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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♦5
At the Dyspeptics Club the players always prefer to attribute a poor result to fate rather than to their own incompetence.
In today’s deal, after going down in his spade game, South claimed that there was nothing he could have done to improve his result. He had not chosen the right partner who would substantiate that claim.
As North said, against four spades West had been faced with an awkward lead. If he had chosen a heart and East had switched to diamonds at either the second or third trick, North admitted that he would have been forced to agree with South’s comment, but in practice West had chosen the diamond five for his opening salvo.
Declarer won East’s king with his ace, drew trump, and finessed in clubs. Everything was wrong — the club finesse lost, West was put in with the diamond queen, and now when he returned a heart, there was no winning guess available to declarer, who had to go one off whatever he did.
Yes, South was unlucky — all the missing high cards were badly placed for him — but can you see a much better line of play that would practically have guaranteed his contract? Try letting East’s diamond king win the first trick.
This gives up a second (but irrelevant) natural winner in diamonds, but the point is that West is now kept out of the lead and can never make the punishing heart switch. After this play, declarer would have made 10 tricks painlessly.
Bid with the aces
Answer: Pass
At your partner's previous turn, two no-trump would not have been forcing. But how much does your partner have in the way of extras? This is unclear in Standard American. I'd expect him to hold about a strong no-trump. With more, he would have cue-bid first. So it seems that you do not have enough extras to raise to four no-trump, quantitative. Give me the diamond queen instead of the jack, and I would bid on.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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