and before the clubs were unblocked.
If South wins with the spade ace, then sets up the clubs, West can foil any attempt to establish an entry to dummy. He does this by playing a high spade if South leads his low spot toward the seven, or by following with a low spade should declarer lead a high spade from his hand, once the position in that suit has been established.
To conserve the late entry to the board until clubs were untangled, South withheld the spade ace at trick one, while making the vital unblock of the spade eight from his hand. And on the spade-queen continuation declarer ducked again, while unblocking his nine.
West now had no winning move. If he switched to a red suit, South would win, and the spade ace would still be in place as an entry after the clubs were established. (South would play clubs from the top and give West his queen.) However, had West continued with the spade jack at trick three, only now would the ace be played and the 10 unblocked from hand, leaving the seven as the sure entry to the board to reach dummy’s clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
3 |
| ♥ |
Q J 8 5 3 |
| ♦ |
J 10 5 4 2 |
| ♣ |
8 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| ? |
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ANSWER: Things have gone from bad to worse! Your decision to respond to one club was partly for tactical reasons, maybe to keep the opponents out. However, now you have to decide if you want to leave partner in a 4-1 fit. I say no. Best is to rebid one no-trump and hope partner lets you off the hook somehow.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 20th, 2010 ~ admin ~ 2 Comments
| Dealer: East
Vul: None |
North
♠ Q 8 3
♥ A K Q
♦ K 7 2
♣ K Q 4 2 |
|
| West
♠ K J 9 5 2
♥ 8 5
♦ Q 8 6 3
♣ A 5 |
|
East
♠ 10 4
♥ 10 9 6 4 2
♦ A J 9 4
♣ 9 6 |
| |
South
♠ A 7 6
♥ J 7 3
♦ 10 5
♣ J 10 8 7 3 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
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Pass |
| Pass |
1♠ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 2♣ |
Pass |
3♣ |
Pass |
| 3 NT |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♠ 5
“We should never despair. Our situation before has been unpromising and has changed for the better; so I trust, it will again.”
— George Washington
Occasionally, the world of bridge problems smacks of artificiality. Sometimes, however, you can identify the only chance of bringing home a contract or of defeating it. In that instance, when playing teams or rubber bridge, you are generally justified in going for that chance no matter how slim it may be.
Take today’s deal, where you lead the spade five against three no-trump and dummy’s queen wins the first trick. Partner follows with a low card, which it is sensible to play as an attitude signal, denying the jack. Had dummy won the trick with the jack or a lower card, partner would have signaled count because his attitude was already defined by his inability to beat dummy’s card.
Declarer now continues with the club king (partner plays the nine), which you duck, and the club queen (partner playing the six), which you win perforce.
Your partner’s high-low in clubs shows an even number, here surely a doubleton, so you can work out without too much trouble that declarer has nine tricks (four clubs, two spades and three hearts), unless you can come to five tricks immediately.
Your only chance will come from diamonds, but declarer will simply follow low from dummy if you shift to a small diamond, and the danger will be past. Therefore, you must switch to the diamond queen, hoping to make four diamond tricks. This needs a fairly specific holding in your partner’s hand, but as the cards lie, your luck will be in today.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
6 3 |
| ♥ |
J 10 8 6 5 |
| ♦ |
9 3 |
| ♣ |
Q 8 6 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♥ |
1♠ |
1 NT |
| Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
| Pass |
Pass |
Dbl. |
All Pass |
| |
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ANSWER: Does this double call for the lead of dummy’s first-bid suit (not likely here), or for an unusual lead, or for the normal lead? All three interpretations are possible, but since you would have led a spade without the double, it is best to interpret the double as calling for the lead of partner’s second suit — surely, diamonds. So lead the diamond nine.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 19th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, December 5, 2010
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
Recently I believe you wrote that a successful doubled contract does not produce a game unless game had been bid, the extra scores going above the line. Did I misread or misunderstand? It makes sense to me, but my club told me that you and I were wrong.
— Game Boy, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
ANSWER: When you play a partscore that has been doubled and you make it, then the whole of the score for the contract goes below the line. Thus two hearts doubled scores as twice 60 or 120. Since that number exceeds 100, it registers the game bonus. The insult, bonus, and overtricks go above the line — as usual.
Two diamonds doubled scores as 80 — thus not game, but two diamonds redoubled is 160 and IS worth the game bonus.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
In rubber bridge, my partner opened with an artificial two-club bid, holding ♠ A Q-9-3-2, ♥ —, ♦ A-Q-10, ♣ A-J-10-9-5. I, in turn, held ♠ K-J-8-6-3, ♥ J-9-4, ♦ 8-3-2, ♣ 8-4. How should we have bid our cards to slam, or should we have played in game?
— Chicken Little, Calgary, Alberta
ANSWER: The general rule is that a two-club opening on an unbalanced hand is forcing to game unless responder shows a double negative by bidding two diamonds at his first turn, then showing weakness at the second turn. With your partner’s hand, a one-spade opening is appropriate. After you jump to four spades, he might shoot out slam and, his way up, the contract is excellent.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
When defending against a suit contract, why lead the king from a suit headed by the ace and king? If your partner is void, he doesn’t know if you are leading from the A-K or the K-Q and doesn’t know whether or not to ruff. Wouldn’t leading the ace inform your partner you have it and leading the king inform him you don’t have it?
— Who Got What? Atlanta, Ga.
