April 29th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 
|
Dealer:
South
Vul: E/W
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
10 8 4 |
| ♥ |
7 6 5 |
| ♦ |
A 3 |
| ♣ |
Q J 10 7 5 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
K |
♠ |
9 7 3 2 |
| ♥ |
Q 10 4 3 |
♥ |
J 8 2 |
| ♦ |
K Q 7 6 4 |
♦ |
10 2 |
| ♣ |
A K 8 |
♣ |
6 4 3 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A Q J 6 5 |
| ♥ |
A K 9 |
| ♦ |
J 9 8 5 |
| ♣ |
9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Dbl. |
2♠ |
Pass |
| Pass |
Dbl. |
Pass |
3♣ |
| 3♠ |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♣K
“As a result of a general defect of nature, we are either more confident or more fearful of unusual and unknown things.”
— Julius Caesar
Alarm bells should start ringing when the defense does not follow what appears to be its natural course. They certainly did for Yuko Yamada, in Japan’s Venice Cup encounter against China at the 2001 World Championships.
Yamada had deprived her partner of the chance to double three clubs by her quite reasonable decision to bid to three spades in direct seat, but she caught a disappointing dummy. That does not mean her decision was a bad one. Had she faced four small clubs and the spade king, both partscores might have been odds-on to make.
West made her natural lead of the club king, and on seeing dummy, switched to a low heart, East’s jack drawing the king. Yamada played ace and another diamond to the 10 and queen. West’s heart-queen continuation was taken by the ace. Then the jack of diamonds was covered by the king, ruffed in dummy with the eight, and overruffed.
East returned a heart to her partner’s 10, and West appreciated that if she played another diamond, it was quite possible East would be unable to overruff dummy’s trump 10. So instead she led the 13th heart, but by not following the natural line of a fourth diamond, she gave away the location of the spade king just as effectively.
Yuko Yamada ruffed the heart in hand, and now knew that her only chance was to find the spade king bare with West. She laid down the ace and secured her contract.
ANSWER: You are fractionally too good just to bid three spades, which would be competitive and NOT a game-try. Although it looks logical to bid where you live (hearts), it is better to use the red suits as game-tries. By bidding three diamonds, you suggest length but not strength in that suit, and will get partner to evaluate his diamond holding, which is what you want.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q J 6 5 |
| ♥ |
A K 9 |
| ♦ |
J 9 8 5 |
| ♣ |
9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
|
1♣ |
| 1♠ |
2♣ |
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].
April 28th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
|
Dealer:
West
Vul: E/W
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
A Q 9 6 5 |
| ♥ |
A 3 |
| ♦ |
J 6 |
| ♣ |
Q 5 4 3 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
8 4 |
♠ |
K 10 7 3 2 |
| ♥ |
J 10 8 |
♥ |
Q 9 |
| ♦ |
A Q 10 5 |
♦ |
K 9 4 |
| ♣ |
9 8 6 2 |
♣ |
A J 10 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
J |
| ♥ |
K 7 6 5 4 2 |
| ♦ |
8 7 3 2 |
| ♣ |
K 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 1NT |
Pass |
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♠8
“In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free — honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve.”
— Abraham Lincoln
In today’s deal East must pass the one-spade opening — he is a queen short of a no-trump overcall. Equally, South lacks the requirements for a two-over-one response, so he should respond one no-trump. At his second chance to bid, he can introduce his hearts. (His overall strength has been limited by his first response.) North can now pass two hearts happily. He knows he is facing a minimum hand with heart length and no fit for the black suits.
Now to the play. On the lead of the spade eight, it looks natural for declarer to take the spade ace and play for diamond ruffs in dummy; but accurate defense of shifting to trumps will foil his plan.
Instead, although South has only a singleton spade, he should duck the opening lead to develop two spade tricks in dummy. With only five heart tricks (provided that the suit divides 3-2) and one club in sight, declarer needs two spade tricks to make his contract.
The safest way to cash the spade tricks is after two rounds of trumps have been drawn. This prevents a spade ruff by the defender who is short in trumps. So, assuming the defenders shift to trumps at trick two, declarer should win the heart king, then the ace, and try to cash out the spades, discarding diamonds from dummy. This way, when West ruffs in, declarer has held his losers to two diamonds and one in each of the other suits.
