ACES ON BRIDGE/ OPINION

“Ah, take the cash and let the credit go, Nor heed the rumble of a distant drum!”

— Edward Fitzgerald We conclude our tournament week with two deals that were nominated for the IBPA declarer play award in 2020.

In the first, Jan Jansma started with a redouble to show diamonds facing his partner’s three-way one club, then balanced with two clubs to imply both minors. He chose that route because he did not want to hear a two-heart call from his partner, which would be fairly likely after a reopening double. Chris Willenken converted to two diamonds, where he played.

West led three rounds of hearts and then shifted to a spade to the queen and ace. From the tempo of East’s final pass, Willenken

was inclined to believe he had a few values, and those seemed likely to include the club king. Accordingly, at trick four, declarer led the club seven and ran it for an intra-finesse. East won the jack and returned a low club to try to catch declarer off-guard or to unblock the suit if his partner had the bare ace left. Willenken backed his judgment and ran the card to dummy’s queen. He then cashed his two spade winners and led a fourth spade.

Had West pitched his heart, he would have been endplayed upon ruffing the third club. He therefore ruffed in with the diamond 10, dummy overruffing. Willenken now led a diamond to the seven. West won and returned the 13th heart, but Willenken overruffed the diamond six with the jack and finessed the diamond eight for his contract, earning a flat board. ANSWER: A one-heart overcall would not be out of line here. You have neither the values nor the shape for a takeout double, and you would like partner to lead a heart. There is a time and place for overcalling on a four-card suit, and this looks like the right moment to me. If vulnerable, the risk might be high, but too dangerous is no excuse. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at bobbywolff@mindspring.com

BOBBY WOLFF