January 14th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, December 31, 2009 
| Dealer: North
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A K J 6 |
| ♥ |
10 |
| ♦ |
10 8 3 |
| ♣ |
10 9 5 4 2 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
9 |
♠ |
Q 8 |
| ♥ |
K Q J 4 3 2 |
♥ |
A 9 8 7 6 5 |
| ♦ |
K 6 5 4 2 |
♦ |
9 7 |
| ♣ |
3 |
♣ |
Q 7 6 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
10 7 5 4 3 2 |
| ♥ |
— |
| ♦ |
A Q J |
| ♣ |
A K J 8 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
Pass |
Pass |
| 1♠ |
3♥ |
4♠ |
5♥ |
| 6♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥K
“I do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won’t amount to anything.”
— Abraham Lincoln
For the last day of the year, here is one more deal from “My Favorite 52” by Larry Cohen, published by Master Point Press.
This one is called “Taking No Chances” and Cohen puts you in his seat as South. Focus on just those 13 cards for the time being. In third seat you open one spade, and the next hand pre-empts to three hearts. Partner bids four spades, RHO bids five hearts, and you …? Cohen suggests bidding six spades; the one thing you can be sure of if partner jumps to game facing a passed hand is that you will buy good trumps. And that is really almost all you need.
In six spades the defenders lead a top heart. You ruff, and draw one round of trump, happy to see both defenders follow. Plan the play now.
The correct answer is to draw a second round of trump, cross to your club ace, go back to dummy in trumps, and lead a second club. When East follows suit, what should you do?
The right answer is to finesse, breaking the rule of “Eight ever nine never.” This finesse is a safety play. Either West has no more clubs left, or he has just the bare queen. If the former, your finesse wins; if the latter, West must either return a diamond into your tenace, whereupon South’s third diamond goes on the long club, or give you a ruff and sluff, producing the same result.
ANSWER: When your partner bids on in a sequence of this sort, he is not scrambling for a better fit, but suggesting game-interest, since you have shown a club fit with values. However, in this sequence the fact that he has hearts or heart values makes your hand worse, not better. So sign off in four clubs — your partner will have to bid game on his own if it is going to make.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A K J 6 |
| ♥ |
10 |
| ♦ |
10 8 3 |
| ♣ |
10 9 5 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1♠ |
2♦ |
Pass |
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].
January 13th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, December 30, 2009
| Dealer: West
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A Q 4 2 |
| ♥ |
7 5 4 |
| ♦ |
K 8 7 5 |
| ♣ |
K 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 8 |
♠ |
K 10 9 7 5 |
| ♥ |
A Q J 9 6 2 |
♥ |
3 |
| ♦ |
9 6 |
♦ |
J 3 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 6 |
♣ |
J 9 8 7 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
6 3 |
| ♥ |
K 10 8 |
| ♦ |
A Q 10 4 |
| ♣ |
A 5 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
2♥* |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 3 NT |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥Q
“Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you …”
— Franz Kafka
When a contract appears to depend solely on a finesse, a sound principle states that you should postpone taking that finesse for as long as possible.
Consider today’s deal. With no chance for declarer to develop any tricks in the majors, the three no-trump contract seems to hinge on the spade finesse, but declarer gave himself an extra chance.
West was playing the two-heart call to be close to an opening bid, and he was known to have a six-card suit. Accordingly, declarer won the opening lead of the heart king and decided that the spade finesse could wait. Instead, he immediately advanced a deceptive club five and was charmed to see West follow instinctively with the six. South ducked in the dummy, and now East had to win the trick with the seven. Remarkably, the defenders had missed their last chance to beat the contract.
Declarer won the club return, played four rounds of diamonds ending in hand, and exited with the ace and another club. East had to win and play a spade into dummy’s ace-queen, and that was nine tricks for declarer.
The misdefense was all West’s fault, though I do have some sympathy for him. He should have put in the club 10 when declarer played toward dummy’s king. Then declarer would not have been able to duck a club without letting West on lead to cash all his hearts.
