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The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♠J
After South opened one heart, North's two-no-trump call showed a forcing heart raise, while South's jump to game showed a minimum with no shortage. North now simply bid the small slam with some confidence, but the duplication of values and mirror-image shapes of the two hands made slam a parlous spot.
Can you find a legitimate line to bring home the bacon? The answer lies in your club spots, coupled with the fact that the opponents’ spades are divided 5-2, so they have no flexibility as to who will win the third round of that suit.
After the lead of the spade jack, you plan to eliminate the side-suits and hope to receive something to your advantage. Win the spade ace, then take the heart ace and queen. Cash the spade king, noting East’s queen, then play off the diamond ace and king, and lead out the club jack. You are hoping that West will duck, and in such situations leading the lower of touching honors is more likely to persuade West to play low. If he does not cover, you can endplay him with the third round of spades to lead clubs for you. However, if he covers the club jack, you can succeed if you play East to hold the club 10. (If spades are 5-2, you expect East to be longer in clubs.) Win the club ace, then cash the club queen and endplay East with a club to give you a ruff-sluff, on which your losing spade goes away.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 2♠
Your partner rates to have real extras, but if he had a second suit, he would surely have bid it rather than redouble. Given your initial pass, your partner will not expect too much from you if you raise to two spades now, and your major-suit holdings suggest bidding rather than passing. So I would bid two spades.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
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