The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♠5
After North makes a simple raise to two hearts, South would pass with a minimum hand or raise to three hearts obstructively. His three-club call suggests extra shape or high cards looking for help in clubs. North has the good combination of a doubleton club and four trumps, enough to raise to game.
West leads a low spade, and after you decide to play low from dummy, with which card should you win? The queen is best, as later you will want to use the 10 for afinesse, so you can cash the spade ace for a diamond discard.
Next you can afford to cash one top trump, but not both, as you would like to ruff two clubs in dummy, but must give up a club to do so. If two rounds of trump are played, the defenders can surely arrange for the hand with three trumps to win their side’s club trick and return a trump. Then the two club ruffs are reduced to one.
The best way forward at trick three is a low club. Declarer can now make 11 tricks, whatever the return. After taking the trump ace, you lead the spade 10 to the jack; then cash the spade ace for a diamond discard. Now take the club ace and ruff a club. Next lead a diamond to the now bare ace for another club ruff. All that the defense can muster is one more trump trick.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 2NT
Unlike the sequence in today's featured deal, partner's delayed support of hearts strongly suggests only two or three hearts in a very minimum raise. If that is so, you should advance with caution. Here a bid of two no-trump conveys your values nicely and does not lock you into playing hearts. You have already shown your long suits; there is no need to repeat yourself.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