ANSWER: When the opponents pre-empt against you, it is natural not to want to bid except with full values. However, I would argue the opposite approach. Since they don’t know how much they have, it is safer, not more dangerous, for you to bid here. Bid four spades, confidently, and although you will occasionally run into problems, more often the opponents will get it wrong.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A Q 9 6 5 |
| ♥ |
A 3 |
| ♦ |
J 6 |
| ♣ |
Q 5 4 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
2♥ |
Pass |
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].
April 27th, 2009 ~ admin ~ 2 Comments
|
Dealer:
South
Vul: E/W
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
5 3 2 |
| ♥ |
4 3 2 |
| ♦ |
J 8 7 |
| ♣ |
A 4 3 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
9 4 |
♠ |
8 7 6 |
| ♥ |
Q 9 |
♥ |
J 10 8 7 |
| ♦ |
K Q 9 6 |
♦ |
A 10 3 2 |
| ♣ |
Q 10 8 6 5 |
♣ |
J 9 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K Q J 10 |
| ♥ |
A K 6 5 |
| ♦ |
5 4 |
| ♣ |
K 7 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
Pass |
4♠ |
All pass |
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦K
“Make haste! The tide of Fortune soon ebbs.”
— Silius Italicus
In today’s problem, from the fertile mind of Eddie Kantar, it is worth noting the point in the auction that North’s jump to game facing a game-forcing hand with the majors shows three trumps and a BAD hand. With more you would bid three spades and hope partner could cue-bid now.
Now to the play in four spades, after ruffing the third diamond. When your side suit (here, hearts) has a third- and possible fourth-round loser and you are cursed with only low trumps in the dummy, you have to choose the right time to give up the lead.
Your main problem is how to dispose of your fourth heart. Let’s look first at what does not work. Drawing all the trumps leaves you with two heart losers; drawing two rounds of trumps before playing on hearts lets East win and play a third trump. And if you play three rounds of hearts at once, West gets to ruff the fourth heart with a higher trump than dummy’s.
Instead, duck a heart at once, win any return, and play the spade ace-king, leaving a low trump at large. Only now do you cash the top hearts. If hearts divide 3-3, draw the remaining trump and claim. If hearts are 4-2, hope that the player with the odd trump also has four hearts (as in the diagram). If so, you can ruff your heart in dummy. If the player with the two hearts has the long trump, tomorrow is another day.
ANSWER: The choice is between leading the heart king or a spade. I can see how the heart lead might cost, but bear in mind that your partner is relatively weak. Since he has bothered to come in, he ought to have a decent suit; so lead a heart. If for no other reason, that ought to keep partner happy!
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
9 8 5 4 |
| ♥ |
K 7 |
| ♦ |
J 10 9 |
| ♣ |
A 10 4 3 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
1♣ |
1♥ |
1NT |
| Pass |
2NT |
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].
April 26th, 2009 ~ admin ~ 3 Comments
| Dear Mr. Wolff:
Is it correct that only declarer can claim honors? I thought any player at the table could claim honors – but I’ve been told that you have to play the hand to take them.
— Shut Out, North Bay, Ontario
ANSWER: You are right. Anyone, be it dummy or defender, gets them if entitled. At a trump contract anyone with at least four of the five trump honors can claim them. As I think I mentioned before, I have had the embarrassment of having an opponent claim honors when I was in four hearts doubled!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I held ♠ Q-3, ♥ K-9-7-3-2, ♦ A-J-7-4, ♣ K-3 and opened one heart in third seat. My LHO made a two-diamond overcall, and my partner doubled, negative. What would you do now? I passed, and catching my partner with three hearts, five spades and six points, so two diamonds came home.
— Trapper John, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
ANSWER: Your action was quite reasonable, since it sounds as if your partner actually had an entirely normal raise to two hearts, not a double. Though spades might have been the best strain for your side, a simple raise to two hearts by him gets you into a playable fit and limits the hand — two things that one should try to do as quickly as possible on any deal!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
In your Bid with the Aces problems, do you assume IMPs or matchpoints? Sometimes it doesn’t seem clear to me.– or are you deliberately not telling us?
