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: ♠Q
The following example of a double throw-in is not especially complex, but the satisfaction that derives from being able to offer both opponents an unpalatable choice is a rich one.
If you had reached three no-trump after West’s weak-two opening bid, there would have been no story of course, since nine tricks are easy enough. But in four hearts on a spade lead, you win in hand and play a heart to the ace, then take two more rounds of trumps. West exits with another top spade, and you take it in dummy. What now?
Since West has nine cards in the majors, you are actually guaranteed to make your contract in very straightforward fashion. The solution is very simple; simply cash the ace-king in both minor suits.
When you cash the minor-suit winners, if West follows twice in both minors, you can take your choice of plain-suit cards to lead now — they all work. But if, as here, West turns up with a singleton club, you simply exit by leading a diamond (and vice versa).
If West is allowed to score his diamond jack, he can also cash a spade trick, but must then play another spade and allow your club loser to vanish. If East overtakes the diamond jack to cash a club, then he is left with only minor-suit cards to play, and the defenders never get their spade winner. Either way, one opponent is going to be left feeling very irritated!
Bid with the aces
Answer: 3♠
Cue-bid three spades, planning to follow up with a bid of four diamonds over a three no-trump bid from your partner. You are certainly going to go to at least six diamonds, but you would like partner to take control — you have a much better hand to answer questions than ask them, since your hand is all controls.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
If you’re a BBO+ member, you can now play the Hand of the Day directly on BBO as part of your membership benefits.
Go to the BBO+ section, select BBO+ Games and Events, then click Play Today’s Deal to give it a try and compare your result with the players featured in the article.
