June 20th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, June 6, 2010 
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
My LHO opened one heart, my partner overcalled two clubs, my RHO responded two hearts, and I bid two spades, which was passed out even though game was makable our way. I thought my call by an unpassed hand was forcing even in competition. Was I wrong?
— Stranded, Augusta, Ga.
ANSWER: I think you are extrapolating from an auction that is played as forcing — though not by everyone — where you bid two spades in response to two clubs without a bid on your right. In your example you need to be able to make a nonforcing call, or you may be shut out. With a good hand and spades, to make a forcing call you could start with a takeout double and then bid spades.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
In a duplicate pair game I picked up ♠ K-Q-9, ♥ A-Q-3-2, ♦ J-2, ♣ Q-7-4 and opened one club. I then discovered I had only 12 cards. When I found my 13th (at the previous table), it was a king! Can I change my call now? If not, what are the consequences?
— Short-Handed, Boise, Idaho
ANSWER: You may not change your call and should try to avoid giving away to your partner that your hand no longer fits your original action. Otherwise, you get burdened with even more problems. For what it is worth, I’d suggest treating your hand as 18-19 by rebidding two no-trump at your next turn, or jump-raising partner as appropriate.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Frequently I see Odd-Even or Roman Defensive Carding qualified as “first discard only.” Do the ACBL restrictions mean that it can be used only once by a pair for each hand? What is the position about ambiguous carding? Is it permitted?
— Signal Problems, Palm Springs, Calif.
|
|
ANSWER: You may not currently use Odd-Even signals. Each player (not each pair) may use them for their first discard. After that, most pairs prefer to use count signals rather than further attitude signals. I did not know that ambiguous signals were ever permitted. As far as I know, Encrypted Signals, when a signal can be interpreted only by the defending side and not by declarer, are still outlawed.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
When you are facing a strong no-trump with an eight-count, what determines whether your hand is worth an invitation?
— Bonus Points, White Plains, N.Y.
ANSWER: First, the scoring: at rubber or teams if vulnerable, you may be a little more inclined to stretch. Possession of a decent five-carder, or both majors, or good intermediates, may all sway you to take a more aggressive position — not to mention the caliber of partner and the opponents. At pairs, though, plus scores are always worth protecting.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
At unfavorable vulnerability I held ♠ A-Q-9, ♥ J-9, ♦ Q-J-8-7-2, ♣ A-8-4 and opened one diamond. My LHO made a three-club overcall and my partner made a negative double. I passed, since gambling out three no-trump seemed too rich for me. This did not work well. Partner had an opening bid with 6-6 in the majors, and we were cold for a small slam. Who was at fault?
— Peter Cottontail, Durham, N.C.
ANSWER: The simple answer is that one should never make a negative double if a forcing suit-bid would describe the hand better. Your partner should have bid spades, then hearts if necessary, to get you to choose a contract. When she hears you raise spades, she might as well just bid slam. Your bidding is hard to criticize, though you might have bid three diamonds instead of passing out three clubs doubled. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
June 19th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, June 5, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K 6 3 |
| ♥ |
A K 5 |
| ♦ |
8 5 2 |
| ♣ |
K Q 7 3 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
J 10 9 2 |
♠ |
5 4 |
| ♥ |
4 |
♥ |
Q J 10 8 6 2 |
| ♦ |
K Q J 9 4 3 |
♦ |
6 |
| ♣ |
9 6 |
♣ |
J 10 4 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A Q 8 7 |
| ♥ |
9 7 3 |
| ♦ |
A 10 7 |
| ♣ |
A 8 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
3♦ |
4♦ |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦ King
“If we do not find anything pleasant, at least we shall find something new.”
— Voltaire
I have been remiss in failing to mention the death last year of one of the most influential bridge players in the world. Al Roth revolutionized the world of American bidding in the 1950s. He invented the negative double, as well as countless other cornerstones of modern bidding, and was a fascinating writer and problem-setter. Here is one of his best problems.
