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: ♥8
At the Dyspeptics Club the players are not given to introspection. Thus it was remarkable that after South had made his game, he reconsidered his play and admitted that he had missed the best line.
Against five diamonds doubled, West led the heart eight, won with dummy’s ace. South cashed the spade ace and led a second spade, East ruffing in with the diamond 10 and South overruffing. Declarer ruffed his heart loser with dummy’s solitary trump and now had the problem of returning to his hand to draw trump.
Worried that East would ruff in again, promoting a trump trick for West. South decided to play a club instead. East tried to cash two rounds of the suit, relying on his partner for a trump trick. So South made his doubled game.
South was not slow to comment that perhaps East might have played a low club after winning his king, putting his partner in with the queen for another spade play to generate the trump promotion. However, there was no need for declarer to give the opponents this opportunity. Do you see what he had missed?
South was right to worry about the trump promotion but found the wrong solution. He should simply have played a spade anyway, and when East ruffs in, then South discards a club. Even if East is able to put his partner in for a further spade play, there are only two trumps out and declarer has the ace and king, so no further trump promotion is possible.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 3NT
First question: Is three clubs forcing? And if not, should it be? In my view the call is not forcing but that doesn't mean your partner has a subminimum opening bid, just that he doesn't have enough to drive to game facing a 10-count. You may not make three no-trump, but your fitting clubs and ability to stop hearts mean you must make the call.
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.