But note that declarer’s play cost nothing. If the club play had not worked, he could always have taken the spade finesse later.
ANSWER: In a contested auction it is acceptable but not mandatory to compete to the two-level after doubling, despite holding a minimum, if you have a fit. However, your diamonds are unremarkable and you are suitable for defense. I’d be inclined to pass and let partner reopen. If you believe takeout doubles always deliver values and suitable shape, then it is up to the responder to take the push here.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q 4 2 |
| ♥ |
7 5 4 |
| ♦ |
K 8 7 5 |
| ♣ |
K 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♣ |
| Dbl. |
Pass |
1♦ |
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].
January 12th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, December 29, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A J 6 |
| ♥ |
K 10 3 |
| ♦ |
A K 7 5 3 |
| ♣ |
A 8 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K 5 3 |
♠ |
Q 10 8 4 |
| ♥ |
Q J 9 8 |
♥ |
7 4 2 |
| ♦ |
Q J 9 4 |
♦ |
10 6 |
| ♣ |
10 2 |
♣ |
K 6 5 4 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
9 7 2 |
| ♥ |
A 6 5 |
| ♦ |
8 2 |
| ♣ |
Q J 9 7 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♦ |
Pass |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥Q
“I also say it is good to fall; battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.”
— Walt Whitman
Today’s deal shows an example of long-term strategy overriding the tactical necessities of a single trick. Sometimes declarer will need to compare strategies in a position where he is the heavy favorite to succeed. But in a deal like today’s, declarer needs instead to find a lie of the cards that will allow him make his game.
When West leads the heart queen against three no-trump, South must count his sure winners carefully. If declarer wins his heart ace, he has a choice of playing on clubs or hearts. As the cards lie, the heart play might work better — but even so, if South collects three heart tricks and two top black-suit winners, he still needs to establish four diamond tricks. Only a 3-3 break will allow him to do that, a line of play that has a one-third chance. Today, so long as the opponents defend competently, they will surely set declarer if he follows that line.
By contrast, if declarer can set up clubs for four tricks, he needs only two heart winners. To succeed, South must take the heart king at trick one, preserving his entry back to hand, and lead the club ace from dummy. He then makes the percentage play in clubs of coming back to his queen. That line succeeds whenclubs are 3-3 and also when the club 10 falls in two rounds — a combined chance somewhat better than 50 percent.
South’s carefully preserved heart entry means that declarer can eventually cross back to hand and cash out the clubs.
ANSWER: Your choice is a simple call of two diamonds, which shows a good hand and a decent suit, but tends to suggest a less balanced hand, or the value bid of two no-trump. That shows 18-20 with spades stopped and is the most accurate way to try for game without going overboard facing a very poor hand. If you had held 15-17, you would have bid one no-trump directly; with fewer points you would pass two clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A J 6 |
| ♥ |
K 10 3 |
| ♦ |
A K 7 5 3 |
| ♣ |
A 8 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♠ |
| Dbl. |
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].
January 11th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, December 28, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K 9 8 7 |
| ♥ |
9 4 |
| ♦ |
A Q 10 2 |
| ♣ |
6 5 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
2 |
♠ |
A 6 5 3 |
| ♥ |
Q 7 6 5 |
♥ |
10 8 3 2 |
| ♦ |
J 8 5 4 |
♦ |
3 |
| ♣ |
A K Q 10 |
♣ |
9 8 7 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
Q J 10 4 |
| ♥ |
A K J |
| ♦ |
K 9 7 6 |
| ♣ |
J 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♠ |
Pass |
4♠ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♣K
“Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.”
— Walter D. Wintle
Today’s deal is all about instant gratification and the need to refrain from taking your tricks prematurely. Contrast what might happen at two different tables. At one, East is a grabber; at the other, East has learned that everything comes to him who waits.
