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
Sally Brock has just won England’s first world title at bridge since Great Britain split into its constituent parts for major international events. Sally, an excellent journalist, wrote up this deal from one of the domestic tournaments. It contains a point that could benefit all of us.
Opening Lead: ♦2
At her table, Sally had stopped safely in four spades and thought no more of the board. But in the featured room, North-South got one level higher, and East-West did well to make them pay.
The defenders played two rounds of diamonds, South winning his king. Declarer now played a spade to dummy’s king and a spade back to his ace, East discarding the heart six, showing an even number of cards in the suit. So now, when declarer played a heart, West was able to duck the first heart and win the continuation. Now the diamond queen forced declarer to ruff. Locked in his hand, declarer tried two top clubs and a club ruff, but this allowed West to discard a heart and the contract could no longer be made.
The cause of South’s downfall was that he ruined his communications by playing two rounds of trump too early. He should simply have played a heart at trick two. If West wins the second heart as before and continues diamonds, declarer ruffs a diamond high, draws trumps, and claims the remainder.
Message: Drawing trumps too soon can be as fatal to contracts as drawing trumps too late.
Bid with the Aces
Answer: 2NT
It would not be absurd to pass, since your side has at most 25 HCP. But if partner has a maximum, he might not be too pleased, so perhaps you should invite to game. Best is simply to raise to two no-trump. (You know your side does not have a spade fit or your partner would probably have bid one spade at his previous turn.)
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
Barry, declarer should have cashed two high trumps in hand. If trumps split, he draws the last and makes easily. If 4-1, he knocks out the ht A, ruffs in hand, and can draw trumps with dummy's K and Q.