— Inquiring Minds, Panama City, Fla.
ANSWER: You can assume that you are playing teams or rubber bridge. Having said that, I firmly believe that the idea of not letting the opponents have too easy a life springs from pairs, but should be carried over to teams as well. The occasional disaster is more than outweighed by the moderate but frequent gains by this approach. |
|
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Playing rubber bridge on the last hand of a Chicago my hand was: ♠ A-K-3, ♥ Q-J-10-4, ♦ J-7-3-2, ♣ A-4. My LHO opened one club and was raised to two clubs, which would have been game for the opponents. I doubled, and when my partner bid two hearts and I heard three clubs on my right. Was I supposed to bid three hearts? Suffice it to say I got it wrong!
— Rueful Roland, Springfield, Mass.
ANSWER: Playing with a competent partner, especially an aggressive one, you are supposed to pass. If three hearts is a sensible action, he will bid it himself. Playing with a weak partner, you may have to bid his cards for him — and apologize if wrong.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You recently discussed an auction where you open one club, LHO bids one heart, partner bids one spade, RHO raises to two hearts, and you double. You say your double shows “extras.” Really? Or does it just confirm short hearts and an unwillingness to sell out to two hearts when the opponents have at least an eight-card fit?
— Marking Time, Trenton, N.J.
ANSWER: You are correct in a sense that the extras you have shown may just be shape, not significant high cards. But assuming that the double does not specifically guarantee three-card spade support (the ever-popular support double), I’d take your double to suggest 3-1 or 2-2 in the majors and 15-plus points.
|
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].
April 25th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, April 11, 2009
|
Dealer:
North
Vul: None
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
K 10 9 |
| ♥ |
10 9 8 3 |
| ♦ |
K 10 2 |
| ♣ |
A 7 5 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q J 6 3 2 |
♠ |
A 8 |
| ♥ |
6 5 |
♥ |
K 7 2 |
| ♦ |
A 7 5 |
♦ |
Q 9 6 4 |
| ♣ |
J 4 3 |
♣ |
10 9 8 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
7 5 4 |
| ♥ |
A Q J 4 |
| ♦ |
J 8 3 |
| ♣ |
K Q 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
Pass |
Pass |
| 1♣ |
1♠ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
2♠ |
| Pass |
Pass |
Dbl. |
Pass |
| 3♥ |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♠Q
“Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me!”
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson
In the round robin match between Denmark and Italy in the 1999 World Junior Teams, a textbook hand in suit-preference signaling came along, with the hand on lead making the suit-preference signal, rather than the hand following suit.
Morten Madsen of Denmark as East thought long and hard before pushing his opponents with his call of two spades, and rightly so. The defense had seven tricks against that contract, but when North doubled a second time just to show cards, South rather illogically decided against trying to take the penalty. With such a balanced hand he might well have trusted his partner, since the delayed spade raise sounded as if it was based on only two trumps.
The opening lead of the spade queen held the trick. Now Kaspar Konow (West) deliberately set up dummy’s spade 10 by leading a suit-preference jack at the second trick, since he could infer that his partner’s delayed support was based on holding the doubleton ace. Hence, he had to prepare the way for a spade ruff. Madsen (East) won his ace perforce and duly led a diamond (the higher of the minor suits) in to ensure he got his ruff. The diamond queen was the setting trick.
Notice that if East plays a club after winning his spade ace, declarer is able to draw trumps at once, and the defense loses their ruff.
Any junior interested in finding out more about bridge should go to www.youthnabc.org.
ANSWER: Do you want to bid one heart? If you play (as I recommend) that partner’s one diamond call DENIES a major (or if he has one, it will be in at least an invitational hand), then you should bid one no-trump now. You know either you do not have a heart fit,s or partner will introduce hearts next. A bid of one heart now would promise real clubs as well as four hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
7 5 4 |
| ♥ |
A Q J 4 |
| ♦ |
J 8 3 |
| ♣ |
K Q 6 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♣ |
Pass |
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].
