Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, January 17, 2010

January 31st, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, January 17, 2010 
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Do you recommend using trumps just to show suit preference, or can they signal other things as well?

—  Signal Corps, Davenport, Iowa

ANSWER: Some people play a trump echo as indicating a desire to ruff; others use it to show an odd number of trumps. However, a trump signal to show suit-preference is far more useful. You can convey the desire to ruff just as well by giving appropriate suit preference. Moreover, your number of trumps normally becomes apparent very early on in the hand for other reasons and is rarely critical to the defense.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

When your partner opens a weak two-bid in hearts and the next hand doubles, what is the right action with ♠ A-J-3, ♥ K-4, ♦ A-Q-3-2, ♣ J-10-3-2? If you redoubled, would you do the same with a heart less and a spade more?

—  Off and Running, Albany, Ga.

ANSWER: In my opinion redoubling announces ownership of the deal and asks your partner to act — normally by doubling the opponents but occasionally by rebidding his suit with extra trump length and no defense. If you had a 4-1-4-4 shape and were about to double the opponents wherever they stopped, you would pass, then double, and not give partner the chance to act.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

Is there any literary work that portrays bridge seriously as opposed to mentioning the subject in passing?

—  Bookworm, Cincinnati, Ohio

   ANSWER: Recently some bridge-themed action novels have come out; I can’t whole-heartedly recommend any of them as a great read. But in my youth I read “Duplicate Death” by Georgette Heyer and “Cards on the Table” by Agatha Christie, both of which took bridge seriously. Comic author S.J. Simon was a superb player, and Somerset Maugham a very keen one. Both wrote fiction that touched on the game.

 

Dear Mr. Wolff:

If you were third to speak, holding ♠ A-9-6-4-2, ♥ K-10-3, ♦ 7-3-2, ♣ K-2, would you open? Would you overcall an opening bid on your right? Does the vulnerability matter?

—  Active Andy, Danville, Ill.

 

ANSWER: I must confess that whether it is winning tactics or not, I would open this hand at all vulnerabilities. I realize that this may trigger a penalty larger than our opponents’ partscore or game, but I feel that if I do not bid, I make life too easy for my opponents. Yes, I would overcall any bid on my right — one cannot afford to lose the spade suit. It is not so clear to bid with the same hand but with a diamond or heart suit, and I would NEVER overcall at the two-level.

 

Dear Mr. Wolff:

I was confused with a recent answer to a “Bid With the Aces” quiz. Your answer was that if you opened one club and jumped to four clubs after a response of one spade, you had six clubs and four spades. Is this a convention and is it in standard use?

—  Missing the Point, Texarkana, Texas

 

ANSWER: Yes, it is commonly understood that this sequence shows good clubs (six of them at least) and four spades, with the values to drive to game. This helps partner envision a source of tricks for his side in a spade slam.

 

If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.

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The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 16, 2010

January 30th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 16, 2010 
Dealer: South

Vul: All

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

 

South West North East
1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
3 NT Pass 6♦ All Pass
       

Opening Lead:♣Q

“I could have stemmed misfortune’s tide,

And borne the rich one’s sneer,–

Have braved the haughty glance of pride,

Nor shed a single tear.”

— Anna Peyre Dinnies

Declarer sees that six diamonds is cold if the trumps break 2-2 or 3-1. He should therefore plan to do what he can against a possible 4-0 split. The first move is to lay down the diamond king, as he can pick up four trumps if in West’s hand, but not if in East’s. Since the missing trumps include the jack and 10, declarer must lay down the honor in the hand with one high trump to be able finesse twice if necessary.

 

When the 4-0 split is revealed, the next move is for South to give up a heart, hoping to guess the suit if possible. The plan is to establish the North hand by ruffing two hearts and eventually discarding the other on South’s fourth spade. Entries must be manipulated so that trumps can be led twice through West, picking up his guarded jack, and South can be left with an eventual re-entry. South wins the club lead, cashes the diamond king, then leads a heart. East wins and returns a club, which South wins. South leads a trump to dummy and plays back a heart to ruff with the eight or nine.

