August 22nd, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 2 Comments 
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
I opened one no-trump with a balanced 17-count and raised my partner’s invitation to three no-trump. The problem was that I had three small hearts as did my partner. My LHO had five running hearts and we lost the first six tricks. Should I have had a stopper in all suits?
— Fatal Flaw, Great Falls, Mont.
ANSWER: Please be reassured: you simply got unlucky. If you wait to open one or two no-trump with balanced hands that have stops in all suits, then you will fix yourself on all the hands with the right HCP that now cannot be described. The only time to worry about stoppers in balanced hands is when the opponents have bid a suit, or when your side has bid three suits and you discover you do not have a stopper in the fourth suit. Hence the use of fourth-suit forcing.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I was holding ♠ A-9, ♥ J-9-3-2, ♦ 10-3-2, ♣ K-Q-7-4 when my partner opened one diamond. The next hand bid two spades. I doubled for takeout, and heard four spades on my left, passed back to me. I doubled, then had to decide what to lead. Any advice?
— On the Spot, Troy, N.Y.
ANSWER: The most likely way declarer will come to 10 tricks is on a crossruff. Therefore lead the trump ace and plan to continue spades unless the sight of dummy makes that obviously inappropriate.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
From time to time you describe a bid as “balancing.” Please define this term. How does it affect one’s bidding?
— Gyroscope, Grenada, Miss.
ANSWER: The term “balancing seat” refers to the pass-out or protective position. In other words your call has been preceded by two passes, and if you pass now the auction is over. It is normally used to refer to low-level positions in the early stages of the auction. Balancing actions can be made with less than those made in direct seat, particularly when you are short in the opponents’ suit. Reopening calls by the opener are also influenced by being short in the opponents’ suit. |
|
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner and I play Exclusion Blackwood, with 1430 responses. My partner opened one diamond and I responded one heart. She jumped to three hearts, and I bid five diamonds. Should this be Exclusion? After my call, what does my partner bid with no key-cards? Using 1430 Roman Keycard Blackwood, a bid of five hearts should indicate one (or four) key-cards, shouldn’t it? We wound up in six hearts going down one as a result.
— Rocking Robert, Bellevue, Wash.
ANSWER: The simple answer for the exact reason you describe is that even if you play 1430 for regular key-card, you need to play Exclusion Blackwood with 3041 responses. It is precisely to cope with the zero response, which is so much more likely over exclusion than key-card. The auction you describe should probably be key-card, I suppose … but I’m not a huge fan of using this method in bid suits.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You hold ♠ Q-9-6-4, ♥ 3-2, ♦ A-J-10-3-2, ♣ K-4. With a weak two-heart call on your right, you have to pass. But what if your partner balances with a call of three clubs? Clearly you need to bid, but what call is best?
— Bright Spark, Galveston, Texas
ANSWER: The choice is a call of three diamonds (which would not be forcing since you passed at your previous turn) or a cuebid of three hearts. The latter will get you to three no-trump facing a heart stop, or to a 4-4 spade fit if you have one. But it also runs the risk of setting up a game-forcing auction, and it is not clear that you are worth that. Bid three-diamonds, expecting partner to bid again with extra shape or high 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 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
August 21st, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 4 Comments
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North
♠ J 10 8 7 6
♥ 6 5 2
♦ A K
♣ K 8 5 |
|
| West
♠ 9
♥ A J 8
♦ 10 7 5 2
♣ Q J 10 6 3 |
 |
East
♠ 4
♥ Q 10 9 7
♦ Q 8 4 3
♣ A 7 4 2 |
| |
South
♠ A K Q 5 3 2
♥ K 4 3
♦ J 9 6
♣ 9 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
3♠ |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
All Pass |
|
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| |
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| |
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Opening Lead: ♣ Q
“If you follow your star, you can not fail to reach a glorious haven.”
— Dante Alighieri
When the club queen was led against four spades, declarer ducked in dummy, happy to try to keep East off play. Although the only threat to the contract was the heart finesse being offside, South could also see additional endplay chances if East was kept off lead. East could not tell that he had to overtake with the club ace and shift to a heart — and you can hardly blame him for that.
