Hand of the day #557
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the...
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the players in the article.
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♠6
Sometimes the most difficult hands are ones where you appear to have an embarrassment of riches, with numerous ways to take or develop tricks.
Looking for the safest way to achieve your goal is complicated by the fact that when you believe your chances appear very good, it is easy to relax and take your eye off the ball.
Consider today’s deal, where at one table in a team game the defenders led and continued spades against three no-trump. South made the apparently natural move of ducking the spade ace until the third round. Then he tested the red suits and had no joy there, falling back on the club finesse. West (who had pitched clubs on the third round of the red suits) had two spades ready to cash when he won his club king, and that meant down one.
In the other room when West led the spade six, declarer ducked East’s king. East could see no reason to do anything but continue with the spade two. (Yes, a club shift would have worked better, but that is far from obvious.)
South rose with the spade ace and tested the red suits. When East proved to guard both of these suits, declarer put West on play with a spade. That player could cash two spade winners but then had to lead from his club king into South’s ace-queen. This line is guaranteed to succeed if East has length in both red suits.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 5♦ or Pass if vulnerable
Your approach here may depend on the form of scoring and the vulnerability. I tend rarely to save at rubber bridge. At pairs or teams I think you should pass if vulnerable: a sacrifice rates to cost at least 500 (even if facing a decent hand such as six good diamonds and four clubs to the queen). Nonvulnerable I bid five diamonds first and count the cost later; let the opponents make the last mistake.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
You can now play the hand of the day on BBO+ and compare how you get on with the players in the article.
"4D" will be provoking the opps to declare "4 Sp". Let them play "3 Sp". You allways have the chance to bid "5 D" if they declare "4 Sp".
((By the way, I also tought of "4 D". This comment came after I red the answer))
Would 4D be an option?