October 27th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 
| Dealer: West
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K J |
| ♥ |
7 5 3 2 |
| ♦ |
8 5 2 |
| ♣ |
10 9 3 2 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
10 9 |
♠ |
8 6 4 2 |
| ♥ |
A Q J 6 |
♥ |
10 9 |
| ♦ |
K 6 |
♦ |
10 9 7 3 |
| ♣ |
A Q J 6 4 |
♣ |
K 7 5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A Q 7 5 3 |
| ♥ |
K 8 4 |
| ♦ |
A Q J 4 |
| ♣ |
8 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♣ |
Pass |
Pass |
| Dbl. |
1♥ |
Pass |
2♣ |
| 2♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♠10
“Four things greater than all things are —
Women and Horses and Power and War.”
— Rudyard Kipling
Today’s deal comes from Ron Klinger’s latest book, “Right Through the Pack Again.” Each deal has an individual hero, but for the most part a playing card takes center stage. For example, here the diamond four is recounting his own story.
“How would you handle this declarer-play problem in two spades? With no attractive lead West had begun with the spade 10. Your average player might win in dummy and take the diamond finesse at trick two. The lure of a finesse is generally too much for most of us, but today it would spell defeat. When the diamonds do not break 3-3, declarer can make only five spades and two diamonds.
“The Old Master did not play like that, of course. The bidding indicated that diamonds were unlikely to be 3-3 and the diamond finesse was virtually certain to fail. With clubs headed by the ace-king, West would have started with a top club. West’s riskier spade lead therefore marked East with the club king. Since East had passed West’s opening bid, East could not have the diamond king as well as the club king. Hence, the diamond king was with West.
“The Old Master took the spade king, cashed the spade jack, crossed to the diamond ace and drew the missing trumps. ‘Then he played me,’ said the diamond four, ‘and when the king was forced to put in an appearance, the Old Master had made his contract.’”
ANSWER: Because of your crisp honor-structure, you are probably worth one more bid. (With the spade 10 you would certainly be worth action.) If so, the clearest way to get your hand across is to bid three hearts, which pinpoints your precise pattern and might get you to the right major-suit game, or indeed to three no-trump if that should be appropriate.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q 7 5 3 |
| ♥ |
K 8 4 |
| ♦ |
A Q J 4 |
| ♣ |
8 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
1 NT |
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].
October 26th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, October 12, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
Q 3 |
| ♥ |
K J 10 4 |
| ♦ |
7 4 3 |
| ♣ |
J 8 5 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
7 4 |
♠ |
K 5 2 |
| ♥ |
9 8 6 3 |
♥ |
A 7 5 |
| ♦ |
K Q 8 6 |
♦ |
J 10 9 5 |
| ♣ |
K 10 7 |
♣ |
Q 4 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A J 10 9 8 6 |
| ♥ |
Q 2 |
| ♦ |
A 2 |
| ♣ |
A 9 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
1 NT |
Pass |
| 3♠ |
Pass |
4♠ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♦K
“Don’t get mad, get even.”
— Joseph Kennedy
In today’s deal look only at the East cards and the dummy. Against South’s contract of four spades your partner leads the diamond king, to which you follow with the jack. Declarer wins with the ace, then leads the heart two to dummy’s 10, West contributing the nine. What do you return at trick three?
If you are on lead at trick three, you have already handed your opponents the contract! Partner showed an even number of hearts when he followed with the nine, almost certainly a four-card suit, for if South held four hearts, he might well have bid them over the no-trump response.
You cannot prevent declarer from gaining access to dummy to take the spade finesse, but you do not have to give him anything extra in hearts. If you duck the first heart but take the second, declarer is restricted to one heart trick. However, if you win the first heart, South can later overtake his heart queen and score two heart tricks while discarding a loser from hand. He can then take the spade finesse for 10 tricks.
If you let the heart 10 hold at trick two, declarer will successfully take the spade finesse, run some trumps, then exit with the heart queen. Now, so long as East and West have thrown away their losing hearts, they will prevail, taking one trick in each red suit and two club tricks.