 

South leads another trump and repeats the finesse. He exits dummy with another heart, ruffed with his last trump. A spade puts the lead back in dummy and a high spade is led. Declarer can claim the rest, pitching North’s heart loser on the good spade.

ANSWER: Although most experts play responsive doubles (meaning that a double of a bid-and-raised suit in response to their partner’s double is for takeout), this situation is not parallel. Spades have not been raised; hence, the double shows defense to spades, typically four cards or more in that suit. So pass and find out more about what is going on.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ K Q 4
♥ K J 8 3
♦ A Q 7 5
♣ 9 8

 

South West North East
      1♣
Dbl. 1♠ 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 15, 2010

January 29th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 15, 2010 
Dealer: North

Vul: E/W

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

 

South West North East
    1♣ Pass
3 NT All Pass    
       
       

Opening Lead:♥5

“Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,

And like enough thou know’st thy estimate.”

— William Shakespeare

Today’s deal, which comes from a teams match, shows an approach one might follow if making the contract is paramount and overtricks are irrelevant.

 

In both rooms of the match South declared three no-trump on a low heart lead to East’s nine and South’s queen. South now played a club to the 10 and jack. Back came the heart four, and the first point of the deal is that for the defense to have a chance, West must hold up his ace, conserving his vital third-round entry.

 

Both defenders did so, and at one table where West had meanly concealed his lowest heart, South expected the hearts to be splitting evenly and simply repeated the club finesse. The defenders now won three heart tricks and two clubs before declarer could establish nine tricks.

 

In the other room the play to the first three tricks was the same, with West playing the heart seven at his second turn. But South could infer from East’s return of the heart six (high from a remaining doubleton) that West had a five-card suit. Declarer could see the risk of the second club finesse, so he countered by playing a third round of hearts himself. If West cashed his hearts (as he did at the table), East could be squeezed in the minors. If he did not, a club winner could be safely established for declarer’s ninth trick since declarer had cut the defenders’ communications in hearts.

ANSWER: This hand is borderline for a free call of two hearts, but I think you require just a little more to enter the auction at the two-level. With the same hand but a queen in any of the four suits, you would probably risk a bid, but as it is, you should pass and plan to balance with a call of two hearts if the opponents allow you an entry into the auction.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ 8 7 4 2
♥ A 8 7 5 4
♦ 9 2
♣ 7 3

 

South West North East
  1♣ Dbl. 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, January 14, 2010

January 28th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, January 14, 2010 
Dealer: South

Vul: All

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

 

South West North East
2♣ Pass 3♦ Pass
4 NT Pass 5♠* Pass
7 NT All Pass    
       
*Two of the five key-cards and the trump queen

Opening Lead:♣10

“There’s not a joy the world can give like that it takes away

When the glow of early thought declines in feeling’s dull decay.”

— Lord Byron

Are you familiar with the concept of premature euphoria? This is one of two commonly occurring situations at the bridge table when a player fails to focus properly. The first one occurs when partner (or you yourself) have just done something so bad that you lose focus and compound the earlier error. Your second mistake is fatal.

 

By contrast, premature euphoria arises when your side does something very good — or the opponents do something very bad. You have now virtually ensured success for your side, but euphoria gets in the way and you turn triumph into disaster. Again you have nobody to blame but yourself.

 

Consider today’s deal. North guesses well to treat his hand as a positive response to the two-club opening, allowing you to take control. Once your partner can show the three top diamond honors, you can count 13 top tricks as long as the diamonds provide five tricks.

 

On the lead of the club 10 to the ace, you see a bare minimum in dummy, but your calculations appear to be correct. Are you euphoric? Take care to lead the diamond eight to the ace. Then cash a top diamond from dummy and unblock your highest diamond. Under the queen you complete the unblock by playing the diamond five, and finally the diamond four and three in dummy will provide the two long-suit tricks necessary for the grand slam to come home. Fail to unblock even once, and the grand slam goes down!