You are in four spades (reached after an auction reeking of the 1950s!). West leads a top diamond, which you duck. You win the next diamond as East pitches the heart eight. You lead out the spade ace, cross to the spade king, then play a third trump. To your surprise it is East who discards, pitching the heart six. Play on!
You draw the third round of trumps and deduce from the discards that East started life with six hearts and four clubs. Your only chance for a 10th trick is to get a ruff in hand. How do you manage it?
The solution is to cash the heart ace, take the club king and ace, and lead toward the club queen. West pitches a diamond, so you win the queen and lead the fourth club, pitching your losing diamond. East wins his club jack (West discarding another diamond) and has only hearts to lead. What can West do? If he ruffs, you have the last two tricks, so he must discard. You win the heart king, ruff dummy’s diamond, and concede trick 13 to both opponents.
ANSWER: You should balance with a takeout double. Yes, you have a flat hand, but when the opponents are almost guaranteed to have eight or more hearts between them, your side is equally likely to have at least an eight-card fit. Nobody ever got rich at bridge by letting the opponents have the hand cheaply when both sides have a fit.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q 8 7 |
| ♥ |
9 7 3 |
| ♦ |
A 10 7 |
| ♣ |
A 8 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♣ |
Pass |
1♥ |
| Pass |
2♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
June 18th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, June 4, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A K |
| ♥ |
Q 5 3 |
| ♦ |
A K 8 6 4 |
| ♣ |
7 6 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 8 4 3 |
♠ |
10 7 6 5 |
| ♥ |
J 10 9 7 6 |
♥ |
8 2 |
| ♦ |
— |
♦ |
Q 9 7 5 3 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 8 4 |
♣ |
9 5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
Q 9 2 |
| ♥ |
A K 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 2 |
| ♣ |
A K J 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♣ |
Pass |
1♦ |
Pass |
| 2 NT |
Pass |
6 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥ Jack
“The policeman buys shoes slow and careful; the teamster buys gloves slow and careful; they take care of their feet and hands; they live on their feet and hands.”
— Carl Sandburg
South is in six no-trump and West leads the heart jack. Can declarer guarantee his contract?
Apparently yes; but if South wins the lead and runs the diamond jack, he will go down when East has all five outstanding diamonds and the club finesse is wrong.
The only danger in the hand appears to be a terrible split in diamonds. If West has the length, there should still be no problem, so it is only if East has all five diamonds that declarer must take care. Having spotted that, the trap is to relax. It looks easy to win the opening lead with the heart queen and play a diamond to the jack. The problem is that when this holds, declarer must cross to the board with a spade to lead a second diamond. However, now East hops up with his queen and immediately dislodges the second spade entry, leaving the diamonds blocked and forcing declarer to fall back on the losing club finesse.
Once declarer has spotted this defense, he can devise a counter. He should win the opening in hand, cross to a spade, and play a low diamond to his jack. Then he can cross back to dummy with a spade and lead another low diamond. East can rise with the queen and play a heart, but declarer can take this in hand, unblock the diamonds, and now nothing can prevent him from making four diamond tricks and his contract.
ANSWER: In this sequence I urge all players — even the gadget-hungry — to play a bid of one no-trump as natural and strong. As a passed hand, you may, if you like, play the bid as weak and two-suited, but as an unpassed hand, you need a way to show strength. Since you already have double and two no-trump for the two-suiters, you do not need a third call.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K |
| ♥ |
Q 5 3 |
| ♦ |
A K 8 6 4 |
| ♣ |
7 6 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
Pass |
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].
June 17th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, June 3, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
5 3 2 |
| ♥ |
A J 4 2 |
| ♦ |
K 3 2 |
| ♣ |
A Q 9 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 10 9 4 |
♠ |
Q 7 6 |
| ♥ |
Q 8 6 3 |
♥ |
K 9 7 |
| ♦ |
J 9 |
♦ |
A 8 7 4 |
| ♣ |
10 5 3 |
♣ |
8 7 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 8 |
| ♥ |
10 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 6 5 |
| ♣ |
K J 6 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT* |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| *12-14 |
|
|
|
| |
|
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| |
|
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|
Opening Lead: ♠ Jack
“Not all that tempts your wand’ring eyes
And heedless hearts is lawful prize;
Nor all that glisters, gold.”