Look first at the bidding, where North and South have adequate high cards to bid game. A major-suit game with a 4-4 fit is usually safer than three no-trump. When North finds the spade fit, he has enough values in his long suits to drive to game, not just to invite game.
Against four spades the best defense is for West to lead a top club and continue clubs for a second and third round. Imagine declarer ruffs that and advances the spade queen. East takes that and exits optimistically with a heart. Declarer wins and draws trumps, then tests the hearts and determines that West, if anyone, must be the player with long diamonds. So he cashes dummy’s ace, leads to his king, takes the diamond finesse, and claims his contract.
At the other table, when declarer leads trumps, East withheld his spade ace for the first two rounds, thus insuring the defeat of the contract. If declarer now leads diamonds before drawing all the trumps, East can ruff in. But if declarer draws a third round of trumps, East wins and leads his fourth club. This forces dummy to ruff, leaving East with the master trump.
ANSWER: The form of scoring will affect your opening lead. At both rubber and team scoring, a case can be made for a heart lead. That suit is the one where you need least from partner to set the game. Conversely, at pairs scoring, you would perhaps lead a club. Both the two and six are acceptable choices, but the spade eight is the lead least likely to cost a trick.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
8 7 2 |
| ♥ |
A 6 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 2 |
| ♣ |
9 6 3 2 |
| 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].
January 10th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, December 27, 2009
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
Will the major World Championships ever come back to the United States? It seems a while since we had one in North America.
— America First, Detroit, Mich.
ANSWER: Do not forget that Montreal hosted a major event in 2002. And in October 2010, Philadelphia will play host to the World Championships. More details soon, but the ACBL website at acbl.org will tell you all you need to know.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner told me that it was normal practice to double a loose club with a hand like ♠ A-Q-3, ♥ A-10-8-3, ♦ 7-3, ♣ A-10-3-2. He indicated that the likelihood of partner responding in a major suit was high enough that one should risk the occasional embarrassment from a diamond contract to ensure that you got into the auction.
— Purist, Union City, Tenn.
ANSWER: I agree with your partner. The Italians always doubled first and asked questions later, not requiring perfect shape, especially doubles of loose opening bids. I’m not averse to overcalling in four-card suits with enough high cards if the suit itself is good. Here that would be impractical — the double would be my best guess at a way to avoid being shut out.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner, who held ♠ 9-8-7-5, ♥ A-Q-10-8-7, ♦ K-Q, ♣ Q-7, opened one heart. I held 12 points with three hearts and four very small clubs. What is the right way to show my hand and how should our bidding go?
— Stumped, North Little Rock, Ark.
ANSWER: In mainstream Standard American an initial response of two no-trump shows either a balanced game-force, or a good hand with trump support (at least four). You could bid two no-trump here if you play the former way. If not, you can either respond two clubs (planning to jump to four hearts to show a minimum) or you can underbid slightly by responding one no-trump, following up with a call of three hearts or four hearts. The former is invitational; the latter suggests 12-14 and three trumps. |
|
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I was taught that to respond to my partner, I need at least six points at the one-level and 10-plus at the two-level. My response of one heart to my partner’s opening promises only four cards, but my subsequent rebid of two hearts would guarantee six hearts. My partner says if he has 6-9 points, he must rebid his suit, however weak, to show five. Who is right?
— Over the Rainbow, Laredo, Texas
ANSWER: You are right and your partner is wrong. The point is that at his second turn opener will always raise partner with four, but will also often raise with three and an unbalanced or semibalanced hand. Therefore, if he does not receive a raise, responder will go out of his way NEVER to repeat a five-card suit unless it is so good it looks like six. As responder, support partner or bid no-trump, or pass his minimum action if you have five in your original suit and 6-9 points.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You open one club with ♠ A-J-8-3, ♥ K-7-3, ♦ Q-J-3, ♣ K-10-3. Your partner responds one heart. Should you introduce the spades, raise hearts, or bid no-trump?
— Patterned Out, Mitchell, S.D.
