Hand of the day #558
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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♦7
It is hard to sacrifice a trick voluntarily, and that is especially true when you appear to have been given a free finesse. But never say never, and today's deal is an example of when deception trumps other factors. The deal shows when you might rise with an ace unnecessarily to try to encourage a continuation of the suit led — even at the apparent cost of a trick.
Four hearts might well be the best game, but your auction strongly suggested that you had three hearts and five clubs, and North opted for the nine-card fit. In a sense you have done well to avoid three no-trump here in favor of a suit game, since a spade lead sinks you if the club finesse is wrong — but even so, isn’t five clubs equally doomed?
Not necessarily: West gives you a respite by leading a diamond. If you run this to your hand, you set up an irrelevant discard for a spade from dummy. However the defenders will know to shift to spades when in with the trump king.
A better and more deceptive approach is to win the diamond ace and take the club finesse. Unless East works out to discourage at trick one (and why should he?), West will probably continue diamonds, hoping for the spade switch from East, and he will be sorely disappointed. You now have time to draw trump and set up hearts to provide the discard that really matters, the spade from hand.
Bid with the aces
Answer: Pass
It is important to understand that your redouble sets up a forcing pass for your side through two diamonds — and possibly higher, depending upon partnership agreement. At this moment you have no idea what the best spot for your side is, so why make the decision? Pass and let partner develop his hand appropriately.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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