Hand of the day #812

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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff

Opening Lead: ♣K

The bridge columnist who originally reported this deal did so as a kind of mea culpa, airing his sin and hoping for forgiveness. Of course, I will not tell you who it was, but the deal does involve an interesting mistake — and have you noticed that is really the only sort of error that bridge experts make?

The deal, from the later stages of a world championship, featured matching mistakes. Against three spades, West led the club king and ace. When everyone followed, she continued with a third round of clubs. Had East discarded a diamond on this trick, South would have been doomed, but instead she ruffed with the six. This mistake was duplicated at almost every table where three spades was declared.

South overruffed with the eight and too quickly played a spade to dummy’s jack, after which she could not recover. It should have been obvious that the first spade lead needed to come from the dummy, but first she should have knocked out the diamond ace. Say West continues with a heart. Declarer wins in the dummy and now plays a spade to her king. If West follows, life is easy, but if she shows out, South is still in control. She cashes her other top diamond, ruffs a diamond with the jack, then takes the remaining high heart and ruffs a heart. Now declarer ruffs her last diamond with dummy’s spade 10, and East is powerless. Whatever she does, declarer must make two of the last three tricks.

Bid with the aces

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

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