Hand of the day #354
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the...
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the players in the article.
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♠J
Before we look at the contract of six hearts, a word on the auction. If you play two-over-one game-forcing (meaning that a two-level response in an uncontested auction sets up a sequence that cannot die below game), then North's jump to three hearts shows good trump support and slam interest.
South has minimum trump support but excellent side-suit controls. When he shows his spade and diamond cards, North takes control and uses Blackwood to bid six hearts.
When the spade jack is led, South should see at once that he has no losers in the side suits and should therefore focus his attention on holding his trump losers to one. The natural thing to do is to win the spade lead in hand and play a heart to dummy’s queen. If it loses, South will regain the lead and then play the heart ace — ready to finesse against East if he turns up with four trumps, and losing only to a singleton king with East.
What if the trump finesse holds? It would be easy (but fatal today) to cash the heart ace next. Instead, declarer must make the somewhat unnatural move of coming back to hand with a club to lead the heart nine. If West follows with a small trump, declarer must duck in dummy. This will sometimes lose a trick unnecessarily to East’s 10, but giving up on an overtrick to secure the slam is a price worth paying.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 3NT
However risky your initial response to one heart was, your partner has set up a game-force. Passing now would be a breach of discipline even though it might work. Your best chance to put the brakes on is to bid three no-trump. You may not make it, but at least you won't tempt partner to flights of fancy. Raising clubs might see him reaching for the sky.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the players in the article.
