The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 15th, 2011

January 29th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  4 Comments 

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

 

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

* Pre-emptive

Opening Lead: ♠ seven

“A cruel crafty Crocodile …

Doth weep full sore, and sheddeth tender tears.”

— Edmund Spenser

David Greenwood’s international career dates back to 1980, when he played for England in the Camrose Trophy, the home countries’ internationals. In today’s deal, from the 2008 Camrose, he was playing for Northern Ireland, where he has now lived for many years. His opponents were from England.

South, Neil Rosen for England, ended in four spades after North had made a pre-emptive raise of spades. See if you can spot declarer’s best play for his contract, and the defenders’ riposte.

West made the safe lead of his singleton trump, which Rosen won in hand with the ace. He drew the last trump with his king, then shifted to the heart suit, seeking to establish it for diamond discards in hand.

He led a heart to dummy’s king, drawing the three and six, then a small heart back. This line would have succeeded whenever West had the doubleton heart queen, since South could have established hearts without letting East on play.

Had Greenwood, East, followed with the 10 on the second round of hearts, declarer would have ducked, knowing that if West held the jack or queen — or both — he would be forced to overtake, and West could not attack the minors profitably from that side of the table. But instead of the 10, Greenwood played the queen — the crocodile coup — to swallow his partner’s jack. Declarer took his ace, then led his third heart, hoping that it was West who held the 10. It wasn’t to be. East won, and the diamond return sank the contract.

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, January 14th, 2011

January 28th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  5 Comments 

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

 

South	West	North	East
	1 NT	2 ♣*	Pass
4 ♥	All Pass

* Diamonds

Opening Lead: ♠ three

“Biography is a very definite region bounded on the north by history, on the south by fiction, on the east by obituary, and on the west by tedium.”

— Philip Guedalla

Few autobiographical bridge books have made much of a stir recently, but one that I enjoyed was “A Bridge Too Far?” by Tom Hanlon with Enda Murphy. It centers on the Irish bridge player Tom Hanlon and his decision to become a full-time bridge professional and poker player. Although there is more narrative than customary in bridge books, this is not necessarily a bad thing. And there are certainly plenty of deals, mostly featuring those (good and bad) played by the Irish team that has established England as the most powerful of the English-speaking countries of Europe.

Today’s deal, from the 2004 Schapiro Spring Foursomes, highlights an accurate defense to four hearts. After the spade lead was won in dummy, declarer cashed its second top spade, then played a heart to his king.

It takes card-perfect defense to beat four hearts, and Hanlon’s teammate, Adam Mesbur, was up to the task as West. He ducked the heart king, an essential part of the defense, though far from an obvious one, then won the heart continuation. Now came his second master-play, the switch to the only card that could defeat the contract — the diamond king. This locked declarer in dummy.

South knew from the bidding that West held both the club ace and queen, so to draw the last trump, he attempted to come to hand with a diamond. But East, Nick Fitzgibbon, was quick to ruff, then shift to the club that sent the game one down.

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, January 13th, 2011

January 27th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  2 Comments 

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

 

South	West	North	East
1 ♦	1 ♠	2 ♣	3 ♠
4 ♦	Pass	5 ♦	All Pass

Opening Lead: ♠ King

“We all have a few failures under our belt. It’s what makes us ready for the successes.”

— Randy K. Milholland

When this deal came up in a local duplicate, several North-South pairs tried to cash in on four spades by East-West, doubled. This was hardly unreasonable, but with the heart suit lying beautifully for East-West, there was no defense to the game.

Of course, North-South could do much better than that. Say you reach five diamonds after West overcalled in spades and East made a pre-emptive raise to three spades, leaving you room to explore the hand more fully. Plan the play on the lead of the spade king.

Many declarers won and immediately tackled clubs while they still had entries to the dummy in trumps. A good idea, but it did not work today. East won an early club and knew that continuing spades was fruitless. His heart shift let West cash two winners in that suit, for down one.

Could South have done better? Yes, if he had ducked the opening lead! Now he can discard a club on the spade ace and establish the clubs without letting East get the lead to play a heart through. Best defense is a trump at trick two, but declarer has enough entries to the board in diamonds to bring home 11 tricks. He wins the diamond shift, plays off the black aces, ruffs a club high, goes to the diamond 10, and ruffs a club high again. Then he goes back to the diamond queen to run the clubs and discard three of his four heart losers.