— Thomas Gray
When today’s hand arose at the Dyspeptics Club’s rubber bridge table, South’s exploits had already put North in a bad mood. So as soon as South got his hands on another three no-trump contract, North was already mentally sharpening his ax.
West led the spade jack and declarer saw that the best chance of a ninth trick lay in the diamond suit. South ducked the lead, won the spade continuation, then led a diamond to the king.
East rose with the ace and returned a spade. South won, entered dummy in clubs, and played a second diamond to the 10 and West’s jack. Now the contract had to fail when diamonds proved to be 4-2.
As North bitterly commented, South only needed two tricks from the diamond suit — not three. So it was indeed right to duck the first spade lead, catering to a 5-2 break. If East held the diamond ace, he would have no spade to return when on lead with that card, and a heart switch would set up the ninth trick for declarer in that suit.
Equally, it was correct to play a diamond to the king and ace. But when East returned a spade, South knew that spades had split 4-3. The right play now is to lead out the diamond queen. Here, the jack falls doubleton, so the hand is over. But had it not done so, South could enter dummy in clubs next and play the third diamond toward the 10 to set up the game-going diamond trick.
ANSWER: Your partner’s double is not for penalties. It is a responsive double, primarily for takeout, but focusing on the minors rather than spades. This is because your partner would have bid spades if he had them. Accordingly, simply bid three clubs and await developments, if any.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K 8 |
| ♥ |
10 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 6 5 |
| ♣ |
K J 6 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♥ |
| Dbl. |
2♥ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
June 16th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, June 2, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K 6 4 |
| ♥ |
Q 7 5 2 |
| ♦ |
J 10 6 |
| ♣ |
A 6 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q J 9 8 |
♠ |
10 7 5 |
| ♥ |
4 |
♥ |
J 3 |
| ♦ |
A Q 7 2 |
♦ |
9 8 5 4 3 |
| ♣ |
J 10 8 7 |
♣ |
K Q 5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 3 2 |
| ♥ |
A K 10 9 8 6 |
| ♦ |
K |
| ♣ |
9 4 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
2♥ |
Pass |
| Pass |
Dbl. |
Rdbl. |
3♦ |
| 4♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♠ Queen
“There can be no progress (real, that is, moral) except in the individual and by the individual himself.”
— Charles Baudelaire
In today’s deal North’s raise to two hearts was very heavy, but playing the forcing no-trump, he felt he was short of a limit raise and had at least shown values this way. With less, he would have bid one no-trump and then given preference to hearts.
West felt honor-bound to balance, but North redoubled to show extras, persuading South to bid the heart game — “to teach his opponents a sharp lesson.”
West dithered between the black suits for a lead, but luck was not with him when he chose the spade queen. Declarer could see nine obvious tricks, but digging up the wherewithal for a 10th took some doing. One possibility would be to try to steal the diamond king, but in fact there is a sure-trick line, and South eventually observed that it would come from dummy’s diamond spots.
Realizing that he had to preserve dummy’s three entries until they were needed, he won the lead in hand, drew trumps with the ace and king, and then advanced the diamond king.
West won with the ace and switched belatedly to a club. South won in dummy, then played the diamond jack, discarding a club. In with the diamond queen, the defense could cash one club, but South’s spade loser then vanished on the diamond 10.
On an initial club lead, this line would not have worked. West wins the first diamond and cashes the club winners. The defenders collect a diamond or a spade in the ending.
