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
What would you lead against three no-trump from this West hand when South shows four spades and North, by his use of Stayman, implies four hearts?
Opening Lead: ♣J
A spade is out and a heart could easily help declarer set up that suit. Perhaps a diamond is reasonable, but that need not be safe either. In the Vanderbilt Knockout, West chose the club jack, East winning the ace and returning a club. That could not really be necessary. East probably ought to have used his time on lead to attack diamonds. As it was, West topped declarer’s club queen with the king and shifted to the heart 10. East won the king and only now played diamonds, but declarer was on the front foot. He took the diamond jack followed by the remaining diamonds for a spade and club pitch. East let go a club on the fourth heart, after which it was easy for declarer to read the layout. He ran hearts, reducing to a three-card ending with ace-doubleton spade and the club nine on table. West could either bare the spade king, or pitch a club and be thrown in with the club 10 to lead into the split tenace in spades.
The defense had numerous chances to set the contract. West’s lead gave a trick and East could have switched to spades at some point to break up the endplay. However, declarer might still have gone wrong if East kept hold of his last club at the end. West could then throw one club and two spades, giving declarer a nasty guess: was West 3=3=2=5 with the spade king dropping, or was he this shape when the endplay was working?
Bid with the Aces
Answer: 3♥
This hand is too strong for a simple raise to two hearts, even a constructive one. With two aces, four-card support and what could be a useful ruffing value, I would make a limit raise of three hearts.
Agree!