May 31st, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, May 17, 2010 
| Dealer: East
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
8 6 2 |
| ♥ |
K J 10 4 |
| ♦ |
A 7 4 |
| ♣ |
6 5 2 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
— |
♠ |
K Q J 10 7 3 |
| ♥ |
9 8 5 3 |
♥ |
— |
| ♦ |
K Q J 10 9 |
♦ |
8 6 5 3 |
| ♣ |
Q 9 7 4 |
♣ |
J 10 8 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 9 5 4 |
| ♥ |
A Q 7 6 2 |
| ♦ |
2 |
| ♣ |
A K 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
2♠ |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♥ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦ King
“You’re leaping over the hedge before you come to the stile.”
— Miguel de Cervantes
Today’s deal is perhaps misleadingly straightforward, until you consider the implications of the auction. If you declare four hearts from the South seat, you’d imagine there would be no problem in taking 10 tricks. You’d expect to be able to draw trumps and ruff a spade in dummy.
However, the auction has indicated that spades will surely split 6-0, and if trumps are 4-0, you may find that the route to 10 tricks will be a rocky one if you don’t start out properly.
The key to the deal is that even if hearts do break 4-0, you will not be able to trump a spade in the dummy without your spade ace getting ruffed away. However, the hearts in dummy are robust enough to be used to draw West’s trumps.
This means that a dummy reversal is the safest line: win the diamond ace, ruff a diamond, play a heart to the king, and ruff a diamond high. Then take the heart queen, followed by a heart to dummy to draw trumps and claim.
One piece of advice that bridge columns give the improving player is to get the women and children off the streets — i.e., draw trumps as soon as possible. But the corollary is that if you want to ruff the side suits, don’t draw trumps.
Try to make the contract if you play anything but a diamond from the dummy at trick two.But don’t work too hard at it — it can’t be done!
ANSWER: Your partner’s double calls for an unusual lead, typically with a void and a trick on the side. He did not have to double to get you to lead a club (you would probably have done that without the double, since East was clearly ready for a heart lead), so with some fear and trembling, lead a low diamond. Maybe your RHO is 5-5 in spades and diamonds.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 2 |
| ♥ |
10 9 5 3 2 |
| ♦ |
Q 5 3 |
| ♣ |
7 5 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
1♥ |
1♠ |
| 3♥ |
3♠ |
Pass |
6♠ |
| Pass |
Pass |
Dbl. |
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].
May 30th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, May 16, 2010
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
In a club duplicate, with both sides nonvulnerable, you hold ♠ A-K-9, ♥ K-2, ♦ A-K-10-3-2, ♣ J-7-4. You open one diamond in second seat, and LHO bids three clubs, passed back to you. What is your call?
— Dream Spinner, Raleigh, N.C.
ANSWER: While passing might work, I’d be inclined to speak. A call of three diamonds seems too unilateral, so why not gamble with a bid of three no-trump, or double and hope something good happens? I’d try the latter, but without even the slightest confidence in my decision.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Given that our opponents in my local club intervene aggressively over our strong no-trump, should we not play penalty doubles and teach them a sharp lesson?
— Hard Knocks, Muncie, Ind.
ANSWER: The idea is not to maximize your result from the double; it is to maximize the use of the call when you would otherwise not have a bid. Best is to use double for takeout at your first turn to act, and to agree that opener should also double for takeout both under and over the trumps whenever he has a small doubleton in their suit. This way, responder won’t miss too many penalty doubles, since opener will pick up the slack.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Playing in a knockout match, I was pleased to pick up ♠ A-Q-7-3-2, ♥ 10-3-2, ♦ Q-4, ♣ A-J-7. I was faced with a three-heart pre-empt on my left and a four-diamond call from my partner. What is forcing here — and what would a four-heart bid mean?
— Help Wanted, Honolulu, Hawaii
|
|
ANSWER: Four spades and five clubs both sound natural and nonforcing to me. So four hearts should be an all-purpose good hand with diamond support — perfect! I’d make that call, and accept a sign-off in five diamonds.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner wants me to hold a minimum of 12 HCP to overcall when we are vulnerable. I agree with that when overcalling at the two-level, but not at the one-level, as it seems to me that too many opportunities would be lost. Do you agree?