The defenders continued with clubs at the second trick, and after covering the club jack with the king and ruffing the club ace away, declarer played a spade to the queen followed by the two top diamonds. Then he crossed to hand with a trump and ruffed his diamond loser in dummy. Before falling back on the heart finesse, declarer went for his last extra chance, namely that West had the club 10. He led the club eight, pitching a heart loser from hand hoping to endplay West on this trick.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 10 8 7 6 |
| ♥ |
6 5 2 |
| ♦ |
A K |
| ♣ |
K 8 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
Pass |
Pass |
| 2♠ |
Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: Your partner’s calls suggest about 13-14 points. (With 9-12 partner would have bid one no-trump; with less he would probably have passed one spade.) You are on the cusp, but your decent spade intermediates suggest you have just enough to try for the no-trump game.
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].
August 20th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 5 Comments
| Dealer: South
Vul: N/S |
North
♠ A K 5
♥ J 10 9 4
♦ J 10 3 2
♣ 10 9 |
|
| West
♠ 9 8 2
♥ —
♦ Q 9 8 6
♣ A Q J 8 6 5 |
|
East
♠ 10 7 3
♥ 7 6 5 3
♦ 7 5 4
♣ 4 3 2 |
| |
South
♠ Q J 6 4
♥ A K Q 8 2
♦ A K
♣ K 7 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 2♣ |
3♣ |
Pass |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
5♥ |
Pass |
| 6♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
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|
Opening Lead: ♠ 9
“Was it a vision or a waking dream?
Fled is that music: — Do I wake or sleep?”
— John Keats
South had a comfortable opening call of two clubs, and over the three-level intervention, his partner’s pass showed values. (With a really weak hand, North would have doubled three clubs.) When the auction reverted to South, he decided to bid his hearts rather than double for takeout.
Now North’s jump to five hearts asked South to bid slam with a club control. With only a second-round control and a minimum (in context), South might well have taken the low road, but the slam bonus was an irresistible lure — he let his good trumps persuade him to act.
West led a passive spade against six hearts, and South thought he could count 12 tricks. If trumps were going to behave, he had six trump tricks, two diamonds and four spades. Just in case it was not his lucky day, declarer needed to plan how to cope with a 4-0 trump break. The winning line took him a moment to find, but he spotted it eventually.
South won the spade in dummy, then led a low heart to his ace, discovering the bad trump split. He cashed both top diamonds and went to the spade king to ruff a diamond high, crossed back to the heart nine to ruff another diamond high, then went back to the heart 10 to draw the last trump, pitching a club from hand.
He could run the spades now and concede trick 13 to the club ace — a perfect dummy reversal.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K 5 |
| ♥ |
J 10 9 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 3 2 |
| ♣ |
10 9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
1♠ |
2♦ |
| 2♠ |
3♦ |
3♥ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: Despite the opponents’ energetic bidding, you should be happy that you have some extras in high cards as well as decent shape to offer partner. Although the three-heart call may be your partner’s only game-try, you should accept the offer by raising to four hearts and let partner go back to four spades if he wants to.
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].
August 19th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, August 5, 2010
| Dealer: West
Vul: All |
North
♠ Q 10
♥ K 5 4 3
♦ J 7
♣ 9 7 6 4 2 |
|
| West
♠ 8 6 4
♥ 10 9
♦ A Q 9 4
♣ A Q 10 3 |
|
East
♠ J 9 7 5 3 2
♥ 8
♦ 10 6 3 2
♣ J 5 |
| |
South
♠ A K
♥ A Q J 7 6 2
♦ K 8 5
♣ K 8 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1 NT* |
Pass |
2♥ |
| Dbl. |
2♠ |
Pass |
3♠ |
| 4♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| *12-14 |
|
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|
Opening Lead: ♥ 10
“When they are there, I neglect God and his angels for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door.”
— John Donne
In today’s four-heart contract from Julian Pottage’s “Win the Big Match” (available from www.sterlingpub.com), you know West holds both minor-suit aces, so there is little point in leading a club up to the king. Can you instead organize a throw-in on West?