ANSWER: You have already shown a balanced positive but still have some extras. Your choice would be to drive to slam (with either a bid of six no-trump, or five no-trump to get partner to pick a slam). Alternatively, you could advance with four no-trump and let partner pass with a dead minimum. That would be my choice, given your sterile hand-pattern.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K 6 4 |
| ♥ |
Q 7 5 2 |
| ♦ |
J 10 6 |
| ♣ |
A 6 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
2♣ |
2♠ |
| 2 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
June 15th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
| Dealer: North
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K J 4 |
| ♥ |
Q 2 |
| ♦ |
K Q 10 9 4 2 |
| ♣ |
A Q |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
10 9 8 6 |
♠ |
Q 5 2 |
| ♥ |
7 3 |
♥ |
A K J 8 6 |
| ♦ |
A 7 5 |
♦ |
6 3 |
| ♣ |
10 9 8 4 |
♣ |
7 6 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 7 3 |
| ♥ |
10 9 5 4 |
| ♦ |
J 8 |
| ♣ |
K J 5 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♦ |
1♥ |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥7
“The glorious Lamp of Heaven, the Sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.”
— Robert Herrick
Everyone knows that if you are on lead against a no-trump contract and hold A-K-fifth with no entry, leading a small card makes a lot of sense. The same logic (of ducking or playing low) applies when third to play to the opening trick, but sometimes the situation is not so straightforward.
Consider what happens when partner leads the heart seven against three no-trump and declarer plays the queen from dummy. It feels automatic for East to win the trick — but if he does, he can say goodbye to any chance of setting the game. From the auction and opening lead, declarer is surely marked with at least four hearts to the 10-9. If East wins the heart king, he will be able to take only three winners in that suit, and his partner will surely be unable to contribute two further tricks on defense.
However, if East plays low at trick one, all he will need is for partner to hold the diamond ace and a second heart. When West wins his diamond ace, he will be able to play another heart, and the defense will be in position to take four more tricks.
If West began life with a singleton heart, it is highly unlikely that East could ever have beaten the contract, whatever he did. Note also that if declarer had played low at trick one, then East would have had to play low as well, thus preserving the entry to his suit.
ANSWER: Even if you play two-over-one as forcing in a noncompetitive auction, this sequence is clearly nonforcing. Partner would have strained to bid game and take you off the hook at his second turn, so you now have no reason to bid any more, facing what you know to be a minimum. Pass, and hope you can make it.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 5 2 |
| ♥ |
A K J 8 6 |
| ♦ |
6 3 |
| ♣ |
7 6 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♦ |
1♠ |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
3♥ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
June 14th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, May 31, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
8 7 5 |
| ♥ |
A 10 4 3 |
| ♦ |
K 9 4 |
| ♣ |
K J 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
A 10 6 4 3 |
♠ |
Q 9 |
| ♥ |
8 7 5 |
♥ |
K 9 2 |
| ♦ |
J 3 |
♦ |
Q 10 6 5 |
| ♣ |
10 8 4 |
♣ |
9 7 5 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K J 2 |
| ♥ |
Q J 6 |
| ♦ |
A 8 7 2 |
| ♣ |
A Q 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♠4
“What is reasonable is real; that which is real is reasonable.”
— Friedrich Hegel
When this deal came up, South was the sort of player who prided himself on calling a spade a spade and who would have regarded the failure to win a trick when he had a high card available to take it as showing a lack of machismo.
Accordingly, when declaring three no-trump, he captured the spade queen with the king, took a heart finesse, and went down at once when East took his heart king and the defenders rattled off four spade tricks.
South’s comment after the deal was that he had been very unlucky when two major-suit finesses had lost. That was all well and good, but declarer had failed to appreciate that he was still laydown for his contract if he had exercised just a little care and attention.
Instead of taking the first spade trick, South must let the spade queen hold. East may clear the spades, but later, when the heart finesse loses, East has no spades left to play. If East has a third spade to lead after taking the heart king, the suit will have split 4-3, and South will lose just one heart and three spades.
Students of the game will note that if the heart king and queen are switched, declarer has another textbook play available. He must win the first spade and play West for the heart queen. If the heart finesse loses to West, no return can hurt South.
