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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♣K

In today's deal West entered with the unusual no-trump, showing at least 5-5 shape in the minor suits. South's double proclaimed a strong hand, and North now had a problem. His selection of three hearts on a hand containing an ace and a king was an underbid; I think that four clubs would have been best. All was well, though, when South rebid three spades and North raised to four spades. How would you play this when West leads the club king to your ace?

Declarer could see eight spades and only six hearts between his hand and the dummy. It seemed therefore slightly more likely that West held one spade and two hearts rather than the other way around. So he crossed to the trump king and led a diamond to the ace. A heart to the ace was followed by another diamond toward the South hand.

East saw that he could not gain by ruffing a loser with a master trump so he discarded, and declarer won with the diamond king. He then surrendered the third round of diamonds, planning to ruff the fourth round. West won the trick and could not thwart declarer’s plan. If he returned a diamond, declarer would ruff with dummy’s five and the defenders would then score just two trump tricks to go with the one diamond trick. If instead West returned a club, declarer would ruff in his hand and lead a fourth round of diamonds himself, ruffing in the dummy.

Either way, the contract was home.

Bid with the aces

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

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