ANSWER: While it is acceptable to raise partner with three trumps, one should not do so with completely balanced hands of this sort. So the choice is to bid one no-trump (which would be my preference because this hand has a proper stopper in each minor) or to bid one spade. I’d prefer to have at least four clubs for the latter action — and even then, I might rebid one no-trump if my diamond stopper was solid. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
January 9th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, December 26, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A K 9 8 3 |
| ♥ |
Q 8 |
| ♦ |
8 6 2 |
| ♣ |
A K Q |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q 4 |
♠ |
J 7 5 |
| ♥ |
A 9 7 6 2 |
♥ |
J 10 3 |
| ♦ |
J 10 |
♦ |
K Q 5 |
| ♣ |
9 6 4 3 |
♣ |
10 8 5 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
10 6 2 |
| ♥ |
K 5 4 |
| ♦ |
A 9 7 4 3 |
| ♣ |
J 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♠ |
Pass |
| 2♠ |
Pass |
3♣ |
Pass |
| 3 NT |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♥6
“When there is no peril in the fight, there is no glory in the triumph.”
— Pierre Corneilless
Applying the Rule of 11 brought defensive success to Bruce Ferguson, East, in this deal from a long-ago North American Nationals in Chicago. But it also needed the cooperation of Brenda Keller, his partner, to defeat the game.
The Rule of 11 states: Subtract the value of the card led from 11 to give the number of higher cards not held by the opening leader. Seeing four hearts higher than the six, Ferguson calculated that South held just one card higher than the six. But he also knew that this rule could be applied by declarer. If Ferguson followed with his three, then, when he gained the lead to play the heart jack, South could cover that card with the king, which would result in the hearts being blocked. Accordingly, Ferguson unblocked the heart jack under dummy’s queen.
South continued with the spade king, and now Keller did her part by getting rid of her queen. If South held the spade jack, she knew her queen would drop, but if partner held that card, she needed to clear her queen out of harm’s way so that East would be able to win the third round of spades and play hearts through.
This precaution turned out to be necessary, as now declarer could not set up either spades or diamonds without letting East on lead to take his side’s heart tricks and defeat the contract.
ANSWER: A coward would say, “I have only eight points” and bid three hearts. The average player correctly commits to game because of his fit for diamonds, knowing partner has length in that suit and needs help. The expert bids four diamonds — just in case partner was interested in slam and has four diamonds. That way he might get to the best slam — six diamonds — not six hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 6 2 |
| ♥ |
K 5 4 |
| ♦ |
A 9 7 4 3 |
| ♣ |
J 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♥ |
Pass |
| 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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
January 8th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, December 25, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
J 5 |
| ♥ |
A 4 |
| ♦ |
K Q J 7 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 7 4 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q 10 7 6 |
♠ |
9 4 3 2 |
| ♥ |
J 5 2 |
♥ |
K 8 |
| ♦ |
8 6 5 3 |
♦ |
10 9 2 |
| ♣ |
K 5 |
♣ |
J 8 6 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 8 |
| ♥ |
Q 10 9 7 6 3 |
| ♦ |
A 4 |
| ♣ |
A 9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
3♦ |
Pass |
| 4 NT* |
Pass |
6 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| *Quantitative; 17-18 with six hearts |
Opening Lead: Guess!
“Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
— The Book of Daniel 5:27
The opening lead can determine the success or failure of a contract. And sometimes, as in today’s deal from the 60th Lederer Memorial Trophy, declarer’s assessment of the opening leader’s capabilities played its part.
In action were the Hackett twins, Justin and Jason, playing against their English teammates, David Gold and Tom Townsend. Both pairs were part of the English team that won the silver medal in the World Championships in 2008.
No slam is especially good, since making 12 tricks requires the heart suit to play for just one loser — and the chance of that is only just over 50 percent. If there is only one heart loser, it appears that six no-trump will make as many tricks as six hearts, but that is not so. Consider declarer’s dilemma on a club lead. He has to guess correctly which club to play from dummy, or the defenders will take a club trick and a heart trick.
