Hand of the day #268
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff Sometimes the problem in a bridge deal becomes...
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
If you can focus on the problem in today's deal, you are halfway to solving the problem. As South, declarer in three no-trump, you win the heart lead and can count eight tricks only.
Opening Lead: ♥7
To establish your ninth winner, you need to set up a diamond trick, but you cannot simply lead out three rounds of diamonds or East will win and play back a second heart, letting West run that suit. So you need to keep East off play for the duration of the deal.
Having established a plan, you cash the club ace at trick two, playing the club five from dummy, then lead the club jack to the king to advance the diamond nine.
East must cover or you will let the nine run. Now you win the diamond ace, on which West should let the diamond seven go, and play the club 10 back to the queen in dummy in order to lead the diamond eight from the board. East can cover by putting up the queen, but you can win the king. What is West to do? If he plays low, declarer exits with a diamond and West must win his jack. But if he unblocks the jack, then declarer’s six will unexpectedly be high.
In summary, if declarer is to make his contract, he needs the diamonds to be 3-3 and West to win the defense’s diamond trick. So East can have no more than two of the defense’s four top diamonds.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 3♥
Since the jump to three diamonds is game-forcing, you cannot pass, much as you might like to. I think fewer problems will come from giving false-preference to three hearts than from raising diamonds. On this auction a doubleton heart is all your partner has a right to expect.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
