December 3rd, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, November 19, 2009 
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A 9 2 |
| ♥ |
A |
| ♦ |
J 10 8 5 |
| ♣ |
A Q J 10 3 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
4 |
♠ |
J 10 8 6 |
| ♥ |
10 9 8 4 |
♥ |
K Q 6 5 3 |
| ♦ |
K 7 3 2 |
♦ |
Q 6 4 |
| ♣ |
9 8 7 2 |
♣ |
4 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K Q 7 5 3 |
| ♥ |
J 7 2 |
| ♦ |
A 9 |
| ♣ |
K 6 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
1♥ |
| 1♠ |
3♥ |
4♠ |
Pass |
| 4 NT |
Pass |
5♣* |
Pass |
| 6♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
Opening Lead:♥10
“Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make.”
— Donald Trump
West leads the heart 10 to dummy’s ace against your spade slam. What is your plan?
The first move is to count your winners. If trumps are 3-2, you can make all of the tricks — five trumps, a heart, a heart ruff, the diamond ace and five clubs. However, there is a good chance that West’s pre-emptive raise to three hearts is based on a spade shortage. Suppose that the trumps are indeed 4-1.
If so, you now have a trump loser, but all that does is reduce your 13 tricks to 12 — provided you are careful. Your plan should be to lose a trump trick at a convenient moment. In fact, the only way to make the slam on this layout is to find the somewhat unnatural move of ducking a round of trumps at trick two. Imagine that East wins and switches to his singleton club. You win with the king, ruff a heart with the trump nine, and cash the trump ace. You can then return to your hand with the diamond ace to draw the remaining trumps. You have made six tricks already (three trumps, a heart, a heart ruff and a club), and there are six more waiting to be cashed — a trump, a diamond and four clubs.
Were you lucky or unlucky? You did run into bad breaks admittedly, but in context you were lucky because any nonheart lead from West sets the slam.
ANSWER: In situations of this sort, it is a mistake to act just because you have high cards. Doubling would be highly premature, and reraising spades with such a balanced hand is equally inappropriate. You would want to rebid spades only with a sixth trump, or with extra shape in the side-suits. So pass and leave it to partner to bid again with extra trump length.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K Q 7 5 3 |
| ♥ |
J 7 2 |
| ♦ |
A 9 |
| ♣ |
K 6 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♣ |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
2♠ |
3♣ |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
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].
December 2nd, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
| Dealer: West
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
Q 8 5 |
| ♥ |
7 4 |
| ♦ |
10 6 3 |
| ♣ |
A 6 5 4 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K J 4 2 |
♠ |
A 6 3 |
| ♥ |
8 6 3 |
♥ |
5 2 |
| ♦ |
J 9 8 7 |
♦ |
A 5 4 |
| ♣ |
8 3 |
♣ |
K Q J 10 7 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
10 9 7 |
| ♥ |
A K Q J 10 9 |
| ♦ |
K Q 2 |
| ♣ |
9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
1♣ |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
| 4♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♣8
“Although I enter not,
Yet round about the spot
Ofttimes I hover.”
— William Makepeace Thackeray
Ely Culbertson may not have been credited sufficiently for his skills as a card-player, as opposed to self-publicist.
He supposedly sat West, defending to four hearts in this deal after South’s strong jump overcall. Culbertson led the club eight taken by dummy’s ace. Declarer played a low diamond from dummy, his king scoring the trick. After drawing trumps, South led the spade 10. West rose with the king to play a second club, ruffed by South. Next came the spade seven.
The critical idea behind the deal was that if West had played low, dummy’s eight would have forced East’s ace. Now declarer could get to dummy to lead a second diamond toward his queen for the 10th trick.
Accordingly, on this layout West has to play to block the North-South spades. When declarer plays a second round of spades, West’s action depends on the spot card played. If it is the seven, he must insert the jack, as indeed Culbertson did at the table. East took dummy’s queen with his ace, and now declarer was locked in hand after ruffing the club return and had to surrender two diamonds. If South had advanced the spade nine, Culbertson would have had to follow with a low card, and so would East — not an easy play to find.
(After all, if declarer had a small diamond instead of the spade seven, ducking the second spade would have let through the contract.)
