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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♣6
Plan the play in a team game if you declare three no-trump on the lead of the club six.
The only danger to your contract is if the clubs are 5-2. If the suit is 4-3, you should be able to survive almost any misguess. But if clubs are 5-2, there is a chance that you may lose four club tricks and the diamond ace. If you put in the club jack at the first trick, then, if East wins the trick with a doubleton queen or ace, he can simply return the suit. Now, whenever West has the diamond ace, he will get in and cash out his five winners.
Much better is to go up with the club king at trick one. Now, if East has the doubleton club queen, the defenders’ club holding is completely blocked, and declarer can set up the diamonds in comfort. But as the cards lie today, with East holding the doubleton club ace, this play would not succeed. East would capture the club king with the ace and set up the suit for his partner, so long as West overtakes the club nine on the second round.
The only way to be certain of avoiding that fate is to play low from dummy at trick one. Play it through and see for yourself. East can win the first club cheaply but cannot continue the suit effectively, and declarer has time to set up the diamonds.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 4♠
In this auction it is not clear that three spades would be forcing — although maybe it should be, since with a limit raise you might have shown it at your first turn. Regardless, with no great slam potential facing a hand that cannot bid over three clubs, you might as well simply drive to four spades by bidding it directly.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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