It looks natural to win the heart in hand, cash the spades, then lead the heart six to dummy’s king. Now you may put West on play by running the diamond jack — but what good does that do? West wins with the diamond queen, cashes the ace, and exits with a third round, leaving you with two club losers. Instead, your exit has to take place in clubs.
Strip off the spades and trumps as before, but then lead a low club from dummy. If East plays low on the trick, you must restrain yourself from rising with the king — West might win with the ace and get off play with a low club to East. Instead, insert the club eight. If the cards lie as you hope, West can win the club cheaply, but now what? A diamond or spade lead will eliminate a diamond loser. Cashing the club ace provides a temporary escape, but with the club jack falling from East, West is then really stuck. Whether he leads a low or high club, one ruff sets up the suit, giving you two diamond discards on the clubs since you can lead your heart two to dummy’s three.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 10 |
| ♥ |
K 5 4 3 |
| ♦ |
J 7 |
| ♣ |
9 7 6 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
2♦ |
| Pass |
Pass |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: Partner is likely to have extra shape, additional high cards or both, for his takeout double. You have a decent holding for a passed hand, but not really enough to invite to game with a call of three hearts. Since your most likely game is in hearts, not clubs, try to bid two hearts without giving away that you have a problem, and hope that partner can act again.
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].
August 18th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, August 4, 2010
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
North
♠ 8 7 3
♥ A 9 8
♦ 10
♣ A 10 7 6 5 4 |
|
| West
♠ A K Q J 9
♥ 5 4
♦ 4
♣ K Q J 9 3 |
|
East
♠ 10 6 5 4 2
♥ Q 7 2
♦ J 9 6 3 2
♣ — |
| |
South
♠ —
♥ K J 10 6 3
♦ A K Q 8 7 5
♣ 8 2 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
2♥ |
4♥ |
4♠ |
| 5♥ |
5♠ |
Pass |
Pass |
| 6♥ |
Dbl. |
All Pass |
|
| |
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|
Opening Lead: ♠ K
“The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.”
— William Wordsworth
During the 2006 European Championships, Peter Schaltz of Denmark chalked up his 500th representative match for the Danish Open Team. He has a family tradition of bridge: both his parents were internationals, he first made the Danish team with his cousin, and his current partner is his wife, Dorthe. What is more, his son Martin already has gained a World Youth Teams Silver Medal.
This hand, from the 2001 European Championships, is Schaltz’s favorite. He ended in six hearts doubled after West had shown at least 5-5 in the black suits and East had supported spades. He was fortunate to receive a spade lead rather than a club — and yes, West might have worked out South had a spade void.
Schaltz ruffed and saw that if trumps broke 3-2, West would have a singleton diamond. He could not negotiate two diamond ruffs in dummy and also deal with trumps. But Schaltz saw one legitimate chance — that West’s singleton diamond was the nine. Then just one ruff would set up the suit.
A heart was played to the ace, then came the diamond 10. East instinctively played low, and so did Schaltz. When the 10 held, Schaltz finessed his heart 10, ruffed a diamond, and returned to hand via a spade ruff. He pulled the last trump, and cashed his winners for plus 1,210.
Remarkably, that was also the Danish score in the other room, where the contract was six spades doubled, steered home after the unfortunate lead of the club ace.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
8 7 3 |
| ♥ |
A 9 8 |
| ♦ |
10 |
| ♣ |
A 10 7 6 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
1♠ |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: Your hand is seriously unsuitable for a weak jump overcall. You have aces and defense, and you also have a trump suit where you might easily lose four tricks to a hostile distribution. Change your hand to nothing but six clubs to the K-Q, and at least you would have a reason to pre-empt. But this hand screams defense, not offense; even an overcall of two clubs would be inappropriate.
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].
