Hand of the day #216
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff Defense is one of the hardest aspects of the g...
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
As we conclude our themed week, North judges his hand too strong for a pre-emptive raise to four spades.
Opening Lead: ♥3
Holding a fifth trump and a void on the side, he can envisage a slam if the hands fit well, and a splinter-bid of four diamonds (showing 9-12 points or so) may identify this. With a minimum balanced hand, South has no slam interest.
West knows a diamond lead is fruitless. He plumps for a heart instead. East wins the king and… the contract makes. As usual, East should plan the whole defense before playing to the first trick. East knows declarer has no trump loser and at most one club loser (West would have led a top club holding the ace-king). Thus, the defenders must score three heart tricks on the go if they are to set declarer, before a heart potentially disappears on the diamond ace.
West’s heart three lead is not consistent with a doubleton, but it marks declarer with at least three hearts. If West holds the heart queen, any manner of cashing them will suffice. But when West’s honor is the jack East can present declarer with a losing option. He must win the first trick and return a low one, giving declarer a guess with the queen-10. What is more, East should win the heart ace, the card he is known to hold. Declarer knows that West would not underlead the heart ace, after all.
On this defense, declarer is likely to insert the heart 10 at trick two and go down. Indeed only declarers with suspicious minds will succeed.
Bid with the Aces
Answer: 2♥
This hand has just enough for a Michaels cue-bid of two hearts to show spades and a minor. You may still be able to play at the two-level, and you would like to get both suits in while it is relatively safe. The upside of maximizing the chance of finding a fit is obvious here.
Perfect!
2 hearts