ACES ON BRIDGE
Jean-Paul Meyer reported Michel Lebel’s declarer play in this hand from a match between Paris and Bordeaux. It was nominated for the IBPA best-played hand award in 2000.
In the closed room, six clubs had gone two down after a quiet one-spade overcall from West. Here, though, West chose to show both majors. Such two-suited overcalls are double-edged swords. They may help your side in the auction but may also give declarer a blueprint in the play.
On the lead of the heart 10, the contract appeared to be doomed, but Lebel had other ideas. He won the heart ace and played a trump to dummy’s ace. Now, critically, he ruffed a heart in his hand.
Lebel took three more rounds of trumps, followed by a diamond to the ace and a diamond ducked to the king. West now had to exit with a heart, isolating the heart menace in his hand. Declarer ruffed and ran the diamonds, ending in hand, to catch West in a major-suit squeeze.
So was the slam lay-down? Yes and no. Suppose West jettisons the diamond king on the run of the trumps. Now when East gains the lead in the suit, a spade shift breaks up the squeeze.
To prevent this brilliancy, after ruffing a heart in hand at trick three, Lebel should lead a diamond, not a trump. Now, if West plays the diamond king, declarer can let it hold. If West then exits with a diamond, it can be taken in dummy. Declarer can ruff a second heart to reach the same ending, or he can draw trumps and set up a trump squeeze.
ANSWER: A competitive three-club call does not promise as much as a jump to three clubs on an unopposed action would. All you need is a good six-card suit and some shape, so bid three clubs here. Diamonds can wait — they are highly unlikely to be your side’s best trump suit.
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at bobbywolff@mindspring.com