ANSWER: When dummy has made no attempt to play in declarer’s first-bid suit, there is an inference that dummy will be short in that suit. And since declarer did not repeat his hearts, I would lead a low heart. I might consider a spade if my intermediates were much better. Leading either minor suit seems more likely to cost than to gain.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
Q 7 5 3 2 |
| ♥ |
Q 9 6 4 |
| ♦ |
8 7 |
| ♣ |
K 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
Pass |
1♥ |
| 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].
October 25th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, October 11, 2009
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
I held ♠ J-2, ♥ K-7-4-2, ♦ Q-9-7, ♣ A-10-9-4. I assumed that when partner opened one heart and the next hand doubled, my jump to two no-trump suggested a limit raise or better in hearts. What would a jump to four clubs by partner mean now — and what should I do next?
— Tony the Tortoise, Pittsburgh, Pa.
ANSWER: When a new suit would be forcing, a jump shows shortage and implies a slam-try. Here, with third-round control of both side-suits and a working club, you have just enough for a bid of five clubs to show your ace. From here on, you should apply the brakes. Let partner bid on past five hearts if he wants to.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Is there a defined rule about late-plays in your club? What is the fair way to handle such deals, if only one side wants to play a board at the end of the game?
— Speedy Gonzalez, Akron, Ohio
ANSWER: Though I’m not a procedural expert, I would expect most clubs to award an average to both sides for an unplayed deal, unless one side was blameless for the delay and is willing to play the deal, while the other side is unable or unwilling to play. In that case the nonoffenders might get average-plus. It would be rare but not impossible for continued slow play to be punished by an average-minus on an unplayed deal.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Holding ♠ A-J-7-3-2, ♥ A-9, ♦ Q-J-7-4, ♣ Q-10, would you overcall two spades over one no-trump in either balancing or direct seat? Would the vulnerability matter?
— Captain Courageous, Fayetteville, N.C.
|
|
ANSWER: If you are not playing a method that will let you show a two-suited hand (and I urge you to play such a method if you can), then you must come in to show spades here. It might work disastrously, but that should not stop you from competing over one no-trump at the slightest opportunity.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Who is the fastest accurate player you have ever witnessed? Did any of the top players possess photographic memories?
— Instamatic, Augusta, Ga.
ANSWER: Oswald Jacoby was in a class by himself. He had an eidetic memory, so that he recalled everything he saw, and that included bridge hands. Ozzie was in the top 10 at many games, but alas, he really only enjoyed competing against the people above him. Were it not for that, he would have died a much richer man!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Say you pick up ♠ Q-9-4-2, ♥ K-7-6, ♦ 9-7, ♣ A-10-6-4. After a weak two-spade bid on your left and a double from partner, would you bid two no-trump, three clubs, or pass? Would you consider bidding three no-trump?
— Multiple Choice, Kingston, Ontario
ANSWER: Pass is too big a swing action for me. Some like to use two no-trump here as artificial and weak, so three clubs would show values. But if you’re happy enough to play two no-trump as natural here, that gets your hand across just fine. You need another queen to bid three no-trump. |
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at [email protected]. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009.
October 24th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, October 10, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
J 10 5 |
| ♥ |
Q J 9 8 6 4 |
| ♦ |
5 |
| ♣ |
A 8 6 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K Q 4 2 |
♠ |
8 7 6 |
| ♥ |
5 2 |
♥ |
3 |
| ♦ |
K Q 10 7 |
♦ |
9 6 4 3 2 |
| ♣ |
J 7 4 |
♣ |
K Q 10 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 9 3 |
| ♥ |
A K 10 7 |
| ♦ |
A J 8 |
| ♣ |
9 5 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♥ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♦K
“Man can improve himself but never will himself be perfect.”
— W.H. Auden
The Brighton Summer Congress in England often uses prepared hands from other tournaments in its side games. A recent event used the hands from a television tournament, where eight well-known players had competed in an Individual.
