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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♠6

It happens more often than it should that declarer falls at the first hurdle – by miscalculating whether to duck or win the trick. Today, when West leads the spade six against three no-trump, East covers the 10 with the jack. How do you plan to make nine tricks?

If you let the spade jack hold, East will shift to the heart queen very smartly and, as he has two entries to his heart suit, you will lose a spade, three hearts, a diamond and a club for down two.

So you must win the first trick and then decide which minor suit to play next. I hope you will see that you should play on diamonds next, because tackling clubs first would see you lose the contract whenever West began with five spades, as well as the diamond ace, and East started with the club king.

So you should lead the diamond king next. East wins his diamond ace and exits with a spade. Only now do you duck the spade, severing the link in spades between the defenders’ hands.

You will win the next trick in hand and take the club finesse by running the club nine. East will win the king and will have no spade to play. So you will make two tricks in each of spades, hearts and diamonds, plus three in clubs.

Note that even if East did have a spade to play, you would still take nine tricks as long as spades were originally 4-4.

Lead with the aces

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

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