August 17th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, August 3, 2010
| Dealer: North
Vul: All |
North
♠ A Q 10 8 4
♥ Q 8 7 6
♦ K
♣ A K 10 |
|
| West
♠ 5
♥ —
♦ AQ10986542
♣ 8 3 2 |
|
East
♠ J 9 7 3 2
♥ 9 5 4 2
♦ 7
♣ Q J 9 |
|
South
♠ K 6
♥ A K J 10 3
♦ J 3
♣ 7 6 5 4 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♠ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
5♦ |
6♥ |
All Pass |
| |
|
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|
| |
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Opening Lead: ♦ A
“Example is always more efficacious than precept.”
— Samuel Johnson
In today’s six-heart deal West, who judged well not to save in seven diamonds, had no good reason to lead anything but his diamond ace. He gave much thought to continuing with a second diamond, but was afraid of conceding a critical ruff and sluff.
Eventually West shifted to a club. Declarer won this in dummy, crossed to hand with a top heart, and ruffed the losing diamond for himself with the trump queen. East decided that his best chance to defeat the hand was to find West with the spade king, so he pitched one of his small spades on this trick. Now declarer drew trumps and established a long spade to set up a discard for his club loser.
A club discard by East at trick four would have worked no better. After drawing trumps and cashing two top spades to find the bad news, South would have known West had started with one spade, nine diamonds and no hearts, and thus had two clubs left. His only chance to make the hand would have been to drop the missing club honor.
However, the winning defense is not hard to spot when you think about it. East must underruff dummy at trick four! Now East gets to discard after dummy on the run of the trumps, and simply keeps equal length with North in the black suits. So long as West holds on to his precious guard in clubs, his eight will score the setting trick.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K 6 |
| ♥ |
A K J 10 3 |
| ♦ |
J 3 |
| ♣ |
7 6 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♦ |
| 1♥ |
2♦ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: Your partner has made a takeout double, and although it is tempting to repeat the hearts, I would bid my clubs now, planning to reintroduce my hearts if the opponents compete to three diamonds. This way, you get both of your suits in at a sensible level. Your partner either has clubs or has at least tolerance for hearts.
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].
August 16th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 4 Comments
| Dealer: North
Vul: E/W
|
North
♠ 8
♥ A J 5 4
♦ K 9 2
♣ A Q 10 4 2 |
|
| West
♠ K J 3 2
♥ 9 8 7 2
♦ J 8 7 4 3
♣ — |
|
East
♠ Q 7 6 5 4
♥ 3
♦ 10 6
♣ J 9 8 7 5 |
| |
South
♠ A 10 9
♥ K Q 10 6
♦ A Q 5
♣ K 6 3 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
3♥ |
Pass |
| 4 NT |
Pass |
5♥ |
Pass |
| 5♠ |
Pass |
5 NT |
Pass |
| 6♣ |
Pass |
7♥ |
All Pass |
Opening Lead: ♥ 2
“He is all fault who hath no fault at all.”
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson
In today’s deal South employed some finesse in the auction, but fell down in the play.
After North’s light but entirely sound jump-raise to three hearts, South’s fancy turned immediately to thoughts of a grand slam. He asked for aces, then bid five spades over the response to get his partner to bid five no-trump. At this point the six-club call asked North to bid the grand slam with a third-round club control. Had South bid six clubs over five hearts, that would have focused on the second-round club control.
As a general rule, after asking for aces, you should use five no-trump directly to ask for kings (either specific or the number of kings) and direct-suit bids to look for second-round control in the named suit. The indirect route followed in today’s auction asked for third-round control in the named suit.
Seven hearts looked like an excellent spot. Declarer won the opening heart lead, drew trumps, then went after clubs. The 5-0 split now proved too much for him, leaving an inescapable spade loser at the end.
Unlucky — but there was a simple, and painless, route to 13 tricks. Win the heart lead in dummy, immediately play the spade and ruff a spade. Cross back to South with a second trump, ruff a second spade, and come back to hand with a diamond to draw the last trump. You can safely claim the rest now, without needing the clubs to split.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A 10 9 3 |
| ♥ |
Q 7 5 |
| ♦ |
10 9 6 2 |
| ♣ |
8 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♠ |
2♣ |
| 2♠ |
3♣ |
3♠ |
4♣ |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
ANSWER: There is some temptation to lead the spade ace, but that would be necessary only if the defense needs to cash out at once (perhaps if dummy has a long suit). I suggest defending along passive lines, which argues for a trump lead. My second choice would be a small diamond rather than the 10. It is likely that someone holds a singleton or doubleton diamond honor.