ANSWER: You should definitely lead a club, not a spade. A low club might work if partner has club length and only one top club honor. This lead might generate an extra club trick if declarer misguesses. Equally, however, the play might block the club suit by leaving us on play at the end of trick two, instead of our partner. You should probably lead the club queen and tell partner you did “think about it” if the low club would have worked.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 10 9 4 2 |
| ♥ |
6 5 |
| ♦ |
J 10 7 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1 NT |
| Pass |
2♣ |
Dbl. |
2♦ |
| Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
June 13th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, May 30, 2010
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
Please recommend a good text for a beginner in duplicate bridge. I’m finding the competitive elements of bidding especially challenging.
— First Rung, Collierville, Tenn.
ANSWER: Edgar Kaplan wrote a fine book about learning duplicate: “Winning Contract Bridge Complete.” Dorothy Hayden’s “Bid Better Play Better” is also excellent. And anything by Reese, Lawrence, Kelsey and Kantar (the latter is good fun to read, too) will surely help.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I was in fourth chair with ♠ A-3-2, ♥ K-10-3, ♦ A-Q-8-4, ♣ J-9-4. My LHO had opened one club, which could have been a doubleton, and this was passed around to me. I could see that defending one club might be our best spot, but I thought it was too cowardly to pass. When I doubled, the opponents ran to spades and made eight tricks. Was I wrong to bid?
— Overbalanced, Eau Claire, Wis.
ANSWER: At pairs, most people would not pass out one club without length. Even if you can beat the contract a trick, you might still have a higher-scoring partscore. My impulse would be to reopen with a call of one no-trump, not a double, since I play that bid to be a balanced hand in the 11-15 range. The absence of a club stop would not worry me unduly.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You’ve discussed your favorite conventions from time to time. Is there one you would be happy to see eliminated?
— Cleaning House, Palm Springs, Calif.
|
|
ANSWER: How interesting! Some people use a jump-overcall of pre-empts to show a two-suiter, which is sensible enough. Others use the bid of four of a minor over a pre-empt to show a two-suited hand with the unbid major and that minor, which they call Nonleaping Michaels. To my mind that is a pretty silly idea. Equally, in card-play, MUD from three small is not my favorite, and quite unplayable when combined with third-and-fifth leads.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
In a recent column you referred to a “loose club.” I have searched the Internet and asked my bridge-playing friends, but have been unable to learn what this is. If you would let me know, I will pass it on to the others in my bridge club.
— On the Loose, Gloucester, Va.
ANSWER: I was somewhat loose about my usage of a loose club. Let me tighten it up. Any one-club opening bid that might be based on a doubleton club in a balanced hand qualifies for me as a loose club. Some would even open one club with 4-4-4-1 pattern. One could also use the term “short club” for such bids. Let me emphasize that Standard American requires at least THREE clubs for a one-club opening.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner opened one spade, allowing me an easy response of one no-trump with ♠ K, ♥ J-7-3, ♦ A-Q-7-6-5, ♣ 10-9-8-2, which we play as forcing. I could see no obvious call over his bid of two clubs, which might have been based on a three-card suit. Is there a right bid here? I can see passing, raising clubs, bidding diamonds or even no-trump as possibilities.
— Pick-One, Madison, Wis.
ANSWER: A pass is a little pessimistic. Just because the club bid might be short does not mean that it is. I’d make a gentle try for game, the choice being to raise to three clubs or two no-trump. One could come down on either side of the fence, but I vote for a bid of three clubs. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
June 12th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, May 29, 2010
| Dealer: North
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K J 6 |
| ♥ |
J 5 |
| ♦ |
K 7 3 |
| ♣ |
A 9 6 5 4 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q 5 4 |
♠ |
7 |
| ♥ |
A 9 7 6 4 |
♥ |
K Q 10 3 2 |
| ♦ |
Q J 8 |
♦ |
9 6 4 2 |
| ♣ |
J 2 |
♣ |
Q 8 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 10 9 8 3 2 |
| ♥ |
8 |
| ♦ |
A 10 5 |
| ♣ |
K 10 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
2♠ |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦ Queen
“It was deja vu all over again.”