ANSWER: Things have developed very favorably from your perspective. Your hand looks far too good now for a simple raise to three diamonds. A jump raise to four diamonds looks appropriate since it is hard to imagine ending in three no-trump. The advantage of this route is that if partner bids four hearts now, you can happily pass.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ 8 4 2
♥ 8 7
♦ A K Q 4 3
♣ 5 3 2

 

South West North East
    1♥ Pass
1 NT 2♣ 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, January 13, 2010

January 27th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 
Dealer: West

Vul: None

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

 

South West North East
  1♣ Pass 1♠
4♥ Dbl. All Pass  
       
       

Opening Lead:♠J

“Calm, calm me more! nor let me die

Before I have begun to live.”

— Matthew Arnold

Players do not always play their best under tournament pressure. When today’s hand occurred at the table, many players went off. Yet when presented as a problem, in leisurely surroundings and with no time constraint, many more found the winning line.

 

Against four hearts doubled, West naturally led the singleton spade jack. At the table, the unsuccessful South won with dummy’s ace and continued with another spade to the king, his plan being to ruff two further spades in dummy. Unlucky! West ruffed the king and continued with ace and another trump. Now, only one trump remained in dummy with which to cope with two losing spades in hand. South could still have succeeded if both the ace and queen of clubs were with West, but as you see, it was not to be, and these declarers ended with just eight tricks. East could win the club queen and play a third spade, cutting declarer off from dummy’s club winner.

 

However, there is a virtually foolproof line for 10 tricks, as long as West holds the club ace, very likely on the bidding. On winning with the spade ace in dummy, declarer continues with the spade three and ducks in hand. Now the defense is helpless. Even if East had a trump to return, or West had ruffed East’s spade winner and then played ace and another heart, there is still a trump in dummy to take care of South’s losing spade.

ANSWER: Both your opponents have limited their hands at their second turn to speak, so you need have no reason to assume that you will be poking your head into the lion’s mouth by bidding two diamonds now. You have both the values and the suit-length to make bidding far more attractive than passing. If you assume your partner will always be shape-suitable for his takeout double, how badly can two diamonds play now?

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ A 3
♥ 10 9 6
♦ 8 7 5 4 3
♣ K 10 6

 

South West North East
  1♣ Dbl. Rdbl.
1♦ 1♥ Pass 2♣
?      
       

 

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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 12, 2010

January 26th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 
Dealer: South

Vul: E/W

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

 

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

Opening Lead:♥K

“Peril as a possession

’Tis good to bear,

Danger disintegrates satiety.”

— Emily Dickinson

Today’s four-spade contract contains a theme that we are all familiar with in theory, but that we all occasionally miss at the table.

 

When the deal came up, it was at IMP scoring, meaning that overtricks were relatively unimportant, while ensuring the contract was really all that mattered.

 

The unsuccessful declarer received the defense of three top hearts. Having seen East echo in hearts, he guessed to ruff the third heart high, then drew two rounds of trumps and found the bad news. Now he could throw East in with a trump after playing off three rounds of clubs, hoping the queen-jack would fall, but it was in vain. That player could exit in either minor, and when the diamond finesse lost, declarer was down one. This was admittedly unlucky — the bad heart and spade breaks and losing finesse had all conspired against him. But was there anything he could have done?

 

Indeed there was. At the other table declarer executed a loser-on-loser play to all but guarantee his contract. He would fail only against a 4-0 break in trumps, a far smaller chance than having the spades and hearts failing to cooperate. Here too the defenders led out the three top hearts, but declarer riposted by throwing dummy’s diamond loser away on the third trick.

 

Now as long as the trumps split no worse than 3-1, he was guaranteed 10 tricks by ruffing a diamond in dummy.

ANSWER: Your partner is not looking for no-trump, so you should have no reason to be interested in playing in anything except a minor-suit. It looks simplest to raise diamonds now; if partner wants to play in diamonds, you will have no objections, of course. But this may also be the way to get to a minor-suit slam.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ Q 10 4 2
♥ 5 2
♦ A 6 2
♣ K 10 5 2

 

South West North East
    1♦ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
3♣ 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Monday, January 11, 2010

January 25th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, January 11, 2010 
Dealer: South

Vul: None

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

 

South West North East
1 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass
       
       
       

Opening Lead:♥2

“Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,

That is known as the Children’s Hour.”

