The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Opening Lead: ♣3
Sometimes your contracts appear to play themselves; in such cases all declarer has to do is go with the flow and keep track of the cards being played and tricks being taken. Surprising things may then happen at the denouement.
Per-Ola Cullin was declarer on just such a deal. At matchpoint pairs he played four spades, winning the club three with his ace. A diamond to the king was followed by a heart ruff, then the diamond ace and diamond ruff. The next heart ruff brought the king down and a diamond from dummy was ruffed by East with the spade seven (the fatal error) to be overruffed with the eight.
When the heart king fell on the third round of the suit, Cullin played off the spade king, then led a club and ruffed it with the spade ace, on which West was caught in an unusual squeeze. If he discarded a heart, declarer would next play the heart queen and 10. This would either win the trick or promote the trump 10 to declarer’s 12th trick. At the table, West discarded his diamond, but was then thrown in with the spade jack and had to lead away from the heart jack into declarer’s tenace.
East’s ruff with the spade seven was the defenders’ fatal error, since it was virtually impossible for the play to promote anything for partner. Had East retained his trump, West could successfully have discarded a heart at the critical moment.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 2♦
Your extra shape plus high cards compel you to make a try for game here despite your void in partner's suit. A call of two diamonds suggests diamond length (typically three, not four) since you would raise hearts if you could. From here on, you have done enough; partner must take control now.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
