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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♣4
Both defenders were to blame for allowing South’s game to make. In response to his partner’s overcall, West led the club four. Declarer rose with dummy’s ace, cashed the top diamonds for a club discard – West following with the two and three – and when East’s queen dropped, continued with the diamond jack, looking for all the world like a player with another club to jettison.
East ruffed low; South overruffed, then followed up with the heart jack. East took the ace and returned the club king, but South ruffed, drew the rest of the trump, and conceded two spades. Game made.
East certainly did not shine. Even if West had started with a singleton club and the club king had stood up, with West being able to overruff declarer on a third club, that, along with the trump ace, would only have represented three tricks. East should have appreciated that to defeat the contract, West needed to hold the spade ace. That being so, the fourth defensive trick would have to come from either a spade ruff or the club king.
Therefore, East should have played a low spade to partner’s ace and hoped that he could tell what to do from West’s subsequent action. When West returns the spade deuce, the ruff should be delivered.
West wasn’t blameless, though. He should have given a clear suit-preference signal of the 10 on the second diamond, and underscored it with the nine on the third.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 3♦
You have just enough to make one game-try (without those spade intermediates I would feel passing two spades was the wisest approach) and by far the most descriptive call is a bid of three diamonds. This strongly suggests your precise hand-pattern, after which you can abide by partner's decision as to level and strain.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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