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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♠K
There are few truly original bridge writers, whose deals not only make you think but also are a pleasure to read. One author whose work I never fail to enjoy is Julian Pottage of Wales. Today's deal comes from a book of his called "A Great Deal of Bridge Problems."
Imagine the play in five clubs after you have ruffed the opening lead of the spade king — there are two quite plausible approaches. Say you cross to a trump and lead a diamond to the king and ace. Back comes a trump, and you win in dummy to play a second diamond, won by West, who leads a second trump. Twist and turn as you might, you can no longer make the hand.
You would never do that, would you? You would lead a heart to dummy at trick two and play a diamond to the king and ace. However, the defenders now play back a heart and East will win the second diamond to give his partner a ruff unless you draw trump. If you do that, there will be no diamond ruff in dummy!
The trap to avoid is trying to get to dummy to lead up to your diamond king. However you try to do this, you will go down as the cards lie. But the solution is simply to lead a diamond from your own hand at trick two. Now you cannot be prevented from making 11 tricks.
Lead with the aces
Answer: ♣5
Facing a third-in-hand pre-empt (which you can infer to be relatively light, given how the opponents have brushed it aside and bid to three no-trump), you have the choice of a heart lead or a club lead. My instincts are to lead a club — if I'm wrong, I probably have given up no more than a trick in that suit. But my heart jack may become a trick if declarer misguesses how to play the suit.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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