ANSWER: Your partner’s cuebid shows a very good hand, and in context you are not completely broke — far too good to sign off in three clubs. My instincts would be to temporize with two spades, suggesting this sort of spade holding. With four spades, you might well have bid the suit at your first turn.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 8 5 |
| ♥ |
7 4 |
| ♦ |
10 6 3 |
| ♣ |
A 6 5 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
Dbl. |
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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
December 1st, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K J 10 8 7 5 |
| ♥ |
8 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 8 |
| ♣ |
K 4 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
3 2 |
♠ |
A Q 6 |
| ♥ |
10 6 2 |
♥ |
J 9 7 5 |
| ♦ |
9 3 2 |
♦ |
A Q 5 |
| ♣ |
Q J 9 8 7 |
♣ |
10 3 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
9 4 |
| ♥ |
A K Q 3 |
| ♦ |
K 7 6 4 |
| ♣ |
A 6 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
4♥* |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| *Texas transfer to spades |
Opening Lead:♣Q
“To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to be ever a child. For what is man’s lifetime unless the memory of past events is woven with those of earlier times?”
— Cicero
Nowadays excellent Daily Bulletins are produced at North American national tournaments. Typically these are edited by Brent Manley and Paul Linxwiler, and they generally include a roundup of past events held in the tournament city.
Today’s deal comes from the 1977 contest in Chicago, where West led the club queen against four spades. Declarer won in hand, took stock, and saw four possible losers, two in each of the pointed suits. One of dummy’s diamonds could depart on South’s third heart honor, so a good diamond guess would be needed should there prove to be two trump losers.
But before he had to concern himself about guessing the diamonds, South started by advancing the spade nine. Mike Passell sat East and knew that South had all the unseen points, barring the club jack. His spades were well-placed, but the diamond position could hardly have been worse from a defensive point of view.
Subterfuge was needed. He captured the spade nine with the ace, then played the ace and five of diamonds. With a parking place readily available for dummy’s third diamond, an unsuspecting South played the diamond king, and rather than risk a possible heart ruff, delayed the diamond discard until he had taken the “safe” spade finesse.
Passell pounced with his spade queen, cashed the diamond queen, and yet another seemingly impregnable contract had been sunk.
ANSWER: This auction suggests good diamonds, but it is not clear whether your partner wants to play spades or diamonds, or is probing for no-trump and looking for heart values from you. Regardless, you have the perfect hand to raise to four diamonds. Let him tell you what his intentions are.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K J 10 8 7 5 |
| ♥ |
8 4 |
| ♦ |
J 10 8 |
| ♣ |
K 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 2♠ |
Pass |
2 NT |
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].
November 30th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, November 16, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
10 3 |
| ♥ |
A 5 |
| ♦ |
A J 9 7 |
| ♣ |
K 6 4 3 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K 7 6 |
♠ |
Q 8 4 2 |
| ♥ |
K J 9 4 3 |
♥ |
8 6 2 |
| ♦ |
K |
♦ |
10 8 6 5 4 |
| ♣ |
Q J 10 5 |
♣ |
9 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A J 9 5 |
| ♥ |
Q 10 7 |
| ♦ |
Q 3 2 |
| ♣ |
A 8 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT* |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥4
“Nevermore let the great interests of the State depend upon the thousand chances that may sway a piece of human frailty.”
— Sir Thomas Talfourd
At bridge, “timing” refers to the order in which key plays are made. Good timing often lets you take advantage of as many chances as possible. In today’s deal, cover up the East and West hands and plan your play in three no-trump.
West leads the heart four, you play low from dummy, East plays the two (suggesting a three-card holding), and you win with the seven. Your most likely nine tricks look to be four clubs, two hearts, one spade and two diamonds. However, since spades offer some prospects too, do not put all your eggs in one basket.
You cannot afford to give up the lead twice or you will lose those two tricks plus three hearts. Therefore, you definitely need the diamond finesse and should make that play first.
When West follows with what is presumably a singleton king, you have three diamond tricks in the bag. If clubs break 3-2, there is no problem, but if they are 4-1, you will need to turn your attention to spades.
Accordingly, after taking the diamond ace, you should play the ace and king of clubs. If both opponents follow, you concede a club and claim 10 tricks, but if someone shows out, change tack and run dummy’s spade 10. West can win with the king and clear the hearts. But now you test diamonds, then take a second spade finesse for your contract, making two spades, two hearts, three diamonds and two clubs.
ANSWER: The deal comes from Krzysztof Martens’ “University of Defence: Opening Leads.” Martens says that a diamond lead is relatively unlikely to strike gold, so you should pick a major. But if partner knew a spade lead would beat the game, he might have doubled to get you to lead your shorter major. That being so, a heart lead looks like the better choice.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 5 |
| ♥ |
J 9 7 3 |
| ♦ |
8 7 5 4 3 2 |
| ♣ |
9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1 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].