— Lone Star, Dallas, Texas
ANSWER: I side emphatically with YOU (and not just because it was you who wrote to me!). Overcalls are about offensive strength; hence, at the two-level we require tricks and suit length.
Conversely, at the one-level there is virtually no nine-count with a good five-carder that I wouldn’t overcall with … I think. The more space a one-level overcall consumes, the more latitude you have to intervene.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I assume you would respond one spade to a one-diamond opening with ♠ A-J-6-3-2, ♥ 7-3, ♦ J-9-3-2, ♣ K-Q. What would a jump by your partner to four spades mean now, and what should you do next?
— Freedom Fighter, Salinas, Calif.
ANSWER: In Standard American a jump to four spades suggests a relatively balanced hand in the 18-19 range. With a side-suit singleton, partner can make a splinter raise to four hearts or four clubs. Given that, your hand has real slam potential, but using Blackwood with two small hearts feels wrong. I suggest cue-bidding five clubs and reverting to five spades over a red-suit response. Partner will have to do the running from here on. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
May 29th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, May 15, 2010
| Dealer: East
Vul: N/S |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K 10 9 |
| ♥ |
A 6 5 3 |
| ♦ |
K 7 5 2 |
| ♣ |
K 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
7 6 5 4 |
♠ |
A Q 3 |
| ♥ |
Q 8 7 2 |
♥ |
9 |
| ♦ |
J |
♦ |
8 4 |
| ♣ |
J 9 7 3 |
♣ |
A Q 10 8 6 5 4 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
J 8 2 |
| ♥ |
K J 10 4 |
| ♦ |
A Q 10 9 6 3 |
| ♣ |
— |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
2♣* |
| 2♦ |
4♣ |
5♦ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥2
“At every word a reputation dies.”
— Alexander Pope
On this deal from the 1999 Cavendish Pairs, three no-trump by North is as good a spot as any (if the opponents let you play there), assuming the auction has marked East with both black aces. On a passive diamond lead, you can run the heart jack to establish a ninth winner painlessly.
If you are going to play a suit game, reaching four hearts may not be all that easy, particularly if East-West can pre-empt actively in clubs, as happened at our featured table. And of course the five-club sacrifice would be extremely cheap.
Fred Gitelman found a great extra chance in five diamonds, giving East the missed opportunity for an equally fine defense. West led a heart, providing declarer with a helpful start. Gitelman won in hand, crossed to dummy with a trump to ruff a club, drew a second trump, and then cashed the heart ace to get the bad news that he had a slow heart loser. Now he found the neat maneuver of leading the club king, on which he discarded a low spade from hand. East won his club ace (ducking does not help) and had to avoid giving a ruff-sluff.
So he cashed the spade ace and led another spade, playing his partner for the spade jack, and now Gitelman had a home for his heart loser on dummy’s spade winner — contract made. To beat the game, East had to find the unusual play of underleading his spade A-Q. That would have left declarer with an inevitable loser in each major.
ANSWER: This three-diamond call is forcing. (That you opened one diamond is irrelevant — spades are going to be trump.) The three-diamond call asks for help in diamonds; your partner has three or four cards to an honor and most likely a game-try for spades. You have good controls but nothing else, and only three trumps, so sign off in three spades.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K 10 9 |
| ♥ |
A 6 5 3 |
| ♦ |
K 7 5 2 |
| ♣ |
K 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♦ |
1♥ |
1♠ |
2♥ |
| 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].
May 28th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 14, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
Q 7 |
| ♥ |
K 9 7 6 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 5 |
| ♣ |
5 4 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K 6 5 4 |
♠ |
J 10 9 2 |
| ♥ |
10 2 |
♥ |
Q J |
| ♦ |
Q 3 2 |
♦ |
A 9 7 6 4 |
| ♣ |
K 10 6 3 |
♣ |
Q 7 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 8 3 |
| ♥ |
A 8 5 3 |
| ♦ |
K 8 |
| ♣ |
A J 9 8 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♥ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥2
“I to my perils
Of cheat and charmer
Came clad in armour
By stars benign.”