In today’s deal West led the diamond king against four hearts. With two sure club losers, declarer hoped to find at least one of the missing spade honors with East for his game. South won with the ace, immediately ruffed a diamond, played a heart to hand, ruffed the last diamond, then drew the outstanding trump. Next came ace and another club.
Declarer hoped that West would win at least one of the two club tricks on offer and so be endplayed either to lead a spade or proffer a ruff and discard, allowing South to pitch a spade from one hand while trumping in the other.
But East was on the ball and, identifying South’s strategy, cashed just one club trick before returning a spade. When South ducked, West won with the queen and returned a club to East’s king for a second spade through.
Can you spot a better line? Duck the first diamond, then win the club return, and cross to a high trump to lead ace and then jack of diamonds, throwing dummy’s two remaining clubs away. West can exit with a second trump, but you win in hand and ruff a club, cross to a heart to ruff a club, and then take the spade finesse to endplay West.
ANSWER: Your partner’s cue-bid shows real extras and is looking for help in determining the right level and strain. He could be interested in no-trump, hearts, or either minor. For the time being, your decent club support means you can bid three clubs and let him develop the hand further if he wants to.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 10 5 |
| ♥ |
Q J 9 8 6 4 |
| ♦ |
5 |
| ♣ |
A 8 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♦ |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
1♠ |
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].
October 23rd, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, October 9, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K J 3 2 |
| ♥ |
9 5 |
| ♦ |
A 10 |
| ♣ |
J 10 9 8 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
9 5 4 |
♠ |
Q 8 7 6 |
| ♥ |
A J 7 2 |
♥ |
Q 8 6 |
| ♦ |
3 |
♦ |
J 6 5 4 2 |
| ♣ |
K 7 6 5 4 |
♣ |
A |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 10 |
| ♥ |
K 10 4 3 |
| ♦ |
K Q 9 8 7 |
| ♣ |
Q 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1 NT |
Pass |
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♣5
“If you do not understand a man, you cannot crush him. And if you do understand him, very probably you will not.”
— G.K. Chesterton
Playing a 15-17 no-trump and five-card majors, what would you open as South?
In the match between Iceland and Brazil at the 2006 World Championships, both Souths upgraded their hand, bristling as it is with healthy intermediates and a five-card suit. After they opened one no-trump, the bidding continued inexorably to game, both Norths rightly regarding their five-card suit as a useful source of tricks.
The Icelandic West led a club, South unblocking the queen under East’s ace, and East switched to a low heart, which ran to the jack. West continued by underleading his heart ace, and East’s queen was captured by the king. Declarer played on clubs, and after West ducked twice, switched to diamonds. When West showed out on the second diamond, South reverted to clubs. West won and, hoping to get East in for a heart through, led a spade, even though he knew declarer really had to hold the spade ace. As a result, declarer ended with 10 tricks.
The lead was the same at the other table, but at trick two, Brazil’s Diego Brenner, sitting East, knew that he was unlikely to be on lead again and so thoughtfully returned the heart queen to the king and ace. Marcelo Branco cashed his jack, then returned a third heart to the eight and 10. Branco’s established heart seven proved to be the setting trick when he came in with the club king.
ANSWER: Your partner may be slam-going or just looking for the right game. In the first instance, though, this auction is all about looking for a diamond stop for no-trump, and you have one. Yes, you have a minor suit you have not shown, but that is immaterial. Bid three no-trump now and await developments, if any.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K J 3 2 |
| ♥ |
9 5 |
| ♦ |
A 10 |
| ♣ |
J 10 9 8 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| Pass |
1♦ |
Dbl. |
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].
October 22nd, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, October 8, 2009
| Dealer: South
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A J 7 2 |
| ♥ |
9 8 |
| ♦ |
A K 8 5 |
| ♣ |
Q 7 6 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
10 4 |
♠ |
K Q 9 8 5 |
| ♥ |
7 5 4 |
♥ |
K 3 2 |
| ♦ |
Q 10 4 3 |
♦ |
J 9 6 |
| ♣ |
A K J 9 |
♣ |
5 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
6 3 |
| ♥ |
A Q J 10 6 |
| ♦ |
7 2 |
| ♣ |
10 8 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♥ |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♣K
“There is always inequity in life … Life is unfair.”