November 29th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, November 15, 2009
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
What do I need to know about percentages to improve my game?
— Innumerate, Seattle, Wash.
ANSWER: There are simple books on the subject (Kelsey and Glauert wrote one) and complex ones by Borel and Roudinesco. Ignore them! If you remember a few basic numbers, you will be fine. Learn the probability of normal splits missing three, four, five or six cards, and you really don’t need much else.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner recently recommended a bid to me called BROMAD. Is this a patent medicine, a piece of soothing advice, or a convention I need to know?
— Pharmacist, Durham, N.C.
ANSWER: BROMAD (Bergen Raise Of Major After Double) suggests that when partner opens a major and the next hand doubles, then a simple raise to two will never be stronger than 7 HCP. A jump raise is weaker still, but with 8-10 and three trumps you begin by bidding two clubs — a purely artificial call to show these values with trump support. More and more people play this style — or something similar.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
In a duplicate pairs game I was second to speak with ♠ Q-10-2, ♥ J, ♦ K-10-5-3, ♣ A-Q-8-3-2 and passed when I heard one spade on my right. This was raised to two spades, and now I balanced with two no-trump. My partner explained this as hearts and a minor! What should I do when he bids three hearts, and this gets doubled?
— Sinking Ship, Portland, Ore.
|
|
ANSWER: The ethical player asks himself what he would have done if his partner had explained the bid as clubs and diamonds — may have no hearts. I think you will see there is no option but to pass, expecting to find partner with seven hearts or so. That being the case, ignore the unauthorized information partner has given you, pass, accept your bottom, and move on to the next deal with head held high.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
When a deal is passed out on the first round of a duplicate tournament, my club allows the hand to be redealt. Is this legal?
— Mulligan, Atlantic City, N.J.
ANSWER: No, it is not legal. I can see the argument that implies the customer will have one less deal to play, but that is not the point. Say I had mistakenly passed a 13-count; should I not suffer for my incompetence or benefit from my opponent’s lapse? And since a few people open third in hand whatever they have, rest assured the deal will not always be passed out.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I picked up ♠ Q-2, ♥ K-J-7-6, ♦ Q-8-3, ♣ A-Q-4-2. I opened one club, and over my LHO’s overcall of one diamond, my partner doubled to show both majors. I bid one heart and eventually played in two hearts. My partner had 10 points, so game our way was nothing special, but it made when a finesse succeeded. My partner said I had enough to bid two hearts at my second turn. Is that right?
— Monday Morning QB, Huntington, W.Va.
ANSWER: If the worst thing you do all day is miss a game on a finesse, you will never lose again! That said, this is a thorny area of the game. A jump to two hearts suggests extras in high cards or shape, so I too would bid just one heart with this hand, but it IS close. Give me a fifth club or make the shape 1-4-4-4 and you’d tip me toward the aggressive action. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
November 28th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, November 14, 2009
| Dealer: West
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
6 4 2 |
| ♥ |
8 6 4 |
| ♦ |
8 6 4 2 |
| ♣ |
A 9 4 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
10 9 3 |
♠ |
7 5 |
| ♥ |
A K J 10 5 3 |
♥ |
Q 7 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 |
♦ |
J 9 7 5 3 |
| ♣ |
K 7 |
♣ |
J 10 6 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K Q J 8 |
| ♥ |
9 2 |
| ♦ |
A K |
| ♣ |
Q 8 5 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
| Dbl. |
2♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
| 3♠ |
Pass |
4♠ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥K
“What passes for optimism is most often the effect of an intellectual error.”
— Raymond Aron
Against your optimistic contract of four spades, West begins with three top hearts. East produces the queen on the second round and discards a small diamond on the third round as you ruff with the spade eight. Trumps are 3-2, with West having three. As West is certain to hold the club king, given East’s initial pass, is there any way to make your game?
It will do no good to play ace and another club, ducking in the South hand. Even if West has the doubleton club king, you will lose the fourth round of the suit.
You need to try something else. The only way to make the contract is to lead a low club from the South hand, finessing dummy’s nine when West produces the seven. East wins with the club jack or 10, but after dummy’s ace drops the king from West, you can then finesse the club eight on the third round, making the contract.
Beware! If West is good enough to play the club king from his doubleton on the first round, you will have to win with dummy’s ace and lead low to the club eight on the second round. This wins against West’s original holding of king-doubleton so long as West has a small card with his king. Yes, it loses to West’s K-10 or K-J, but if West has been brilliant enough to find the play of the king from either of those holdings, he deserves the fruits of such deceptive play.