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

No doubt you are all sick to death of being told that you should think carefully before playing from dummy at trick one. Having been given that clue, cover up the East and West hands and plan the play in three no-trump on the heart-two lead.

 

Start by counting your tricks: there are two spades, one heart, two diamonds (after you have knocked out the ace) and four clubs (after you have knocked out the king).

 

Look at what could happen if you were to finesse in hearts. East might win the king and, if in inspired mood, might find the switch to a spade. You would win in dummy and take a club finesse. West would win and knock out your last spade stopper so that the opponents would have two more spades to cash when in with the ace of diamonds. You would lose two spades, one heart, one diamond and one club.

 

If, by contrast, you win the ace of hearts at trick one and take a club finesse, then West will win the trick. Whether he plays a heart or a spade now, you cannot be denied your nine tricks before the defenders set up five winners. If he plays a second heart, you will duck in dummy, prepared to concede two heart tricks, but not three.

 

Note that West has found the best lead. On an initial spade lead, the defense can establish only two spades to go with one trick in each minor.

ANSWER: A spade lead might not hold out much hope of setting the game, but you have no likely entry with your weakish clubs. When partner overcalls, it is generally right to lead his suit in case of doubt, just to keep him happy (and perhaps also to stop him from overcalling on bad suits in the future!).

LEAD WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ J
♥ K 7 4
♦ 8 6 5 4
♣ Q J 7 6 5

 

South West North East
  1♥ 1♠ 2♦
Pass 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 24th, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, January 10, 2010 
Dear Mr. Wolff:

If a defender shows his card, can he change his mind and take it back if it has not been put on the table? I say yes; my partner says no.

—  Rueful Robert, Kansas City, Mo.

ANSWER: I hate to say it, but your partner is right. There are different rules for declarer and the defenders. For declarer, a card has to be played (or the equivalent of played) — and not dropped. For the defenders, a card is played if his partner could have seen it because it reached a position where it was in view.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

I read that one of your teammates for many years, Dick Freeman, died recently. How did you rate him as a player and a teammate?

—  Historian, Nashville, Tenn.

ANSWER: Dick was absolutely brilliant — he had something like a photographic memory and a genius for numbers. As a player he and Nick Nickell became one of the soundest pairs in the world. They realized that if they brought back solid, normal results, the team would be in a great position to win. And they generally achieved precisely that.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

At unfavorable vulnerability I was second to speak with ♠ A-J-3, ♥ K-Q-4, ♦ Q-7-3-2, ♣ Q-3-2 and heard three clubs on my right. Was I wrong to double? I could not stand to be stolen from here. Suffice it to say, bidding did NOT work out well.

—  Burglar-Proof, Trenton, N.J.

   ANSWER: I have a little, but only a little, sympathy for you. When in doubt, act with shortness in their suit, but pass with length. Here you had the values to consider bidding but very much the wrong club-holding. Paradoxically, with two small clubs and a small spade instead of the club queen, you are closer to doubling and should certainly balance if three clubs came around to you in protective seat.

 

Dear Mr. Wolff:

What percentage of deals you use are from actual play and what from your own (or others’) fertile imagination?

—  Inquiring Mind, Fredericksburg, Va.

 

ANSWER: So long as you do not tell anyone else, I will say that all deals where a player or location is specified are absolutely real. I try to leave the spot-cards unchanged, except to eliminate unnecessary complications. About half the rest are real deals, sometimes modified, sometimes with the protagonists anonymous; the rest are creations or variations on a genuine theme.

 

Dear Mr. Wolff:

I opened one spade with ♠ A-Q-9-4-2, ♥ A-3-2, ♦ Q-10-3-2, ♣ Q. When my partner bid a game-forcing two clubs, I tried two diamonds. Now my partner bid three clubs, and since we were in a game-force, I bid three no-trump. My partner said that this action was premature. Was he right?

—  Fast Arrival, Janesville, Wis.

 

ANSWER: I would have bid three hearts, probing for three no-trump, but not prepared to end the auction by bidding it myself. If, for example, partner has seven good clubs and short hearts, we could be very close to making slam. Conversely, three no-trump might struggle if a club had to be lost.