— John F. Kennedy
You and I play that weak twos promise six cards. But some people are less rigid.
In today’s deal a difference of opinion as to the minimum required for a nonvulnerable weak-two opening led to South declaring a dreadful four-heart contract.
West led the club king, East playing the five and South the four. Obviously the contract would have been beaten easily had West continued clubs and given East a ruff. However, it seemed more likely to West that East’s club five was from an original holding of 10-5-3-2, in which case such a defense would merely establish dummy’s queen. So at trick two West switched to the spade 10.
Declarer won the ace and drew trumps in three rounds. He then played a club toward dummy’s queen. West won and, still thinking South held the doubleton club, continued with a second spade. (A third club would disrupt the timing for the squeeze that followed, but one can hardly blame West for failing to work out what was about to happen.)
East won the spade eight and continued with the spade king. Declarer ruffed, and West, to his intense irritation, found himself squeezed in the minor suits.
If he discarded a diamond, declarer would cash dummy’s top diamonds and ruff a diamond, establishing the eight; the club queen would be the entry card to reach it. If West discarded a club, his jack would fall under declarer’s queen and declarer would still have a trump to reach his club winner.
ANSWER: The general rule when you are deciding whether to compete further is that high cards alone are not enough. Here, having your values in your long suits is a plus, but your guarded club queen may work on defense and be useless to you as declarer. With a likely 4-4 spade fit only (and the chance of a bad split), pass and hope to set three clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A J 7 2 |
| ♥ |
9 8 |
| ♦ |
A K 8 5 |
| ♣ |
Q 7 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♦ |
2♣ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 2♠ |
3♣ |
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].
October 21st, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, October 7, 2009
| Dealer: West
Vul: None |
North |
|
| ♠ |
K J 10 4 3 |
| ♥ |
8 5 |
| ♦ |
K 5 |
| ♣ |
J 8 4 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q 8 |
♠ |
2 |
| ♥ |
J 10 9 |
♥ |
7 4 |
| ♦ |
10 4 2 |
♦ |
A Q J 9 8 7 6 3 |
| ♣ |
A K Q 10 5 |
♣ |
9 6 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 9 7 6 5 |
| ♥ |
A K Q 6 3 2 |
| ♦ |
— |
| ♣ |
7 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1 NT* |
Pass |
5♦ |
| 5♥ |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♣K
“I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary for the public good becomes honorable by being necessary.”
— Nathan Hale
Today’s hand comes from the 2006 McConnell Cup, the women’s world teams championship, and it produced a wide variety of results — hardly unexpected, given the wild distribution. Here’s what happened at the table where two of the victorious team, Carlin Steiner and Marinesa Letizia, were defending.
After Steiner opened the bidding to show a balanced minimum hand, East exerted maximum pressure by jumping to five diamonds. South was fixed: a double would have been for penalties; and she could not show her two-suiter without committing the partnership to slam. So she simply bid five hearts, which was passed out.
Carlin Steiner had no difficulty with her first two leads. She cashed her two top clubs, East signaling her doubleton. But how to proceed at trick three? She expected South to be void in diamonds, given Letizia’s majestic leap to the five-level. So she played for her partner to hold the one card that would lead to a trump promotion — the heart seven — and returned the club five.
“Don’t send a boy to do a man’s job” is a well-known bridge maxim, and Letizia accurately ruffed dummy’s club eight with the heart seven. South was forced to overruff, and Steiner had her trump promotion for a one-trick set.
Note the damage caused by East’s high-level pre-empt. Five spades cannot be touched, and you can imagine how some people might allow a spade slam to make if it were declared by North.