— A.E. Housman
This week’s deals all come from the Cavendish tournament in Las Vegas a decade ago. Today’s deal shows Paul Soloway getting the worst of it against a fine defense.
Soloway was South in the delicate contract of four hearts. West found the best lead of a low trump to South’s ace, and Soloway drew trumps in two rounds, then led a club from the board, intending to put in the nine.
If West had won his 10, his best play would have been to return the suit. Declarer wins and plays a third club, and West can do no better than exit with a fourth club. Declarer discards dummy’s spade, ruffs out the spades, and has to guess diamonds for his contract.
Shifting to a diamond at trick four is no better for West. That clears up the diamond guess, but lets East play a spade. Now the second club loser will eventually go away on the spades.
However, at trick three East put up the club queen! This was the critical defensive play, in that it enticed declarer to release the club ace prematurely and set up two quick club winners for the defense. When Soloway took this trick with the ace and exited with a low club, West took his 10 and led a small diamond to his partner’s ace.
That allowed East to win and switch to a spade, which set up the defense’s fourth winner before declarer had any discards coming for his black-suit losers.
ANSWER: In this auction three clubs by you (the cheaper minor) is commonly played as a very weak hand, all other calls being natural and game-forcing. The question is whether your hearts are good enough to bid now, or if a temporizing bid of two no-trump might prove more economical. I can see both sides of the case, but I’d prefer somewhat better hearts to introduce the suit now. So bid two no-trump.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 7 |
| ♥ |
K 9 7 6 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 5 |
| ♣ |
5 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♦ |
Pass |
2♠ |
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].
May 27th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 13, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A 7 |
| ♥ |
J 6 3 |
| ♦ |
J 5 |
| ♣ |
Q J 9 6 4 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q J 9 3 |
♠ |
8 4 2 |
| ♥ |
A 4 |
♥ |
Q 10 2 |
| ♦ |
K 9 8 7 3 2 |
♦ |
Q 6 |
| ♣ |
K |
♣ |
A 10 8 7 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K 10 6 5 |
| ♥ |
K 9 8 7 5 |
| ♦ |
A 10 4 |
| ♣ |
5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
2♦ |
2♥ |
Pass |
| Pass |
2♠ |
3♣ |
Dbl. |
| 3♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥ Ace
“Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very heaven!”
— William Wordsworth
At the Las Vegas Cavendish in 1999 Jeff Meckstroth won the Best Played Hand of the Year on the following deal.
Tim Cope led ace and another trump against three hearts, after Meckstroth had opened systemically on very light values. Declarer now knew West had four spades and six diamonds and inferred that each opponent had a top honor in each of the minor suits.
At trick three he led his singleton club, won West’s return of the spade queen in dummy, and advanced the club queen, covered (ducking would be a better play) and ruffed.
At this point, playing on diamonds does not work: East will win and draw a third round of trumps. Similarly, ruffing a spade in dummy brings in only eight tricks. Meckstroth found the spectacular coup of leading the spade 10 from hand. Be honest — would you have thought of it?
If West takes the trick and leads a spade back (a diamond is no better), declarer wins in hand, pitching a diamond from dummy. He plays the diamond ace, ruffs a diamond, ruffs a club, and leads his losing heart. East is endplayed, forced to lead a club at trick 12 into the tenace in dummy.
In fact, West ducked the spade 10, hoping his partner had the king. That let Meckstroth cash the spade king to pitch a diamond. Then he could take the diamond ace and a diamond ruff and cash the top club in dummy, with a heart trick to come, for plus 140.
ANSWER: When your partner doubles a pre-empt, he is forcing you to bid, even with a Yarborough. When you have extras, as here, you must show them by making more than a minimum call. The logical bid now is five clubs; you can do no less. If you were playing matchpoints and wanted to try for a swing, you might try three no-trump, but it would be hard to explain to your partner if you were wrong!
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A 7 |
| ♥ |
J 6 3 |
| ♦ |
J 5 |
| ♣ |
Q J 9 6 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
3♥ |
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].