— Yogi Berra
The following deal proved too hard for a multiple World Champion in a 1999 Vanderbilt match. The contract in both rooms was four spades by South, and the lead in each instance was the diamond queen.
It seems that, in a worst-case scenario, declarer might have a loser in each suit, but the first declarer did not see any danger.
He won the diamond lead in hand, preserving entries to dummy’s club suit, and played ace then king of trumps, finding he had a loser there. Hoping to eliminate hearts, then somehow effect an endplay, declarer led a low heart from dummy. But East nipped in with the 10 to fire a diamond through. The end result was one off.
Declarer was beguiled by his array of nines and 10s. Try imagining that, apart from the aces and kings, all of North’s and South’s cards are insignificant, as John Solodar did in the other room. He appreciated that all he needed to do was to set up a club trick for a diamond discard, so he too won the diamond lead in hand. But he cashed just the spade ace before leading a club to the ace, another to the king, and a third club. East won and fired back a diamond, which Solodar took with dummy’s king. He then cashed the spade king and played an established club, discarding his diamond loser from hand. A heart and a trump were all that was now available to the defense: contract made.
ANSWER: Your partner has not taken leave of his senses. When you jumped to three no-trump, you could have had as much as a 14-count along with your five hearts. Your partner has a maximum plus a moderate fit for hearts and a source of tricks in clubs. Just in case you were in the slam zone, he is cooperating with you. Since you have no slam interest, sign off in four hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 5 4 |
| ♥ |
A 9 7 6 4 |
| ♦ |
Q J 8 |
| ♣ |
J 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1 NT |
Pass |
| 2♦ |
Pass |
2♥ |
Pass |
| 3 NT |
Pass |
4♣ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
June 11th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 28, 2010
| Dealer: East
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K 10 7 4 3 |
| ♥ |
8 2 |
| ♦ |
6 5 3 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 7 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q J 5 2 |
♠ |
9 8 |
| ♥ |
Q 5 3 |
♥ |
10 4 |
| ♦ |
A K 10 |
♦ |
Q J 7 4 |
| ♣ |
9 8 4 |
♣ |
K J 10 6 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 6 |
| ♥ |
A K J 9 7 6 |
| ♦ |
9 8 |
| ♣ |
A 5 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦ King
“This life is worth living, we can say, since it is what we make it….”
— William James
Today’s deal came up in a par contest. West might be tempted to act at his first turn, but with a balanced hand and a soft defensive trick in the suit opened on his right, pass is probably the correct action. At South’s second turn, he can hardly do less than jump to three hearts. Having responded with a weak hand, North should pass the jump-rebid, which is strongly invitational but not forcing.
I will speculate that most East-West pairs would let through this contract of three hearts, but let’s consider how an accurate defense should go.
West leads the diamond king, obviously promising the ace, and East should drop the diamond queen at the first trick, suggesting the queen-jack and a desire to obtain the lead.
So far so good, but when West plays the diamond 10, it is tempting to let that card hold. The right way for East to look at the diamond spots is that partner did not have to underlead his ace. He must want you to win the trick, and the 10 rates to be his only “small” diamond.
At trick three East finds the shift to a trump. Declarer must try to ruff a club in dummy to make his contract so he takes the heart ace and leads a club to the queen and king. A second heart lead by East now prevents the ruff and beats the contract.
Whatever declarer does, he must lose two diamonds, two clubs, and a trump.
ANSWER: There are plenty of people who will tell you with complete confidence that you require six points to respond to an opening bid. But a hand like this demands a response of one spade for many reasons. Clubs could be a silly contract, you might make a spade game, you help to keep the opponents out, and you assist partner in finding the right lead if necessary.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K 10 7 4 3 |
| ♥ |
8 2 |
| ♦ |
6 5 3 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2010. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
|
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