April 24th, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Friday, April 10, 2009
|
Dealer:
South
Vul: E/W
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
A J 10 3 |
| ♥ |
7 4 3 2 |
| ♦ |
9 2 |
| ♣ |
9 8 6 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
K 8 7 5 2 |
♠ |
— |
| ♥ |
8 6 5 |
♥ |
J |
| ♦ |
A 5 |
♦ |
K Q 10 8 6 4 3 |
| ♣ |
K J 5 |
♣ |
Q 10 7 3 2 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
Q 9 6 4 |
| ♥ |
A K Q 10 9 |
| ♦ |
J 7 |
| ♣ |
A 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♥ |
1♠ |
3♥ |
4♦ |
| 4♥ |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦A
“All men whilst they are awake are in one common world; but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own.”
— Plutarch
One of the signals that experts use very occasionally is called the oddball, or alarm clock. The idea is that the sacrifice of a high honor is used to wake up partner to the idea of an unusual switch, frequently to obtain a ruff.
In the deal that follows from the 1999 World Junior Championships, East and West managed precisely that feat, in a situation where, in the absence of such methods, the defense would have been almost impossible to find.
Although five diamonds was laydown for East-West, it was very difficult for East to appreciate this after his partner had overcalled in spades — suggesting to him that the partnership assets might be better on defense than offense. Perhaps West has to bid five diamonds at his second turn.
Still, at least one pair managed to find the right defense to their opponents’ heart game. Juan Carlos Castilla and Juanita Ochoa were the pair defending the game. Ochoa followed with the diamond queen under her partner’s lead of the diamond ace against four hearts, denying the king and suggesting that her partner wake up to do something unusual. A discouraging card would have led to the club shift, of course, but Juan Carlos dutifully played a spade for down one. Well done!
Incidentally, there are several events hosted by the United States this year, specifically for juniors. The Youth Nationals take place in Washington on July 30 to August 1. See details at youthnabc.org.
ANSWER: Your partner’s redouble is SOS — help, get me out of here! With a pronounced preference for clubs over diamonds, just bid two clubs and hope to escape, if not without damage, then with a flesh wound rather than a mortal one. With the clubs and hearts switched, you might try one no-trump.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
K 8 7 5 2 |
| ♥ |
8 6 5 |
| ♦ |
A 5 |
| ♣ |
K J 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
1♥ |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
Pass |
Dbl |
| Pass |
Pass |
Rdbl |
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].
April 23rd, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, April 9, 2009
|
Dealer:
West
Vul: N/S
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
J 9 5 |
| ♥ |
A K 6 |
| ♦ |
10 9 8 |
| ♣ |
Q 7 4 2 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
Q 10 6 |
♠ |
8 |
| ♥ |
10 9 |
♥ |
Q 8 7 5 2 |
| ♦ |
K Q 5 |
♦ |
J 7 6 |
| ♣ |
K J 10 9 3 |
♣ |
A 8 6 5 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K 7 4 3 2 |
| ♥ |
J 4 3 |
| ♦ |
A 4 3 2 |
| ♣ |
— |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
1♣ |
Pass |
1♥ |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
2♥ |
3♣ |
| 4♠ |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥10
“As for disappointing them, I should not so much mind; but I can’t abide to disappoint myself.”
— Oliver Goldsmith
The final of the 1999 Junior World Championships in Florida saw Italy defeat USA comfortably. Even the best home-team results got smothered — look at today’s deal, for example. Eric Greco of the U.S. team found one of the best plays of the tournament, but all it did was hold his losses to 5 IMPs!
On the opening lead of the heart 10 against four spades, Greco rose with the king and ran the diamond 10. He won the heart return in dummy and then passed the diamond nine after a lot of thought. He was trying to set up the diamonds for a discard from dummy, without letting East in. His line would work well enough if hearts were 5-2, but would have been very dangerous if hearts broke 4-3, and it might have led to running into a diamond ruff.