A glance at the West cards will indicate how unlikely an opening club lead might be, but David Gold found the fine opening lead of the club five — and Justin Hackett made the equally fine play of the club queen from dummy! Ace and another heart sorted out that suit, and 12 tricks were there.
When asked why he had played the club queen rather than the 10, Justin explained that top-class players are more likely to underlead a king than a jack.
ANSWER: Your first thought might be that game your way is a long way off and that you would rather defend, but in fact all your cards rate to be working on offense. Since a two-level overcall will deliver about an opening-strength hand — normally with six hearts — bid four hearts, planning to double four spades if the opponents continue. If partner bids five hearts in front of you, he may well be right to do so!
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 5 |
| ♥ |
A 4 |
| ♦ |
K Q J 7 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 7 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♠ |
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].
January 7th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, December 24, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A Q |
| ♥ |
9 8 7 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 6 3 2 |
| ♣ |
Q J 8 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
10 9 7 4 2 |
♠ |
K J 8 6 5 3 |
| ♥ |
Q 6 2 |
♥ |
J 10 3 |
| ♦ |
10 8 7 |
♦ |
A K 9 5 |
| ♣ |
9 7 |
♣ |
— |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
— |
| ♥ |
A K 4 |
| ♦ |
J 4 |
| ♣ |
A K 10 6 5 4 3 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
Pass |
1♠ |
| Dbl. |
2♠ |
3♥ |
3♠ |
| 5♣ |
Pass |
6♣ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♠10
“First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity: no really self-respecting woman would take advantage of it.”
— George Bernard Shaw
Should West have selected a suit other than a spade for his opening lead against six clubs? After all, his partner had bid and rebid spades, yet the opponents had still climbed to slam, so surely spades was the one suit declarer had covered in this deal from a recent U.S. Summer Nationals.
Luckily for declarer, West settled for the mundane spade lead, reasoning that partner might have doubled for an unusual lead if that were called for. South tried dummy’s queen — if by a miracle the spade king was onside, both of South’s losing diamonds could be shed. But East covered with the king, and after ruffing, declarer next led a club to the queen. On the spade ace, South correctly discarded, not a diamond, but the heart four.
At this point, the only chance for the contract was a 3-3 heart break. Since dummy’s only entries were in trumps, declarer delayed drawing a second round of clubs until the ace and king of hearts were cashed. Then after a trump to the jack came a heart ruff, East and West both obligingly following suit.
Dummy’s last entry, the club eight, was the access to the 13th heart for a diamond discard, and declarer could now claim his precarious slam.
One further thought: if East had doubled the slam, would West have worked out that he was expected to lead a diamond, not a heart? I think so; the argument might reasonably have been that if East had heart tricks, they could hardly get away.
ANSWER: The range for a nonforcing response of one no-trump to an overcall of one spade is 7-11. With a balanced 5-6 points, you can pass. (Game will not make if partner cannot start by doubling the opponents, then bidding a suit.) Equally, to jump to two no-trump requires a full opening bid, since an overcall could easily have fewer than 10 high-card points. So this hand is a normal maximum for a call of one no-trump.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q |
| ♥ |
9 8 7 5 |
| ♦ |
Q 6 3 2 |
| ♣ |
Q J 8 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
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 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
January 6th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, December 23, 2010
| Dealer: South
Vul: All |
North
♠ 8 4
♥ 10 8 7
♦ 10 9 7 2
♣ A 10 9 5 |
|
| West
♠ Q 10 9 7 3
♥ K 4 3
♦ K 5
♣ 7 4 3 |
|
East
♠ J 6 5
♥ Q 6 5 2
♦ 6 4 3
♣ K 8 6 |
| |
South
♠ A K 2
♥ A J 9
♦ A Q J 8
♣ Q J 2 |
|
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 2 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♠ 10
“But society has now fairly got the better of individuality; and the danger which threatens human nature is not the excess, but the deficiency, of personal impulses and preferences.”
