Hand of the day #211
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff This column aims to amuse, as well as to educa...
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Seated South, your two-club overcall is hauled all the way to game by partner – and who could blame him?
Opening Lead: Heart seven
The opponents double you, and West leads the heart seven. You play small from dummy and take East’s heart 10 with the queen. Yes, East could rise with the ace and give his partner a heart ruff, but that could be a catastrophic defense if you had begun with three hearts to the queen and a doubleton diamond. Relieved, you hasten to draw the enemy trumps in two rounds. Play on.
You know East has all the missing hearts, so you seem to have three red-suit losers. However, the fact that West cannot continue his partner’s suit can be turned to your advantage. If you can eliminate the spades then exit with a diamond, the defenders will not be able to realize all their tricks. If West wins the diamond, he must offer up a ruff-and-sluff. East has the additional option of returning a heart around to dummy’s king if he wins the trick.
So, you should cash the spade king-ace and ruff a spade. It is then back over to dummy with a trump to ruff another spade, fully eliminating that suit to make sure neither defender is left with a safe exit-card. Your diamond exit then endplays the defense to concede the contract, especially galling when the opponents come to the realization that they would almost certainly make five diamonds if they declared that contract.
Do you think either opponent could or should have found a way to get there?
Lead with the Aces
Answer: Pass
Partner could have a good hand and you may have the values for game, but even then, your singleton in his primary suit will be a stumbling block. With game unlikely, you should get out now and pass lest you climb too high on a misfit. Even if diamonds set up you will need a spade stopper and a quick trick on the side from partner.