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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♠2

In today's deal North-South were playing that if South doubled at his second turn, it would show any hand with three-card heart support. So South's two-diamond rebid denied three-card heart support, and North decided to bid game in diamonds without further ado. A reasonable alternative would have been to bid three spades at his second turn. South would then have bid three no-trump, which would come home today easily enough.

How would you play the diamond game when West leads the spade two to the ace and East returns a low spade? Were you tempted to make the “cost-nothing” play of inserting the 10? Do that, and, as the cards lie, you would go down! The problem is that you would use up an entry to dummy prematurely.

To make the contract, you must rise with the spade king. You then cash the heart ace and finesse the trump queen successfully. Your aim now is to set up a long heart.

You ruff a heart and play a trump to the ace, East showing out. A second heart ruff is followed by a spade ruff with dummy’s last trump. You then ruff a fourth round of hearts.

It makes no difference whether West overruffs with his master trump or discards on the trick. Either way, you will be able to cross to dummy with the club ace and discard your club loser on the heart that you have established.

Bid with the aces

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

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