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, January 12th, 2011

January 26th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 

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

 

South	West	North	East
1 ♠	Pass	2 NT*	Pass
3 ♠	Pass	4 ♣	Pass
4 NT	Pass	5 ♣**	Pass
5 NT	Pass	6 ♠	All Pass

* Forcing spade raise

 

** Three aces, counting the trump king as an ace

Opening Lead: ♦ Queen

“Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe upon instinct; but to find these reasons is no less an instinct.”

— Francis H. Bradley

Look at just the North and South cards to plan the play in your somewhat optimistic contract of six spades on the lead of the diamond queen.

It may appear that you need both the club and heart finesses to succeed, but in fact there are two completely different approaches that you might follow to allow you to make the contract. One line needs a favorable lie of the hearts, the other a favorable lie of the clubs. All you have to do is decide which line is better.

After winning the diamond lead, then stripping off the diamonds while drawing trumps, you might play a heart to the queen and two further rounds of hearts. If East must win the third heart (having started either with five hearts to the king or both the heart king and jack), he will be endplayed to lead clubs. If not, you fall back on the club finesse. That line is somewhat better than a one-third chance.

In fact, though, if the club finesse is working, you can guarantee the contract by taking it first. Let us again strip off the diamonds while drawing trumps, ending in hand. But then we finesse clubs successfully and ruff out the suit, go to dummy with a third round of trumps, and lead a heart, planning to cover East’s card. West can win the trick cheaply, but will then be endplayed, forced to return a heart into the tenace or give a ruff-sluff.

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, January 11th, 2011

January 25th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 

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

 

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

Opening Lead: ♠ two

“War does not determine who is right — only who is left.”

— Bertrand Russell

When declarer is playing three no-trump with eight sure tricks plus a possibly wide-open suit, he does best to try to go after that ninth trick early. The defense, on the other hand, does best to try to count declarer’s tricks as soon as possible to prevent any stealing.

On West’s spade lead, declarer played low from dummy and gobbled up East’s queen. With eight quick tricks and a ninth coming from clubs, declarer’s main concern was the danger in hearts.

To conceal his trick count, declarer crossed to dummy with a spade, not a diamond (fearing the opponents would give each other count), and innocently led a club from dummy. If East plays low, South has stolen a ninth trick. Even if East plays the ace, he has to be clever enough to switch to the heart ace and a low heart. Can East be that clever?

Yes! East knows South has nine minor-suit cards. (Few bid this way with 4-4 in the minors). The opening lead has marked South with three spades, so no more than a singleton heart. By counting South’s sure tricks, East can posit declarer with five diamonds and three spades, so he knows that declarer is going for his ninth trick when a club is led from dummy. In other words, South is out there stealing!

If East thinks this clearly, he will rise with the club ace and play the ace and a second heart, collecting four heart tricks and a club and leaving South shaking his head.

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, January 10th, 2011

January 24th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, January 10th, 2011 

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

 

South	West	North	East
1 NT	Pass	3 NT	All Pass

Opening Lead: ♣ four

“A word to the wise isn’t necessary — it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.”

— Bill Cosby

It was Gordon Gecko who famously opined that greed was good. At the bridge table, just as in the stock market, you will sometimes find that bulls and bears make a living but pigs get slaughtered.

In today’s deal it was not uncommon for West to lead a low club against three no-trump. Despite the absence of a Stayman inquiry, leading from a moderate five-card minor is just as likely to work as leading from a chunky major.

And so it proved at many tables, when South decided to be a pig and ended up as bacon. When he played low from dummy at the first trick, East won his king and was not slow to shift to a heart. Declarer could not now avoid the further loss of three hearts and a diamond — down one.

Had declarer seen the risk, he might well have asked himself whether taking the finesse against the club king was really worth it. If he was prepared to give up on overtricks, he had a safe line for the contract. He simply rises with the club ace at trick one and goes after diamonds. With the club queen and 10 to acts as stoppers, there is no lie of the club suit that will give the defenders more than three tricks to go with their diamond ace. Thus declarer is sure to get to nine tricks before the defenders come to five winners.

