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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♣K
In the Dutch bridge magazine IMP, Onno Eskes has investigated the limits of computers' abilities at bridge. He predicts that the next generation of bridge programs will beat world champions within the next five years. Here is the computer at work.
Against three diamonds doubled, West leads out the three top clubs and East follows suit with the two, eight, and jack (suggesting an original odd number). Can the hand still be made?
The problem is virtually an open book after West’s Flannery opening, the penalty double, and East’s signals. It may not seem possible that you can prevent East from taking three trump tricks, but for the computer, these types of problems are a cinch. It ruffs the third round of clubs, takes the heart finesse, and ruffs a spade in dummy. The heart ace is cashed and we have reduced to a five-card ending where dummy has three trumps, a club loser and a heart loser, South has three trumps with a spade and a heart loser, and East has all his five trumps.
When the last club is led from North, East must ruff high to prevent the diamond eight from becoming South’s ninth trick, allowing declarer to discard the heart eight. East is now forced to exit with a high diamond, taken by North’s ace. East is then forced to play yet another high trump on the lead of dummy’s heart, and now he is endplayed, having to lead away from his 9-7 of trumps; his third trump winner has vanished!
Bid with the aces
Answer: Double or 2♠
You have a nice hand with real potential, but you do not need to communicate that message all at once. Your initial choice is either a cue-bid of two spades to show a limit raise or better in hearts, or a negative double to show both minors. The advantage of the double is that it keeps the auction low and lets partner describe his hand — if the opponents allow him to.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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Of course, a heart lead sinks 3D right away because East now has safe club exit cards.