ANSWER: If you decide (as I would) to commit this hand to game in spades, as a two-way shot you might want to have a conventional way to distinguish between a hand like this — which has a modicum of defense — and a purely pre-emptive raise to game. If so, maybe you should set aside the jump response of three no-trump to show this hand. Bid four spades without one of the two kings.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K J 10 4 3 |
| ♥ |
8 5 |
| ♦ |
K 5 |
| ♣ |
J 8 4 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♠ |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
October 20th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: All |
North |
|
| ♠ |
9 |
| ♥ |
A 10 9 3 |
| ♦ |
A K Q J 10 |
| ♣ |
Q J 4 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
A 8 6 |
♠ |
K J 10 7 5 4 |
| ♥ |
K Q 7 |
♥ |
J 8 6 |
| ♦ |
6 4 2 |
♦ |
8 7 |
| ♣ |
8 6 5 3 |
♣ |
K 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
Q 3 2 |
| ♥ |
5 4 2 |
| ♦ |
9 5 3 |
| ♣ |
A 10 9 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♥ |
2♠ |
| Pass |
Pass |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 2 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All Pass |
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead:♠6
“A swarm of bees who have lost their queen.”
— Christopher Fry
This month the deals used on Tuesdays will all be from Ron Klinger’s latest book, “Right Through the Pack Again.” Each of the deals features one of the 52 cards in a lead role. All of them are trying to rouse the real hero of the book — the Old Master — from a coma.
Here is the tale of the spade queen, told in the first person. How would you fare as declarer with this problem?
“After the lead of the spade six to the king, and the spade jack return, the natural temptation is to rise with the spade queen, expecting East to have A-K-J-10-x-x. The Old Master resisted the impulse and played low after a brief moment’s thought. The defense could take only three tricks and the Old Master finished with an overtrick.
“‘Might it have been right to play you?’” asked the club two.
“’Not if the contract was to succeed,’” replied the spade queen. “’The Old Master’s clear mind instantly saw that if the spade queen won, he would have eight tricks. However, to make more, he would need to find the club king with East, but was that possible?
“‘Surely if East held the spade A-K-J-10-x-x plus the club king, he would have been too strong for a weak jump-overcall. Placing the club king with East as a matter of necessity meant that the spade ace figured to be with West. Hence the Old Master kept me in hand in order to block the spade suit.’”
ANSWER: Just in case you were in any doubt, partner has made an unambiguous penalty double. You made a takeout double of one no-trump, suggesting short spades, so if partner had a suit to bid, he would have done so. Here you have extra values, and your short spades should not concern you. Pass and await what you hope will be a sizable penalty.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
9 |
| ♥ |
A 10 9 3 |
| ♦ |
A K Q J 10 |
| ♣ |
Q J 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♠ |
Pass |
1 NT |
| Dbl. |
2♠ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| ? |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2009. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].
October 19th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Monday, October 5, 2009
| Dealer: North
Vul: E/W |
North |
|
| ♠ |
A 8 7 4 2 |
| ♥ |
10 5 |
| ♦ |
A K Q 6 |
| ♣ |
K 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 9 3 |
♠ |
K 10 6 |
| ♥ |
A K J 7 4 |
♥ |
9 8 6 3 2 |
| ♦ |
9 4 |
♦ |
J 10 7 3 |
| ♣ |
10 4 3 |
♣ |
8 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
Q 5 |
| ♥ |
Q |
| ♦ |
8 5 2 |
| ♣ |
A Q J 9 7 6 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♠ |
Pass |
| 2♣ |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
| 3♣ |
Pass |
4♣ |
Pass |
| 4♥ |
Pass |
4 NT |
Pass |
| 5♦ |
Pass |
6♣ |
All Pass |
Opening Lead:♥K
“Like one that on a lonesome road
Doth walk in fear and dread.”
— Samuel Coleridge
Most people go into a cold sweat when faced with a squeeze, but often only a bit of technique is needed. In today’s deal, for example, declarer employed the Vienna Coup, a device whereby a long suit can be run without one hand being embarrassed for discards.
West leads two top hearts against six clubs and South ruffs the second one. If the diamonds break 3-3, there are 12 tricks. But even if they don’t, there is a chance for a squeeze.