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].
August 15th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, August 1, 2010
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
What are attitude leads? How do they work, and are they used only against no-trump contracts?
— Adam Ant, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
ANSWER: Attitude leads are generally used only at no-trump. Instead of leading fourth highest, the smaller the card you lead the better your suit. So you might lead third from four, lowest from five to an honor, but a higher spot-card from five small.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
In a club duplicate game, I held ♠ Q-10-9-8-5-3, ♥ J-2, ♦ A-Q-J-10, ♣ 4. My partner opened one heart, RHO overcalled two clubs, and I bid two spades. When my partner rebid three diamonds, was I right to raise diamonds (and would that be forcing?), or should I have repeated spades? I followed the latter course and played in three spades when five diamonds was a making spot.
— Johnny One-Note, Montreal
ANSWER: I would have raised three diamonds to four — with 100 honors I think I must show support. This would let partner bid four spades with a doubleton honor — he has already almost denied three trumps when he did not raise spades at once, hasn’t he? Support with support is a valid concept even at one’s second turn, and yes, I think it would have to be forcing here.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What does an adjusted score at duplicate mean, and how or why is it awarded?
— Maladjusted, Anchorage, Alaska
ANSWER: When, in the bidding or play, an infraction occurs that may have led to a player or partnership being damaged, the director should be called to the table and asked to adjudicate. If he decides that without the infraction a different result would or might have taken place, he is empowered to change the result to protect the nonoffenders. This generally results in the nonoffenders getting the benefit of the doubt, but the issue is an exceedingly complex one and hard to summarize in this limited space. |
|
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You recently posed this bidding problem: A player with ♠ A-5-3, ♥ J-5, ♦ A-J-9-7-6-2, ♣ K-Q made a two-diamond overcall over one spade. When he received a raise to three diamonds, you advocated a cuebid of three spades. Does this promise a spade stop or deny one? What about the hearts? Don’t you need to worry about them too?
— Openhearted, Springfield, Mich.
ANSWER: Judging from the auction, the opponents MIGHT run hearts. But if you focus on getting to no-trump with the danger suit (spades) stopped and don’t worry about unbid suits, you will generally be right. In the auction shown, the cuebid suggests something in spades but no more than one stopper. As a general rule, if you have space, you can temporize (with a three-heart call) without a stop and cuebid with about half a stop. This gets you to no-trump when it is right more frequently than just bidding no-trump with a single stop while probing without a stop.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You showed a deal in which the opening bidder held ♠ J-7-5, ♥ A-K-9-7-3-2, ♦ 7-3-2, ♣ 9. You recommended a jump to four clubs after opening two hearts and hearing a two-spade response. While I agree with that, how should your partner’s response of two spades differ from a response of two no-trump?
— Subtle Difference, Rockford, Ill.
ANSWER: The responses differ not in terms of high cards, but in terms of whether it is more important to tell partner about your hand (by bidding a suit) as opposed to asking partner about his. Normally the relayer is balanced or has heart support, though he may have a minor he does not want to emphasize. A player who bids a suit tends not to have primary support for partner. |
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].
August 14th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 5 Comments
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
9 5 |
| ♥ |
A 8 4 2 |
| ♦ |
K 9 5 3 |
| ♣ |
K 7 4 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 2 |
♠ |
Q 10 8 7 4 |
| ♥ |
K Q 10 7 6 5 |
♥ |
J |
| ♦ |
Q 8 |
♦ |
J 6 4 |
| ♣ |
9 8 5 |
♣ |
Q J 10 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 6 3 |
| ♥ |
9 3 |
| ♦ |
A 10 7 2 |
| ♣ |
A 6 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
2♥ |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
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| |
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Opening Lead: ♥ King
“Up goes the lark, as if all were jolly!