ANSWER: Your partner’s auction focuses on whether you can raise clubs, or can stop diamonds for no-trump, or if you have a suit so good you can rebid it again. Here your club support is entirely adequate to give preference to three clubs. If your partner has delayed heart support, he will show it next. If instead he probes for no-trump by bidding the fourth suit, you can co-operate by showing your half-stop next.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 9 3 |
| ♥ |
A K J 10 5 3 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 |
| ♣ |
K 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
November 27th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, November 13, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
8 |
| ♥ |
7 5 3 |
| ♦ |
A 10 8 5 |
| ♣ |
A K Q J 10 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K Q 10 7 6 |
♠ |
J 5 4 2 |
| ♥ |
A J 10 9 4 |
♥ |
Q 6 2 |
| ♦ |
— |
♦ |
J 9 6 2 |
| ♣ |
8 6 3 |
♣ |
7 5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 9 3 |
| ♥ |
K 8 |
| ♦ |
K Q 7 4 3 |
| ♣ |
9 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♦ |
2♦* |
3♠** |
4♠ |
| Pass |
Pass |
5♣ |
Pass |
| 6♦ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| *Majors |
| **Singleton spade and diamond support |
Opening Lead:♠K
“Do your duty and a little more, and the future will take care of itself.”
— Andrew Carnegie
You bid aggressively to the excellent six diamonds and receive a top-spade lead. Plan the play.
You expect to make five clubs, five trumps, the spade ace and a spade ruff. The only worry is that East may hold four diamonds. As you expect West to hold the heart ace, and entries to your hand are few and far between, a little care is needed with today’s layout.
A careless declarer would cash the diamond king at trick two and be doomed at once. A slightly more careful declarer would take the diamond ace at trick two and then lead the diamond eight. A mean East would resist covering that card. Now you cannot arrange to draw trumps and also ruff a spade in dummy, so the contract can no longer be made.
Instead, after taking the spade king with the ace, the key play is to ruff a spade at trick two with the trump 10 (or, if you prefer, the eight) and not with dummy’s small trump. Then, on cashing the ace of trumps and finding the bad news, you must continue with the diamond eight. This time East can do no better than cover. You will take this in hand with the queen, cross back to dummy with a club, and pick up East’s remaining trumps via the diamond finesse. Then, after drawing the last trump, you will have your 12 tricks.
ANSWER: While there might be a case for bidding only two no-trump, partner’s pass over the double suggests a balanced hand. Your crisp honor-structure indicates that you should have a decent chance at nine tricks, and you want to protect your heart holding. So it looks logical just to bid three no-trump and take the pressure off partner.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A 9 3 |
| ♥ |
K 8 |
| ♦ |
K Q 7 4 3 |
| ♣ |
9 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
Pass |
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1♦ |
Dbl. |
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].
November 26th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, November 12, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A 9 8 7 6 |
| ♥ |
8 5 |
| ♦ |
A 6 |
| ♣ |
10 8 6 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K J 10 2 |
♠ |
Q 5 3 |
| ♥ |
6 4 3 |
♥ |
A 2 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 8 4 3 |
♦ |
J 9 7 5 |
| ♣ |
2 |
♣ |
Q J 9 7 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
4 |
| ♥ |
K Q J 10 9 7 |
| ♦ |
K 2 |
| ♣ |
A K 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
Pass |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♥ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♣2
“We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte
When this deal came up at the Dyspeptics Club, South very reasonably decided that there was no point in introducing his club suit opposite a passed hand. He just described the main features of his hand with a jump to three hearts, and his partner raised to four.
West led the club two to East’s seven and declarer’s ace. Can you see any likely traps when the trump queen is taken by East’s ace?
After winning the ace of trumps, East continued deviously with the club jack. Declarer, who could not envisage such deception, played his club king before the rats got at it. Alas for him, West ruffed in and there was now no way of avoiding two subsequent losers in the club suit.
I hope that if you had been in declarer’s shoes, you would have seen far enough ahead to sidestep this little trap. All that declarer needed to do was count his tricks — he could afford to lose two clubs, but not three. He should have played the club four under the jack. East would then have the club Q-9 left, and if he continued with the nine, declarer could play low from his hand, and West would be ruffing a loser. Declarer would then lose just two trumps and one club.
Suppose instead that East continued with the club queen. Declarer would cover with the king, and West would then be welcome to ruff. Dummy’s club 10 would be good for a trick on the fourth round.