May 26th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
| Dealer: West
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
Q 9 4 |
| ♥ |
Q 8 |
| ♦ |
Q J 10 7 6 |
| ♣ |
K 4 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K J 3 |
♠ |
10 8 7 2 |
| ♥ |
7 3 |
♥ |
9 5 4 2 |
| ♦ |
K 5 |
♦ |
A 8 3 2 |
| ♣ |
A J 8 7 6 3 |
♣ |
5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 6 5 |
| ♥ |
A K J 10 6 |
| ♦ |
9 4 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
2♣* |
Pass |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♣ Ace
“He ventured neck or nothing — heaven’s success
Found, or earth’s failure.”
— Robert Browning
In today’s deal from the 1999 Cavendish, from which all this week’s deals are taken, the defenders added insult to injury.
It is bad enough to stay low and miss a cold game, but when your opponents beat you in the “safe” partscore you have reached, it rubs salt into the wound. After Peter Weichsel’s natural but limited opening of two clubs, Paul Chemla (North) did not have enough to overcall in diamonds. When Christian Mari (South) reopened with two hearts rather than a double, Chemla decided not to explore for the no-trump game. a contract where nine tricks would have been straightforward. Instead, he settled for what he thought was a safe partscore in hearts.
Weichsel led the club ace, an incisive shot, then carefully played the club seven for Alan Sontag to ruff. In situations of this sort, the size of the spot-card West leads should tell East what to play next. Sontag now found the fine move of underleading the diamond ace. (Weichsel’s middle club clearly indicated that he had no preference between the pointed suits; hence, he was likely to have both kings.)
Weichsel won his diamond king, then led a high club, giving Sontag a second ruff. At this point, Sontag led the spade two to ensure one down, setting up the defense’s spade trick before declarer could establish the diamonds for discards.
Accordingly, declarer had to lose three clubs tricks, two diamonds and one spade, for down one.
ANSWER: Your partner had a forcing cue-bid available (a two–heart bid). Two spades was therefore natural, showing a good hand. You now have more than enough to jump to four spades. If your partner foolishly meant the spade bid as artificial, no doubt he will have diamond support and can revert to five diamonds.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 9 4 |
| ♥ |
Q 8 |
| ♦ |
Q J 10 7 6 |
| ♣ |
K 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♥ |
Dbl. |
1♠ |
| 2♦ |
Pass |
2♠ |
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].
May 25th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, May 11, 2010
| Dealer: West
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
8 4 2 |
| ♥ |
10 9 5 |
| ♦ |
J 6 |
| ♣ |
K Q J 6 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K Q 9 5 |
♠ |
AJ 10 7 6 3 |
| ♥ |
6 |
♥ |
J |
| ♦ |
A K 10 9 7 2 |
♦ |
8 |
| ♣ |
10 9 |
♣ |
A 8 7 4 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
— |
| ♥ |
A K Q 8 7 4 3 2 |
| ♦ |
Q 5 4 3 |
| ♣ |
5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
Pass |
1♠ |
| 4♥ |
4♠ |
5♣ |
5♥ |
| 6♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
6♠ |
| Pass |
Pass |
7♥ |
Dbl. |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦ King
“They say everything in the world is good for something.”
— John Dryden
All the deals this week come from the Cavendish Pairs and Teams from 10 years ago to celebrate this year’s event currently taking place in Henderson, Nev.
The Cavendish Teams in Las Vegas is the precursor to the main event, the auction pairs. Ten years ago this was the deal from the final match that decided the eventual winner.
As you can see, six spades goes down when diamonds refuse to behave, but that was not obvious to anyone at the table. The auction generally began with South pre-empting in hearts and North bidding clubs to promise a heart fit and club values.
When the eventual winners of the event were doubled in six hearts with the East-West card, Zia Mahmood as West led a top diamond and shifted to a spade, letting South escape for minus 500. But in the other room the auction went as shown. For the winners, Lew Stansby led two top diamonds and Chip Martel threw a discouraging spade. Eventually Stansby worked out to play a third diamond, promoting the heart jack to a trick for down 1100 and a 12-IMP swing to the winners.
