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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♣K

This week's deals all come from past NEC tournaments. In today's deal four spades looks a decent spot unless the defenders lead a top club early, as you can play to establish the diamond queen for a club discard. Naturally, at the featured table in a match between Australia and a Beijing squad, the lead was the club king.

Both declarers fell from grace. The Australian declarer took the club lead, cashed a top spade, and played a heart. When a diamond came back, he had no chance to make.

The Chinese declarer won the opening lead and played a heart at once, which East won to play back a club (a diamond was necessary now). West did his best by winning and switching back to hearts, but declarer ruffed and led a club, and the two-two trump break meant he was home.

The board was played at eight tables in the quarter-finals of the main event, but only one declarer, Leon Jacobs of the Netherlands, made four spades by ducking the opening club lead. This might feel as if it risks undertricks, and indeed it does if the clubs split 4-1; but then you were never making your game whatever you did.

The point is that after declarer ducks the club, the defenders can’t continue clubs, or the diamond loser eventually goes away when clubs break 3-2. Even after a heart shift at trick two, followed by a diamond through from East, declarer sets up a diamond discard for the losing club.

Bid with the aces

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

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