ANSWER: North’s auction thus far suggests about a 17-count, since if he had any less he would surely have passed your weak-sounding bid. You have plenty in hand to raise two no-trump to three, and no reason to think that any contract other than no-trump will play any better.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A 9 8 7 6 |
| ♥ |
8 5 |
| ♦ |
A 6 |
| ♣ |
10 8 6 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♥ |
Pass |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
2 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
November 25th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
| Dealer: West
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
5 |
| ♥ |
A J 4 |
| ♦ |
A 9 3 |
| ♣ |
A 8 7 6 4 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q J 10 7 6 2 |
♠ |
9 8 4 |
| ♥ |
10 3 |
♥ |
K Q 9 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 2 |
♦ |
K J 10 7 |
| ♣ |
J 9 5 |
♣ |
Q 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 3 |
| ♥ |
8 7 6 2 |
| ♦ |
8 6 5 4 |
| ♣ |
K 10 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
2♠ |
3♣ |
Pass |
| 3 NT |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♠Q
“The best plan is, as the common proverb has it, to profit by the folly of others.”
— Pliny
The book “Planning the Play in No-trump” contains much challenging and thought-provoking material. It is from the Bridge Technique Series published by Master Point Press and, like all the others in this series, is written by David Bird and Marc Smith.
Today’s hand illustrates a failing that most of us must have been guilty of at some time or other — assuming that the opponents will unthinkingly continue the attack on their originally led suit at their next opportunity.
Against three no-trump West led the spade seven, and declarer took East’s four with the ace. The clubs had to break 3-2 for the game to make, so declarer led the club king, then the 10 to the ace, and a third club to West’s jack. At this point South was expecting to come to five club tricks, two red aces and two spades.
Alas for declarer, West had also been thinking and was aware that South held the spade king because East had played a discouraging spot-card at trick one. Therefore, he shifted to the heart 10, and the defense continued to play red suits at every opportunity. Consequently, declarer ended one down, the spade king languishing forlornly in his hand.
Had declarer led the club 10 at trick two and ducked, giving up the club trick that had to be lost sooner rather than later, the club king would have remained as an entry to the otherwise orphaned spade king, and nine tricks would have been there for the taking.
ANSWER: In this sequence, a call of three hearts suggests values there and is looking for game in hearts, diamonds, or no-trump, depending on what you can produce. With all your points in the black suits, there is little reason to look beyond three no-trump. You may not make it, but if you cannot, you do not rate to make any other game either.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K 3 |
| ♥ |
8 7 6 2 |
| ♦ |
8 6 5 4 |
| ♣ |
K 10 |
| 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].
November 24th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A J 8 |
| ♥ |
4 3 |
| ♦ |
A K Q 4 3 |
| ♣ |
A 7 6 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
6 5 3 2 |
♠ |
7 4 |
| ♥ |
J 10 9 2 |
♥ |
Q 8 7 |
| ♦ |
J 5 |
♦ |
10 9 8 6 |
| ♣ |
K J 9 |
♣ |
10 5 3 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K Q 10 9 |
| ♥ |
A K 6 5 |
| ♦ |
7 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 8 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
3♠ |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
Pass |
6♠ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥J
“Tricks and treachery are merely proofs of lack of skill.”
— Francois de la Rochefoucauld
The probably apocryphal story associated with today’s deal is that the joker who held the South cards put the club eight into the spades before passing the hand on to the next player to hold them.
The second South, whose eyesight was not the greatest, did not notice, bidding six spades via the auction shown. Only when dummy came down did he spot his error because of the duplicated eights. Still, six spades, in the 4-3 trump fit, was by no means a hopeless contract. After West leads the heart jack against the slam, how you would play the contract?
Declarer won the opening lead in hand and weighed the options. Others might have attempted to ruff two hearts in dummy, then discovered that there was no convenient route back to hand to draw the rest of the trumps. Leading a club to the queen also fails, since West holds the king.
What declarer did worked far better: at trick two he ducked a diamond from both hands, catering for that suit breaking no worse than 4-2.
East won and returned a trump, but South took this in hand, and played king and another heart, which he ruffed with the spade ace. He then overtook the spade jack to draw the rest of the trumps. Now dummy’s four diamonds tricks allowed him to discard his losing heart and his two small clubs. He took four spades, three hearts, four diamonds and one club trick.
ANSWER: Now is not the moment to worry about going for a penalty. Your objective is to make the opponents guess at an uncomfortable level what they should do, before they have had a chance to exchange information. You must jump to four hearts (no pussyfooting around with a pass or a raise to three hearts!) and let them sort out what to do from there.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
6 5 3 2 |
| ♥ |
J 10 9 2 |
| ♦ |
J 5 |
| ♣ |
K J 9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
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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