— John Stuart Mill
Some deals that require nothing more subtle than basic technique nonetheless can be surprisingly difficult until you see the point.
In today’s deal from the Dyspeptics Club, South was at the helm in three no-trump. He started well when he ducked the opening spade lead and won the second. Then he took the club finesse, won the spade continuation, and ran off his club winners before taking the losing diamond finesse. Alas for him, West had two spades to cash — down one.
North snapped his pencil and muttered something uncharitable about bridge in the slow lane. Was he right to be upset?
I can understand his frustration, although I suspect I might have been sympathetic to an inexperienced partner who had made the same mistake. Nevertheless, South had a blind spot, the point being that he needed to establish both minors, but also had to keep the danger hand (West) off lead once spades had been established.
The right approach on winning the first top spade is to play the diamond ace followed by the diamond queen, not caring who takes the trick. As it happens, West wins the diamond king and plays a third spade to your ace. Now South can run the club queen; East can take his king when he likes, but cannot prevent declarer from scoring three clubs, three diamonds, two spades and one heart.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
8 4 |
| ♥ |
10 8 7 |
| ♦ |
10 9 7 2 |
| ♣ |
A 10 9 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
1♥ |
| Pass |
2♥ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 3♣ |
Pass |
3♦ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
ANSWER: When you passed initially and made a minimum raise of clubs at your second turn, you essentially denied holding more than about a six-count. Now that partner has made a try for game, you cannot treat your hand as a minimum anymore. In context, your values must be enough to give partner a play for game, so bid five clubs.
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].
January 6th, 2010 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, December 23, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
Q 8 4 |
| ♥ |
10 8 6 |
| ♦ |
8 5 2 |
| ♣ |
J 10 9 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 10 9 7 5 2 |
♠ |
6 3 |
| ♥ |
4 2 |
♥ |
9 5 |
| ♦ |
3 |
♦ |
K Q J 10 9 6 4 |
| ♣ |
K 6 4 2 |
♣ |
Q 5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K |
| ♥ |
A K Q J 7 3 |
| ♦ |
A 7 |
| ♣ |
A 8 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
Pass |
3♦ |
| 6♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♦3
“Nothing, I am sure, calls forth the faculties so much as the being obliged to struggle with the world.”
— Mary Wollstonecraft
When West leads his singleton diamond three against your heart slam, what is the best approach to making 12 tricks?
You win the diamond ace, and cash the trump ace, followed by the ace and king of spades. You now need to reach dummy twice to take two finesses in clubs. You could play for trumps to be 2-2, but this is not so likely after one opponent has pre-empted. So maybe finessing dummy’s trump eight might generate that extra entry? Alas, here East wins the trump nine and cashes a diamond for two down — how unlucky!
Better is to cash the spade ace-king at tricks two and three, then carefully lead the heart seven to dummy’s 10. Now you run the club jack to West. If he returns a spade, East may ruff, but you still succeed if he began life with the missing club queen (which you now know to be doubleton since East has shown two spades, two hearts and seven diamonds). You overruff with a top trump, draw the last trump, and lay down the club ace. When the club queen falls, you make two spades, six hearts, a diamond and three clubs.
If East cannot ruff the spade queen, you throw a diamond from hand. Then you repeat the club finesse, draw trumps, and claim 12 tricks.
If instead West returns a trump at trick six, you have a certain trump entry to dummy for the second club finesse and your contract.
ANSWER: Did you think about bidding five diamonds? You should not do so. You have already promised a seven-card suit and a weak hand — which you have — and should now leave any decision to your partner about whether to sacrifice. Once you make a pre-empt or a pre-emptive raise, you normally transfer captaincy to your partner. A raise by your partner does not invite you back to the party.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
6 3 |
| ♥ |
9 5 |
| ♦ |
K Q J 10 9 6 4 |
| ♣ |
Q 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 3♦ |
Dbl. |
4♦ |
4♠ |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
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].
|
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related