All was well, since Greco had read the cards correctly, and West could do no better than exit with a club when he took the second diamond. Declarer ruffed, cashed the top spades, and led the fourth diamond to pitch the heart loser, making the hand. Alas for USA, four spades doubled was let through in the other room when the first three tricks started the same way, but declarer then came to hand with a top spade to lead the diamond ace. West neglected to unblock his other top diamond on this trick, so East could not get in to cash the hearts, and the play transposed back to Greco’s line.
ANSWER: Your hand is so good in support of clubs that a club slam may be in the offing. But if partner has short hearts, three no-trump may be best. To find out whether your values are working, bid three hearts now, and let partner decide if he wants to play no-trump or some other strain. When only two suits have been bid, you tell partner where you live, not where you have a concern.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 9 5 |
| ♥ |
A K 6 |
| ♦ |
10 9 8 |
| ♣ |
Q 7 4 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1NT |
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].
April 22nd, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, April 8, 2009
|
Dealer:
West
Vul: Both
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
A J 10 5 3 |
| ♥ |
Q 9 8 |
| ♦ |
8 5 4 |
| ♣ |
10 8 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
8 6 |
♠ |
K Q 7 2 |
| ♥ |
K 10 7 6 2 |
♥ |
5 4 3 |
| ♦ |
10 6 |
♦ |
K 7 2 |
| ♣ |
9 6 3 2 |
♣ |
K Q 7 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
9 4 |
| ♥ |
A J |
| ♦ |
A Q J 9 3 |
| ♣ |
A J 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
1♣ |
| 1NT |
Pass |
2♥ |
Pass |
| 2♠ |
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
| 3NT |
All Pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♥6
“The best that an individual can do is to concentrate on what he or she can do, in the course of a burning effort to do it better.”
— Elizabeth Bowen
In the World Junior Championships of 1999, the match between Israel and USA-2 appeared to have scuppered the former’s chances of qualifying, although in fact they made it to the semifinals when Chinese Taipei was disqualified for fielding an overage player. Chris Willenken of the American team found a nice play here to pick up a game swing.
Both tables declared three no-trump from the South seat on a transfer auction after East had opened one club and both Wests untrustingly led a heart rather than a club. The Israeli declarer tried to maximize his chances in hearts by ducking in dummy and winning the heart cheaply in hand. Then he used his spade-ace entry to table to finesse diamonds, and pressed on with that suit. But East could win his diamond king to set up West’s hearts. The defenders now had plenty of ways to regain the lead, and East still had a heart left to reach his partner to set the hand one trick.
By contrast, at his table Chris Willenken as South focused correctly on the problem of entries to dummy. He was prepared to sacrifice the slim chance of an extra heart trick to maximize his chances of getting to dummy twice. He put up the heart queen at the first trick, and when it held, he now had two entries to dummy to play diamonds for five tricks. That was enough for the contract.
ANSWER: Your partner’s call is natural — but he was not good enough to bid one spade the first time. I’d assume he has six spades and a hand unsuitable for a weak jump response. That being so, there is no reason to consider bidding on. No game contract can have any sort of play, and spades looks a decent spot. So pass, happily.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
9 4 |
| ♥ |
A J |
| ♦ |
A Q J 9 3 |
| ♣ |
A J 5 4 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| 1♦ |
1♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
| 2♣ |
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].
April 21st, 2009 ~ admin ~ Comments Off on The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, April 7, 2009
|
Dealer:
North
Vul: None
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
K Q 9 7 |
| ♥ |
K 2 |
| ♦ |
9 3 |
| ♣ |
A Q J 8 5 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
J 10 6 |
♠ |
8 5 4 |
| ♥ |
9 5 |
♥ |
A 8 6 4 |
| ♦ |
A Q 10 6 5 |
♦ |
J 4 |
| ♣ |
4 3 2 |
♣ |
K 10 7 6 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A 3 2 |
| ♥ |
Q J 10 7 3 |
| ♦ |
K 8 7 2 |
| ♣ |
9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
1♣ |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 1NT |
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
| 3NT |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♦6
“You do your worst — and we will do our best.”
— Winston Churchill
Over the last two decades Junior World Championships have grown from a modest six-team affair to separate events for under-26 players, under-21 players, and even school events. In Beijing last year there were over 100 teams taking part!