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, January 9th, 2011

January 23rd, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, January 9th, 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, January 8th, 2011

January 22nd, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 8th, 2011 

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

 

South	West	North	East
			1 ♣
1 ♠	Pass	2 ♠	Pass
3 ♣	Pass	4 ♠	All Pass

Opening Lead: ♣ 7

“It is a wretched taste to be gratified with mediocrity when the excellent lies before us.”

— Isaac D’Israeli

Today’s four-spade contract comes from the Commonwealth Games. At one table, Lim, for Malaysia, made his game after a club to East’s ace, followed by the club queen to his king. He played a spade to dummy’s king and a spade back to his 10. West won his jack, but that was the end of the defense.

West should have ducked the spade 10. Declarer cannot play another spade or he will lose two more club tricks, and if he starts on hearts, West will ruff the third round and exit with the trump jack. Dummy is then dead.

Another declarer ruffed a club at trick three, West throwing a heart. Then came a heart to the ace and another club ruff, West throwing a diamond. Declarer now cashed the spade king and played a diamond, but another diamond gave the defenders trump control for down one.

English international John Armstrong showed the way. He won the club king and cashed the spade ace, thus keeping an entry to the hearts. Then he played a diamond, which the defenders won. When they continued diamonds, Armstrong ruffed, ran the spade 10, then played hearts. West could ruff when he liked, but dummy’s spade king was the entry for the remaining heart tricks.

There was an unlikely defense to the game. Had East played the club nine at trick one, he would have preserved communications. The defenders can eventually play a third round of clubs to promote a second trump trick for their side.

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, January 7th, 2011

January 21st, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 7th, 2011 

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

 

South	West	North	East
1 ♠	Pass	2 ♦	Pass
2 ♥	Pass	4 ♠	All Pass

Opening Lead: ♣ Queen

“It’s choice — not chance — that determines your destiny.”

— Jean Nidetch

As a student of both bridge and children’s literature, I am always eager to find out how the Three Little Pigs do on their ventures into the duplicate bridge club. Fortunately for me, they tend to occupy the same seat, so I and the readers can compare their performances on the problems they encounter.

Take today’s deal, for instance, where all three little pigs declared four spades, and each of them encountered a defense starting with three rounds of clubs.

The first little pig, who made his house out of straw, won the diamond shift in dummy and drew trumps, then tried to run the hearts. The unlucky break in that suit put paid to his chances.

The second little pig, who made his house out of sticks, drew only two rounds of trumps, then played on hearts. Had the suit broken 3-3, he would have drawn the last trump, of course. His hope was that the player with four hearts would have the last trump, enabling declarer to ruff the heart loser in dummy. Unlucky!

The third little pig, who relied on bricks for his house, won the diamond ace at trick four, ruffed a diamond, then drew two rounds of trumps ending in dummy. When they split, he ruffed another diamond, crossed to dummy’s heart king, ruffed the last diamond, then went to the heart queen to draw the last trump, on which he pitched his heart loser. That was 10 tricks and a perfect dummy-reversal.

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, January 6th, 2011

January 20th, 2011  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, January 6th, 2011 

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

 

South	West	North	East
2NT	Pass	3NT	All Pass

Opening Lead: ♠ Jack

“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

— Oscar Wilde

At the Dyspeptics Club the players approach the game in the same way they approach life. North, the cynic, is constantly waiting for catastrophe to strike; East is careful and cautious, as befits an accountant. West strides like Johnny Head-in-Air at full speed into the nearest puddle. Meanwhile, South, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, believes nothing bad will ever happen to him and is constantly surprised when things go wrong.

For example, in today’s deal, where he (South) had reached three no-trump in double-quick time, he went down almost as fast. He won the opening spade lead, cashed the club king while noticing that both opponents had followed, and heaved a premature sigh of relief before leading a club to dummy’s jack. The finesse held, but the 4-1 break meant that although South could set up a long club, he could never reach it. With no material for a ninth trick anymore, all South could do was concede down one and wait for his partner’s inevitable criticism. Was the criticism justified?

Yes, it was. When West follows to the second club (even if he deviously selects the club queen at his second turn), South should resist temptation and duck the trick. By surrendering one club trick, he ensures taking four tricks — all he needs for the contract. When East shows out on the second club, declarer can take the marked club finesse against West, then run the suit.

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].