Suppose that you continue by running the clubs. Four discards are needed from dummy, spades being the obvious candidates. But if either defender holds the spade king and four diamonds, as here, he should simply bare his spade king. When dummy’s spade ace is cashed, the king will fall, establishing the queen. But now there is no way back to your hand to cash that spade winner.
If instead you cash the spade ace before running the trumps, your problems are solved. Here it is East who holds the spade king and the diamond guard, but it could have been West for the same money. When you play your last club, dummy’s last low spade is discarded. If the spade king has been discarded, you cash the spade queen, then dummy’s three top diamonds. If not, simply play diamonds from the top and hope for the best.
ANSWER: In situations of this sort, where you have a suit of your own, but partner has overcalled at the two-level, my bet would be on leading the club jack. The diamonds (dummy’s likely long suit) can probably wait. However, if your sequence were in spades, where you might need to lead them at once, the situation would be far more problematic.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
10 6 3 2 |
| ♥ |
9 7 3 |
| ♦ |
Q J 10 4 |
| ♣ |
J 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♦ |
2♣ |
Dbl. |
| Pass |
3♣ |
Pass |
3♥ |
| Pass |
4♥ |
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].
October 18th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, October 4, 2009
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
My LHO opens with a pre-empt and I judge from my partner’s tempo that he has been thinking of acting. When the auction comes back to me and I have either a clear action or a marginal one, what are my obligations?
— Clean Hans, Monterey, Calif.
ANSWER: If you believe your partner’s demeanor or tempo points you in a specific direction, you are not supposed to take that action UNLESS you believe there are no logical alternatives. Hence, in your example, bid if you have a clear action, and pass with any action you deem marginal.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
If you held ♠ J-2, ♥ 9-7-6, ♦ Q-8-4, ♣ A-Q-10-7-3, I’m sure you would not overcall two clubs over one heart. Say you pass and hear one no-trump on your left, and partner bids two clubs! What would you do now over a two-heart bid on your right?
— Ritchie Rich, Midland, Mich.
ANSWER: Since a call of three clubs would be cowardly and a pre-emptive jump to four clubs is right on shape but understates your values, I would make the ubiquitous cue-bid, trying to show a good hand, presumably one based on club support. Five clubs now seems too rich — you are too balanced in the side suits.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What is a responsive double? How does it work? If my LHO opens one suit (doubled by my partner), what should my double of RHO’s new suit show?
— Acting Up, Laredo, Texas
ANSWER: The responsive double, suggesting a balanced takeout, only applies to the double of an AGREED suit. A double of a bid and raised heart suit, for example, tends to deny spades — you would bid them if you had them. In your example your double is penalties, not takeout. |
|
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Holding ♠ Q-9-7-3, ♥ A-4, ♦ Q-9-7-4, ♣ Q-9-3, I passed initially and responded one spade to my partner’s one-heart bid. When he raised to two spades, was I supposed to make a game-try? I passed and he had four spades, five hearts and 14 points. We made 10 tricks in two spades with great ease.
— Stick-in-the-Mud, Staten Island, N.Y.
ANSWER: This is an awkward sequence because partner will quite often raise (even facing a passed hand) with three trumps in an unbalanced or semibalanced hand. I agree with your valuation, specifically because you have bad trumps and at least one of your minor-suit queens will not be working efficiently. Might your partner have stretched a little and bid three spades? We’ll never know!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What is the right way to bid hands in the strong no-trump range, which have three four-card suits and a singleton in a major? Is it ever acceptable to open one no-trump with such hands? If not, what are the options?
— Baby Ruth, Kenosha, Wis.
ANSWER: Hands with short hearts are easy: open your better minor and bid spades over partner’s response in hearts. With 15 high-card points and a singleton spade, I tend to down-value the hand to 12-14, then rebid one no-trump. With 17 I up-value to a reverse if the points are in two suits, or to a two-no-trump rebid if the hand justifies it. With 16 and a singleton spade honor, one no-trump is acceptable; else bid diamonds, then clubs, if your hearts are weak. |
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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