When Israel played Canada in the round robin of the World Junior Teams in 1999, the Israelis put together a set of virtually flawless bridge. Consider the following board, where a potential Canada gain vanished.
In the other room, when Israel held the North-South cards, they bid to one no-trump after mentioning all their long suits. However, where Canada sat North-South on the auction shown, Darren Wolpert (North) tried two no-trump, perhaps because his team needed a swing, and Ben Zeidenberg (South) raised to game. The diamond lead to the jack gave Zeidenberg the chance for an excellent play — and he took his best chance, by ducking the jack. Back came a diamond, and West cashed his diamond winners – necessary, even though it set up a diamond trick for declarer — and that in turn allowed East to discard an encouraging club. Without that clue, both major suits might well have seemed to be possible switches. In that case, declarer would have had nine tricks; but West trusted his partner’s signal and shifted to a club. Now the defense had a club and the heart ace to come. Well-done, everyone — one down, and five IMPs to Israel instead of seven IMPs the other way.
ANSWER: You have only a 10-count, but your hand is quite promising at suit-play. Jump to three diamonds, which is invitational not forcing, since with a game-going hand you would start with the New Minor, two clubs. Partner can pass, raise hearts with three, or even try three no-trump with the right hand.
BID WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
A 3 2 |
| ♥ |
Q J 10 7 3 |
| ♦ |
K 8 7 2 |
| ♣ |
9 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1♦ |
Pass |
| 1♥ |
Pass |
1NT |
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].
April 20th, 2009 ~ admin ~ 3 Comments
|
Dealer:
East
Vul: Both
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
J 8 7 2 |
| ♥ |
K J 7 6 5 |
| ♦ |
A 7 3 |
| ♣ |
8 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
5 3 |
♠ |
10 |
| ♥ |
A 10 9 8 |
♥ |
Q 4 |
| ♦ |
Q 6 4 |
♦ |
J 10 5 2 |
| ♣ |
K 10 7 6 |
♣ |
A Q 9 5 4 3 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
A K Q 9 6 4 |
| ♥ |
3 2 |
| ♦ |
K 9 8 |
| ♣ |
J 2 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
3♣* |
Dbl. |
| 4♠ |
All pass |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| *Limit raise in spades with an unspecified shortage
|
| |
|
|
|
Opening Lead: ♣6
“Time has too much credit … I never agree with the compliments paid to it. It is not a great healer. It is an indifferent and perfunctory one.”
— Ivy Compton-Burnett
When I started playing bridge, there were no world championships for women, let alone for seniors and juniors. Times have changed. All the deals this week come from a relatively recent Junior World Championship in Florida. Since then, many of the participants have gone on to fame and maybe even to fortune.
Counting is one of the most important exercises at bridge, but sometimes you have to combine the exercise with a fair amount of inference and conjecture.
In the semifinal match between Israel and Italy, both tables made four spades, but the Italian declarer, Matteo Mallardi, had the tougher task.
While the Israeli declarer had plenty of time on a trump lead to play on hearts, Mallardi had reached four spades after the Israeli East had the chance to double an artificial club bid.
On a club lead to the ace and the accurate switch to the diamond jack, declarer won in hand and drew two rounds of trumps. Now it looks to be a blind guess as to how to play the hearts, but West’s low-club lead implied he did not have two of the top three honors in that suit. Since East, a passed hand, apparently had six decent clubs to the ace and queen plus the diamond jack, he had no room for the heart ace or he would have opened the bidding. So Mallardi led a heart to dummy’s king for his 10th trick.
ANSWER: “When in doubt, lead your best suit” may be a trifle too simplistic. But here, if you lead a heart and find your partner with a high honor, you may be able to establish something. Any other lead either requires partner to deliver rather more or may hurt your own side and not establish anything.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
South Holds:
| ♠ |
J 8 4 |
| ♥ |
Q 9 3 2 |
| ♦ |
J 7 6 4 |
| ♣ |
Q 5 |
| South |
West |
North |
East |
|
1♦ |
Pass |
1♥ |
| Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
2NT |
| Pass |
3NT |
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].
|
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related