Hand of the day #638

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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♥J

South did two bad things on this deal. The first need not have been too expensive; the second proved very costly.

When East opened three no-trump, conventionally showing a four level pre-empt in a minor with a broken suit, South doubled and West retreated to four clubs. North doubled — right he was, since the contract can be set four tricks — but South was concerned that the double was cards not for blood, and that any penalty might not compensate for a vulnerable game.

Accordingly he bid four spades, and West led the heart jack against this contract. East won the ace and returned the club three for his partner to ruff. Now West switched to the diamond seven, and South won in hand and drew trump, throwing two diamonds and a heart from dummy.

South now knew that East had started with eight clubs, two spades, and had shown up with one card in each red suit. If his missing card was a diamond, an extra trick could be established there. However, when declarer tried the suit, East showed out, and the contract failed.

South should have known that had East begun with a singleton heart, he would surely have returned the club 10, suit preference at trick two. So instead of testing diamonds, South could have played a heart to dummy and ruffed a heart. That would have left East with only clubs. Now comes a losing finesse of the club queen; on the forced club return, West is squeezed in hearts and diamonds.

Bid with the aces

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

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