Hand of the day #242
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff The old-fashioned textbooks tell you to lead k...
The Aces On Bridge by Bobby Wolff
Today’s hand, from the 2006 Bonn teams tournament, illuminates a brilliant and imaginative defense by Tom Townsend, a regular on the English team.
Opening Lead: ♣J
At one table Colin Simpson received a club lead and had no difficulty in bringing home his three-no-trump contract, given the kindly lie of the opponents’ major-suit cards. He unblocked hearts, then led a spade toward the dummy. When West won his king and returned a low club, that allowed declarer an easy route to nine tricks.
Townsend, at the other table, also led a club against the no-trump game. Declarer unblocked the hearts, then led a spade toward dummy. Winning perforce, Townsend appreciated that declarer held most, if not all, of the hidden high-card points. So he switched to the diamond jack. This ruse needed his partner, David Gold, to hold the 10, but without that card, there would have been no defense.
Declarer, reading West for the diamond J-10 and East for the ace, was not inclined to smell a rat. He won in hand with the king, then played another spade toward dummy. Back on lead, Townsend saw his plan through by leading the diamond three. The eight from dummy lost to Gold’s 10, and Gold returned a diamond to Townsend’s ace.
West now fixed declarer firmly in dummy by returning his last heart, and Gold took the setting trick with the spade jack — from a hand that at the outset looked unlikely to take even one trick, let alone two.
Bid with the aces
Answer: 2♠
The simple answer is to raise to three spades, with invitational values and four trumps. Not unreasonable, but in my view your scattered queens and singleton in partner’s first suit are not worth more than a raise to two spades. Conversely, had my partner opened one diamond instead of one club, I would jump to three spades, expecting to have a more useful hand for my partner.
This Hand of the Day was originally published on aces.bridgeblogging.com.
What if the 1 club opening was a "short club" and opener
was looking for a major fit which in turn was found out?
He would be pleased to go to game if he had some cards and maybe a honor in Hearts.
3 Spades