 

If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.

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The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 9, 2010

January 23rd, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 9, 2010 
Dealer: South

Vul: N/S

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

 

South West North East
1♣ Pass 1♦ 2♠
3♣ Pass 3♠ Pass
4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
4♥ Pass 6♣ All Pass

Opening Lead:♠Q

“But life is sweet, and mortality blind,

And youth is hopeful, and Fate is kind

In concealing the day of sorrow.”

— Thomas Hood

Sometimes the best a player can do on a hand is to play off all his trumps and see what happens. If declarer’s card-reading is good, it is surprising what positions can develop.

 

Against six clubs West led the spade queen, won by dummy’s ace. Declarer’s best chance seemed to be a 4-3 diamond break, so he played the diamond ace and ruffed a diamond, played a club to the ace, and ruffed another diamond. When East showed out, declarer had no choice but to run off all his trumps. As declarer led out the last club, his other four cards were three hearts and a losing spade, while dummy had three hearts, the spade jack and a small diamond.

 

If West discards a diamond, declarer throws dummy’s spade, crosses to the heart king, and exits with the losing diamond, forcing West to win and play back a heart into South’s ace-10. If instead West discards a heart, declarer discards dummy’s diamond. Now if East discards a spade, declarer exits with a spade and East must broach the heart suit, while if East discards a heart, the hearts must break 2-2.

 

For all you scholars, this position is known as a squeeze without the count. Most squeeze positions require declarer to need all the remaining tricks but one. Giving up a trick to make a squeeze work is often called “rectifying the count.” But in a squeeze without the count, declarer loses a trick after the squeeze has operated.

ANSWER: Your partner’s auction sounds forcing, and he has hearts, or hearts and clubs. Either way, you have enough trumps to raise him to six hearts. The question is whether you have enough to cuebid five spades in case your partner is interested in a grand slam. I’d say no. You already showed a good hand and could have held an even better hand for your first action, so just bid six hearts.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ A J 7
♥ K J 6
♦ A 10 9 7 5
♣ A 10

 

South West North East
      3♠
3 NT Pass 4♠ Pass
5♦ Pass 5♥ 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 8, 2010

January 22nd, 2010  ~  admin  ~  Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 8, 2010 
Dealer: North

Vul: None

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

 

South West North East
    1♦ Pass
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
2♣* Pass 2♠ Pass
4♠ All Pass    
*Artificial relay

Opening Lead:♥10

“There is a pleasure in poetic pains

Which only Poets know.”

— William Wordsworth

Is there anybody out there who does not enjoy taking a finesse — when it wins? And is there anybody who enjoys seeing their finesses lose?

 

If we exclude the masochists, a losing finesse can still be satisfactory if it ensures the contract. Look at today’s deal to see how this can happen.

 

If West leads a heart against four spades, some Souths will finesse, immediately losing one heart and three club tricks. Unlucky? Up to a point. A better plan is for declarer to put up dummy’s ace and plan the play to keep East off lead for the potentially fatal club shift through declarer’s king. The correct line for declarer is to cash the top diamonds at once, then go back to dummy with a trump and lead the diamond jack. South’s intention is to ruff if East produces the queen, or if he does not, to discard his remaining heart.

 

As the cards lie, West wins this trick and can do no better than lead his last diamond. East ruffs and South overruffs. South leads a low trump to dummy and advances the heart queen. Again, the intention is to ruff if East covers, or to discard if he does not. In either case, declarer establishes a 10th trick, since dummy has another trump for the final re-entry to the board to play off the heart jack and pitch another club.

ANSWER: Your choice is to raise what is known to be a five-card suit to two spades (partner would make a negative double with only four spades) or bid one no-trump to protect the heart tenace. I prefer to raise spades. You have such pronounced weaknesses in both minors that I would not risk playing no-trump unless partner suggests it.

BID WITH THE ACES

South Holds:

♠ A J 8
♥ A Q J
♦ J 10 7 5
♣ 9 7 4

 

South West North East
Pass 1♣ Pass 1♥
Pass 1 NT Dbl. 2♥
?      
       

 

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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].

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