Was this the clearest way to get West to continue with a third diamond? Perhaps not, as demonstrated somewhat flamboyantly by Fred Gitelman, who was sitting East, partnering Brad Moss. They were defending six hearts doubled on an auction almost identical to the one shown, and when Moss cashed two rounds of diamonds, Gitelman discarded his spade ace! Now Moss knew what was necessary.
ANSWER: The simplistic answer is to double for takeout, showing four spades. But that would ignore the main feature of your hand, the diamond suit. There will be plenty of time to bid spades later, but for the time being bid two diamonds, which is natural and forcing.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K Q 9 5 |
| ♥ |
6 |
| ♦ |
A K 10 9 7 2 |
| ♣ |
10 9 |
| 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].
May 24th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, May 10, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: N/S |
North |
|
| ♠ |
Q 10 6 |
| ♥ |
A Q 6 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 9 3 |
| ♣ |
9 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
— |
♠ |
A J 8 7 4 |
| ♥ |
K J 9 8 5 |
♥ |
7 3 |
| ♦ |
Q 5 2 |
♦ |
K 8 6 |
| ♣ |
K Q J 10 7 |
♣ |
6 5 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K 9 5 3 2 |
| ♥ |
10 2 |
| ♦ |
A 7 4 |
| ♣ |
A 8 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
2♠* |
Dbl. |
2 NT |
| Pass |
3♣ |
3♠ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♣ King
“I long ago came to the conclusion that life is six-to-five against.”
— Damon Runyon
To celebrate the Cavendish Pairs tournament being played all this week in Henderson, Nev., this week’s deals all come from the event held 10 years ago.
After West had shown a two-suiter, Adam Zakrzewski (South) landed in three spades. On a top-club lead, Adam ducked and won the heart-jack shift with dummy’s queen.
He ran the diamond jack to West’s queen, took the top-heart return in dummy, and repeated the diamond finesse. Then he played a club to the ace and a spade to the queen and ace. Once the 5-0 trump break came to light, declarer knew he had three top losers, so must try to restrict East to just one more trump trick. That looks unlikely, doesn’t it?
At trick eight East returned the spade jack so that dummy would have to ruff declarer’s club loser with a significant trump. A less imaginative club return would have worked better.
Adam took the spade jack in hand, cashed the diamond ace, then ruffed his club loser in dummy with the spade 10. He had reduced to a three-card ending where both East and South were left only with spades. Adam led a red-suit winner from dummy, and when East ruffed in with the spade seven, he underruffed with the three. That left him with the trump 9-5 over East’s 8-4 for the last two tricks.
ANSWER: West has shown clubs and spades and about 17 points. Since neither of those suits seems to be behaving well for declarer, you should aim to find as passive a lead as possible. The choice is between the heart six (second from a bad suit) and the spade 10. I prefer the spade 10 partly because partner should find it easier to read.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 8 |
| ♥ |
9 6 4 2 |
| ♦ |
A 8 4 |
| ♣ |
Q 8 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♣ |
Pass |
1♥ |
| Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
1 NT |
| 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].
May 23rd, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, May 9, 2010
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
You once wrote that you are not a huge fan of weak-jump responses. Can you suggest a better use for jump bids in competition?
— Jamming the Works, Augusta, Ga.
ANSWER: Weak-jump responses to openings in competitive auctions are sensible if made by an unpassed hand. I disapprove of weak-jump responses either to an opening bid in an uncompetitive auction, or to an overcall. Also, a jump by a passed hand makes no sense as weak. Since you did not open the hand, how can you need to show a decent long suit in a weak hand? I like strong-jump responses to opening bids in noncompetitive auctions, and fit-jumps (showing a decent side suit, values, and fit for partner) in the other sequences I mentioned.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
After a pre-empt of three clubs on your left and a double from partner, what should you bid with ♠ 10-9, ♥ K-J-9-5, ♦ Q-J-8-7-4, ♣ Q-7 if your RHO passes? And what action should you take if your RHO raises to four clubs ? Would doubling be appropriate?
— Russian Steppes, Holland, Mich.