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ANSWER: The problem you describe is a very rare one. More common is deciding how to signal with length, including the jack, facing a king lead. Leading the unsupported ace and having partner know you need an attitude signal, not a count signal, is rather more helpful and comes up more often. The situation of the void facing the king is rare enough that I’ve seen only two disasters resulting from this in my entire life … and it’s been a long life.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
How much of bridge is about knowing the precise percentages, and how much about table feel and table presence?
— Mind Games, West Palm Beach, Fla.
ANSWER: I can’t say I have every percentage at my fingertips, or indeed that I want to, but I know enough that I won’t be off in estimating lines unless the two are so close that it really makes no difference. What I mean is that table presence outranks percentages all the time! And the top players know this — though they may be reluctant to admit it.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I held ♠ K-Q-9-3, ♥ Q-5-4-3-2, ♦ A-2, ♣ A-10, and my partner opened three diamonds in first chair. How much would your decision to move on or pass be influenced by vulnerability and position, and how much by your choice of partner?
— Tough Choices, Jackson, Miss.
ANSWER: I would pass a first-chair nonvulnerable pre-empt, but gamble out three no-trump facing either a vulnerable pre-empter or a second-in-hand call, unless I knew that my partner had an overdeveloped sense of humor when at favorable vulnerability. In second seat I like to be sound and I like my partners to be the same; I’m sometimes disappointed! |
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 18th, 2010 ~ admin ~ 4 Comments
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North
♠ A K 7 5 2
♥ Q 6
♦ A 7 2
♣ A K 5 |
|
| West
♠ 9 6
♥ K 10 8 5
♦ Q J 10 9 4
♣ 10 4 |
|
East
♠ Q 10 8 3
♥ 9 2
♦ 8 6 3
♣ 8 6 3 2 |
| |
South
♠ J 4
♥ A J 7 4 3
♦ K 5
♣ Q J 9 7 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 2♣ |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 2 NT |
Pass |
6 NT |
All Pass |
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Opening Lead: ♦ Q
“Nature is very consonant and conformable with herself.”
— Sir Isaac Newton
West leads the diamond queen against six no-trump. What is your plan to make 12 tricks?
You have three top tricks in the majors and need to develop three more major-suit winners. As playing on spades first will yield at most two extra tricks, you should play on hearts first (where the potential is greater). So you take the diamond queen in hand with the king and lead a low heart toward dummy’s queen. This will give you three extra tricks if West flies up with the king or if East can take the heart queen with the king and hearts split 3-3. In our given layout, West holds the heart king but cannot play it, so the heart queen will win the second trick.
Now you have 10 certain tricks and have to decide whether to continue to play on hearts or to switch to spades. While you have a fair chance of making another two tricks in hearts by continuing the suit, it is better to switch to spades by leading the spade two toward your jack. This will bring in two extra spade tricks when East holds the spade queen and the suit breaks no worse than 4-2 or when West holds the spade queen and spades break 3-3.
Playing on hearts, then on spades, is the only way to succeed today. And note that if you tackle either suit in any way except the recommended one, your contract fails.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 4 |
| ♥ |
A J 7 4 3 |
| ♦ |
K 5 |
| ♣ |
Q J 9 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♦ |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
1♠ |
2♣ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: A simple raise to three clubs would be a huge underbid. You have enough to force to game, so cuebid two spades to set up a force, then plan to raise clubs at your next turn. This hand rates to play much better in clubs then in no-trump though you will be prepared to let partner provide input as to the best 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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 17th, 2010 ~ admin ~ 2 Comments
| Dealer: West
Vul: All |
North
♠ 9 4 3
♥ A 7
♦ Q J 9 8 5
♣ 6 5 3 |
|
| West
♠ Q J 10 8 2
♥ 9 6 5 2
♦ 6 4 3
♣ J |
|
East
♠ A
♥ K 10 8
♦ A 7 2
♣ Q 10 8 7 4 2 |
| |
South
♠ K 7 6 5
♥ Q J 4 3
♦ K 10
♣ A K 9 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
1♣ |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
2 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
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|
| |
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|
Opening Lead: ♠ Q
“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer
With support for both major suits, South has a case for doubling one club rather than making a one-no-trump overcall. However, if North-South belongs in game, North will be able to look for any major-suit fit in comfort, even after the no-trump overcall.
On the given auction North is certainly worth at least an invitational rebid since he appears to have a source of tricks and an entry to them.
With so many values in his short suits, South is probably right to reject the invitation. And indeed, as the cards lie, even the no-trump partscore may be in some jeopardy.
South was allowed to bring home his two-no-trump contract. East won the opening spade lead and shifted to a small club. Declarer flew up with the ace and drove out the diamond ace. The defenders cleared clubs, but South had his eight winners.
East should have recognized the threat of dummy’s diamond suit becoming established and have sacrificed his heart king at the second trick to kill dummy’s only entry card. Subsequently, East must work out when to take his diamond ace — and note that West can tell his partner how many diamonds he has. West can indicate to East that he has three diamonds by playing low-high when the suit is led so that East will know to win the second diamond lead.
If East defends perfectly, he can hold declarer to seven tricks, but if he ducks the second diamond, he lets through the partscore.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A |
| ♥ |
K 10 8 |
| ♦ |
A 7 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 8 7 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♦ |
| 2♣ |
2♦ |
2♠ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: Even if you play a new suit as forcing, if West had passed over two clubs, a two-spade call here should show a good suit but not be forcing. You have a minimum in high cards, and while it is tempting to retreat to three clubs, you do have a broken suit. Imagine partner with six spades to the Q-J, and you will see that his hand will play much better in spades. So pass two spades.
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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
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