Bookworm Bridge Conundrums #94
This conundrum was written by Mark Horton and was originally published...
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: ♦2
Some suit combinations are instinctive, but what your instinct tells you to do is not always right. With a trump suit of A-10-7-3 facing K-J-8-6, you can cash the king and run the jack, OR cash the ace and run the 10 to guard against 4-1 trumps in whichever hand you choose. But let's look at the full deal from last fall's nationals in Seattle to see how to apply the rules.
North-South competed to the three-level with only eight trumps (a violation of the Law of Total Tricks) when both players perhaps did a little too much. North’s decision to compete to two spades with only four trumps when facing a likely three-card holding was perhaps out of line. (North-South would have managed to collect 200 from three hearts doubled, though it is not so easy to defend with West declarer).
In three spades on a diamond lead, declarer had successfully crossed the first hurdle. Trumps were clearly 4-1, given East’s decision to compete so high facing a passed partner, so South ran the spade 10, covered all around, then ducked a club, won by West’s jack.
A passive diamond exit let declarer cash two more rounds of diamonds, then play a second club. Whatever West did, South could play to ruff a club with the spade ace and run the spade seven, finessing against the nine for nine tricks.
Incidentally, best defense would have held declarer to eight tricks in three spades if he had started trumps by leading the ace.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 2♥
You could simply blast out three no-trump here, but there is a risk that you are off the whole club suit, or that your partner has a positional club stop and that game might be better played his way up. Temporize with two hearts, knowing that partner shouldn't raise to four hearts, since a simple raise would be forcing.
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.
Why would N bid 1 Heart over a dbl? Would that not have been a psyche? Why not RDBL? then play in NT?
Or Why would not North bid 1S? south opened a Convenient minor. Too much fancy stuff. Keep it simple!