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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♥5

Terence Reese was the expert's expert when it came to writing. He was the first to publicize plays that are now part of every top player's repertoire. The following example, from his book "The Expert Game," shows how ruffing-squeezes materialize, and also how good players build up a picture of the whole hand and convert that assessment into a winning endgame.

When this hand occurred in the Cavendish Pairs, the field generally elected to open one diamond, although the hand offers an impossible rebid no matter what happens next. To my mind that argues for a strong opening bid. Be that as it may, a sizable percentage of the field went overboard in six diamonds, and only one pair was lucky enough to make it when the opening lead by an uninspired West was the spade king. However, the contract is actually laydown on any lead but a club, and should be brought in if East makes the understandable early discard of a spade, allowing South to read the position in that suit. Declarer simply runs all his trumps but two.

In the five-card ending, West must keep three spades and one heart and must thus bare his club king. Now declarer leads to the club ace and ruffs a heart, reducing West to three spades; then a low spade from hand endplays West at trick 12.

If West keeps two hearts and three spades in the five-card ending, a club to the ace executes the same squeeze. West has to release a nonmaterial card because declarer still has a trump left.

Bid with the aces

This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.

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