ACES ON BRIDGE
This is a world of compensations, and he who would be no slave must consent to have no slaves. Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
— Abraham Lincoln
In today’s deal, South added 1 point to his 19-count (for aces, his good intermediates, and because it was a Wednesday) and opened two no-trump. North could find no way to declare the hand, so he simply raised to game.
After West’s lead of the spade jack, South reasonably covered with dummy’s queen, perhaps more in hope than expectation, and wisely ducked when the king appeared. He took the next spade trick, worried about a possible heart shift if he ducked again, as West followed with the 10 to suggest a heart entry. Then South passed the club two around to East.
Declarer won the heart return, tested the clubs and claimed nine tricks when they split. No one at the table noticed the blunder that had cost the contract — did you?
It was West who let the game make, when a more thoughtful defense can set it. He must put up his club 10 on the first round. If declarer lets the 10 hold, West has the spade suit to cash, and if South covers the 10 with his king, he no longer has any entries to dummy to reach the good clubs.
Note that if declarer cashes the club ace at trick three, East has to unblock an honor to set the hand — otherwise South ducks a club to him in safety. But when East unblocks, West’s club 10 again causes declarer the same problem. He cannot duck the club and leave West on play, and he cannot capture the club 10 in dummy, or he loses the entry to the long suit.
ANSWER: This hand has a clear answer at pairs, and a slightly less obvious one at teams. On blind auctions like this, look for a sequence to lead from or a five-card suit. Alternatively, you try to locate a five-card major in partner’s hand. Here, the heart sequence stands out like the proverbial sore thumb. Even if a heart doesn’t hit length in partner’s hand, it surely won’t cost a trick.
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at bobbywolff@mindspring.com