And Everything Deal

//And Everything Deal

Two problems for you:

(1) IMPs, North.South vulnerable. As South you hold

S 4
H Q 9 7 5
D J 5
C A K Q J 9 2

You are surprised to hear North open 2C, strong and artificial. You respond3C, and he bids 3D. What is your next call?

(2) IMPs, North.South vulnerable. As West you hold

S K 9
H 6 4
D Q 10 9 7 4
C 6 5 4 3

WestNorthEastSouth
2CPass3C
Pass3DPass4NT
Pass5D(1)Pass7NT
All Pass
1(1) One or four Key Cards.

What is your opening lead?


One thing that made the late Alfred Sheinwold a great newspaper columnist was his wisdom in focusing on a single point of technique. When I write “Daily Bridge Club” columns, I take a lesson from him. But the most memorable deals you and I encounter have everything — judgment in the auction, challenge in the play and a chance for astute defense.

The deal below appeared on OKBridge in May.

Dlr: North Vul: N-S

North
S A Q J
H A K 10
D A K 8 6 3 2
C 7
West
S K 9
H 6 4
D Q 10 9 7 4
C 6 5 4 3
East
S 10 8 7 6 5 3 2
H J 8 3 2
D
C 10 8
South
S 4
H Q 9 7 5
D J 5
C A K Q J 9 2
WestNorthEastSouth
2CPass3C
Pass3DPass4NT
Pass5DPass7NT
All Pass

The bidding

Experienced players know that Easley Blackwood devised his convention not to bid slams but to avoid them with a lack of aces. Using Blackwood is generally wrong when you may lack the material for 12 tricks, when a control in an unbid suit may be absent or when trump quality is an issue. Nevertheless, Blackwood may be a practical solution to a bidding problem.

South, looking at 13 high-card points and a solid six.card suit, heard their partner open 2C. Although it was possible North held AKQ3, J4, AKQ8764, , South was willing to gamble on a heart control. For the sake of simplicity, South took control with Roman Key Card Blackwood, and when North showed four key cards, South shot the moon.

The play

West did not relish any lead and tried the D10. South took the ace of course and noted East’s spade discard. The grand slam was then icy-cold. Declarer took the HAK and led a heart to his queen. When West discarded, South took the DK and ran the clubs, reaching:

Dlr: North Vul: N-S

North
S A Q
H
D 8
C
West
S K 9
H
D Q
C
East
S 10 8
H J
D
C
South
S 4
H 9
D
C 2

The lead of the last club executed a double squeeze. West had to discard a spade, South threw dummy’s diamond, and East had to pitch a spade to keep the HJ. When South led to the SA next, the king was sure to fall. The SQJmight as well have been the three and deuce.

If West had turned up with the guarded HJ, South would have taken the SAbefore running the clubs, squeezing West in the red suits.

The defense

It may appear there wasn’t one, but say West listens to the bidding and places South with solid clubs for his Blackwood bid, and North with diamonds (which West knows won’t run) and the remaining primary honors. So West leads … the S9!

South won’t stake the slam on an immediate spade finesse. He will take the ace and cash the DA, and the play will become ambiguous.

South could succeed by guessing the heart position or by taking the HAKQand running the clubs to squeeze West in diamonds and spades. But if South thinks East has the SK (and East can encourage that notion by signaling with a high spade at the first trick), South may go wrong and try for an illusory spade heart squeeze against East. South may make the slam, but maybe he won’t.

It’s a deal to remember.

2018-03-02T17:28:47-08:00By |Categories: Bridge Hand Review|0 Comments

About the Author:

Frank Stewart is one of the world's most prolific bridge journalists. He won many tournament events before devoting himself to writing. Frank has published hundreds of magazine and on-line articles. He has written 24 books, among them "Becoming an Expert," "Play Bridge With Me," "Who Has the Queen?" and most recently "Keys to Winning Bridge." In 2014, Frank Stewart received the International Bridge Press Association's Alan Truscott Award. He has been the senior analyst for ACBL-wide Charity and International Fund events since 1980. Frank and his wife, Charlotte, a pediatric speech pathologist, live in Fayette AL. They have a 17-year-old daughter.

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