Hand of the day #242
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff The old-fashioned textbooks tell you to lead k...
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
In this deal from the English trials, South took a pot at game after North’s competitive raise, and West accurately led a trump.
Opening Lead: ♦J
When Michael Byrne was declaring, he played the heart ace then queen, hoping to ruff out West’s king while catching the jack or eight with East. He could then lead up to the spade king and, if the ace was onside, make by subsequently knocking out West’s heart card.
Neil Rosen withheld the heart king as West, so declarer’s plan could no longer work; he would lose two heart tricks at the end.
Byrne switched directions, leading the spade king from hand. Rosen won and switched to clubs, ruffed by declarer who led another spade up. West tried his best by playing small, but declarer astutely put up dummy’s jack and ruffed the suit good on the way back, making 12 tricks.
West could have beaten the contract by force, by returning a low heart after winning the first spade, to force the dummy. Declarer would then be an entry short to set up and cash the spades. However, the first mistake belonged to declarer. West was a heavy favorite to hold the spade ace on the bidding and for his choice of lead. Might he not have chosen to lead from a queen-high unbid suit rather than a trump from a short jack?
So declarer must work on spades at once. Thus, if he guesses the suit, he can establish dummy’s suit and draw trumps ending on table to enjoy them. The defense are unable to set up a force in the heart suit.
Bid with the Aces
Answer: 1♦
Do not suppress your strong diamond suit by opening one heart. This hand is more than strong enough to justify reversing into two hearts after a one-diamond opening and one-spade response. While I don’t buy into the principle of ‘six-five come alive’ on every deal, there is a lot to be said for it. If your spade king was the two, I’d go low and open one heart, I suppose.
I agree on the bid even if I disagree on the last sentence: if the king of spade was the two I bid anways 1D