Over the duck-pond the willow shakes.
Easy to think that grieving’s folly.”
— George Meredith
“Duck or no dinner” is a British expression meaning “all or nothing.” In a Spingold Knockout Teams match from last summer’s national championships, it was Steve Bloom who produced the duck, and it was his opponents who had no dinner. His play won the match for his team, and so his opponents got no dinner, because they had to prepare for their evening match.
Bloom (South) reached three no-trump after West had bid hearts. The lead of the heart king put him in a perilous spot, but East’s jack was a welcome sight. Bloom ducked the heart king, then the heart queen, East discarding a low spade, suggesting an initial holding of five spades. West was now unable to continue hearts without costing himself a trick. He shifted to the club nine, ducked all around.
At this point Bloom had a fair idea of the defenders’ hand-patterns. He decided to play for West to be 2-6-2-3, with a diamond honor. Accordingly, he cashed his clubs and spades, went to the diamond ace, and had reached a five-card ending in which West was down to the bare diamond queen and four hearts.
Bloom ducked a diamond to West, who was endplayed to lead a heart into dummy’s tenace and concede the rest. Declarer won the heart cheaply and cashed the heart ace, pitching his two spade losers, and had two diamond winners at the death.
In retrospect East might have done better to pitch a club at trick two. Declarer might then have misguessed his opponents’ hand patterns.
ANSWER: Your hand looks just too good to sell out by passing. Bid two no-trump natural, showing a good 15 to 18. You may have a minimum hand, but that does not mean that bidding will lead to a bad result.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K 6 3 |
| ♥ |
9 3 |
| ♦ |
A 10 7 2 |
| ♣ |
A 6 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
2♦ |
| ? |
|
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| |
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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].
August 13th, 2010 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, July 30, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
J 9 4 |
| ♥ |
A 5 |
| ♦ |
K J 7 |
| ♣ |
Q J 8 3 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q 8 7 6 3 2 |
♠ |
10 |
| ♥ |
9 |
♥ |
Q 10 8 3 |
| ♦ |
A 10 5 2 |
♦ |
Q 9 6 4 |
| ♣ |
10 7 |
♣ |
K 9 6 4 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 5 |
| ♥ |
K J 7 6 4 2 |
| ♦ |
8 3 |
| ♣ |
A 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
3♥ |
Pass |
| 4♥ |
All Pass |
|
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| |
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Opening Lead: ♠7
“Antoine Magnan, a French zoologist, in 1934 made some very careful studies of bumblebee flight and came to the conclusion that bumblebees cannot fly at all!”
— General Motors sign
All this week’s deals come from last year’s Summer Nationals. Phillip Cronier of France showed me this deal from his losing Spingold Knockout Teams match. How would you play four hearts on the lead of the spade seven (third-and-fifth best)? To enjoy this deal fully, cover up the East and West cards.
I think it is right to put up the jack, but at the table, declarer played the spade nine from dummy at the first trick, which was covered by the 10. He won the spade ace and led a diamond to the jack, which lost to the queen. East now emerged with the heart three. Plan the play.
Clearly the club finesse was onside, or else East would have shifted to a club. And either the spades were 6-1 or East had the spade queen, explaining why that suit wasn’t continued. Does that help?
Declarer was unwilling to take the heart finesse, since if the heart jack was covered by the queen, the last entry to dummy would vanish. At the table, declarer decided to play for the diamond ace to be onside and to hope there would be nothing too hostile in trumps.
He rose with the heart king, led a diamond up, and found both good news and bad. The diamond ace was indeed onside, but he now had two trump losers he could not avoid. Without the heart shift, declarer would have had no losing options.
ANSWER: Even if you play weak jumps in competition, this hand feels much more like a bid of one spade than two spades. With significant defense and a poor suit of your own, the weak jump would be misleading. And if partner repeats his clubs, you surely have a sensible alternative trump suit.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 8 7 6 3 2 |
| ♥ |
9 |
| ♦ |
A 10 5 2 |
| ♣ |
10 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
1♦ |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
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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