ANSWER: I would bid four hearts in both instances. Minor suits are for the birds, and you have real extras in high cards and shape that suggest you should contract for game, taking the pressure off partner. In the second instance, double would be takeout, so you need more than two spades to make that call.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner and I disagree on how to bid a hand that qualifies for a strong one-no-trump opening bid and also contains a five-card major suit. My preference is to open one no-trump, while he feels it is imperative to show the five-card major first. What do you advise, and does any factor such as position or quality of the suit affect the decision?
— Partners at Odds, Houston, Texas
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ANSWER: Briefly, upgrade any 17-count with a five-card major into an 18-19 count, adding one for the long-suit. With 15 and no small doubleton, open 1 NT unless all your honors are effectively in two suits, when you can if you want consider opening the suit, downgrading the hand to 14 points. With 16 always open one no-trump unless your honor structure suggests you should treat the hand as a two-suiter:
With regard to position (as opposed to suit quality), you might open your long suit at pairs if vulnerable with 15 HCP slightly more often than when nonvulnerable — particularly in third seat.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Does this hand qualify for an opening bid: ♠ Q, ♥ A-Q-9-7-3-2, ♦ 10-3-2, ♣ K-7-4? If so, what would you bid?
— Open for Business, Bellingham, Wash.
ANSWER: Let’s start from a Wolffian precept. No hand with a good six-card major should be passed. Open it one heart or two, since there is no gap between those two. This hand has a good six-card major, so open it two hearts if vulnerable, or perhaps in second seat if nonvulnerable. Otherwise, open it one heart.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
When you are playing in a major-suit contract and have eight trumps, is it better to have a 5-3 split or a 4-4 split?
— Small Bore, Pottsville, Pa.
ANSWER: Errors and omissions excepting (and there are far too many such for me to make the following statement with anything more than 90 percent confidence), a 4-4 trump fit is NORMALLY preferable. You can generate discards and extra ruffing tricks from a 4-4 fit far more easily than from a 5-3 fit. The only exceptions tend to come when you do not need discards — never easy to identify in advance. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
May 22nd, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, May 8, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
8 7 3 |
| ♥ |
4 2 |
| ♦ |
A K J 8 4 |
| ♣ |
J 9 5 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q J 9 6 |
♠ |
10 |
| ♥ |
J 6 |
♥ |
K 10 9 7 3 |
| ♦ |
10 |
♦ |
9 7 5 2 |
| ♣ |
A K 8 6 3 2 |
♣ |
Q 7 4 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 5 4 2 |
| ♥ |
A Q 8 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 6 3 |
| ♣ |
10 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
2♣ |
2♠ |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♠ |
All Pass |
| |
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| |
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Opening Lead: ♣ King
“Martin, if dirt were trumps, what hands you would hold!”
— Charles Lamb
In the duplicate game at the Cavendish Club in Manhattan, the following hand produced much discussion. The computer analysis showed that four spades can be made — but the play is especially entertaining.
After West leads two rounds of clubs, declarer can succeed by ruffing, drawing precisely one round of trumps, then crossing to dummy with a diamond and playing on hearts. But imagine declarer takes the more normal line of playing both top trumps as East discards a discouraging heart.
Now declarer plays the diamond queen and a second diamond. If West ruffs in, the defense is over. If he takes his last trump and then plays a third club, declarer can ruff, run the diamonds, and take a heart finesse. If West plays back a club immediately, declarer can ruff and lead his third diamond to bring about the same ending.
But there is a defense. West must discard, let’s say a heart, on the second diamond. Declarer now takes the heart finesse and cashes the heart ace. If West ruffs in, he can only collect his trump tricks.
So West discards a second time, and South tempts him again by leading a low heart, and West must discard a third time. Declarer ruffs his heart loser in dummy, but when he exits with a top diamond, West can ruff in, cash his spade queen, and lead a club. South ruffs, but must concede trick 13 to East’s heart king.
ANSWER: It is not clear that there is a right answer. Both double and an overcall of one spade are sensible, and both might work. But be aware that this hand, while close to a maximum for a one-spade overcall, is certainly not outside the range for the call. Bid one spade, expecting to be able to bid hearts or double for takeout at your next turn to show extras.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K 5 4 2 |
| ♥ |
A Q 8 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 6 3 |
| ♣ |
10 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♣ |
| ? |
|
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|
| |
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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].
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