Bookworm Bridge Conundrums #89
This conundrum was written by Mark Horton and was originally published in t...
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: ♣9
I’m reluctant to impose sophisticated conventional calls on my readers, but in today’s deal the North-South pair were using an artificial series of calls after Stayman to distinguish between those balanced hands with slam interest that had four–card support for partner, and those that did not. Their agreement was to use a jump to four no-trump after Stayman as quantitative, not Blackwood, and to use four diamonds as agreeing partner’s major with a balanced hand.
South heard his partner make a slam-try and decided his extra shape and nice controls were enough to drive to slam after Blackwood. Indeed, six hearts was a decent contract, but required careful play.
When West led his singleton club, declarer could see he had six tricks in the side suits. To come to 12 tricks, he would need to score two ruffs in one hand or the other and draw trumps after that. Thus he needed to play for ruffs before drawing trump.
He took the opening club lead with the ace and returned the suit. West showed out, correctly discarding a spade rather than ruffing in. Declarer won his club king and now took the top spades, ruffed a spade low, then gave up a club. East won and played a fourth club, and declarer ruffed high and drew trumps, relying on the 3-2 break.
Notice that if declarer plays to take diamond ruffs in dummy with a low trump, then a high trump, East can overruff early and defeat the slam.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 3♣
Your partner's double is for takeout, not penalties. All low-level doubles of suit bids facing a passing partner are not for penalties, so your partner rates to have a shape broadly similar to 1-3-3-6. If he happens to have four hearts and six diamonds, he will correct your call of three clubs to three diamonds — which you will pass. But for the time being, simply bid your clubs and take it from there.
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.
Today's Bid with the Aces is wrong ... not pard who Xed but opp.
Clearly you are now aware of the error in the bidding. Presumably East passes again and the South hand (shown) has a dilemma.
Declarer goes down if W ruffs the club king on trick 2. The is no way to make the slam double-dummy.
The description was incorrect. Declarer let the club 9 ride around to his king and then played towards dummy’s ace. West discarded and the club ace won trick 2.