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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♠A

This week's deals come from the Bermuda Bowl in Veldhoven, Netherlands. Today's deal features a defensive maneuver that eluded one of the players at the, table who was faced with the problem. See if you can do better!

At both tables West passed initially, then upped the ante to four spades at his next turn. Neither East nor West could bid on to five spades over five hearts though; perhaps if East had doubled to show extra shape (NOT penalties), that might have got West to do the right thing.

Anyway, with five spades easy to make, the East-West pairs had to defeat five hearts to avoid disaster.

When Bobby Levin was on lead, he started with the spade ace, on which Steve Weinstein played a suit-preference eight, calling for the higher of the unbid suits. Making sure there was no confusion, Levin thoughtfully played the diamond king at trick two and continued the suit for one down and plus 100 for USA 1.

In the other room Joe Grue also started with the spade ace, and he too switched to a diamond at trick two, but he played a low diamond rather than the king. Justin Lall had to decide whether the spade king was standing up or if his partner had the diamond king. He got it wrong when he won the diamond ace and then tried to cash a second spade. Declarer, Lew Stansby, could ruff and was able to claim 11 tricks.

Lead with the aces

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

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