Friday evening April 18, 2008

Lead: King of diamonds

I finally get to use a Splinter Bid! The 4C bid shows an opening hand, limit raise or better in spades, shortness in clubs and slam interest. Partner's bid of 4S means she doesn't have a diamond or heart stopper, however West has it covered. Blackwood settles the number question, which is all West needs to know in order to get to slam. The play is routine, losing only the ace of hearts; everything else is cross ruffed.

Friday evening April 18, 2008

I love bridge! This is the kind of auction and set of hands that makes this game so wonderful. North bids badly and is rewarded! Notice if South is the one to bid 1NT over North's supposed 1S raise, EW get the first seven tricks; five diamonds and two clubs. However, with North playing the hand, there's the possibility that East will underlead one of his A-K holdings, say the diamond. North scores the queen, then runs spades and leads a high club. What will East's three discards be? Probably a heart, a club and a diamond. There goes the ball game. What will West's two discards be? A diamond and a club? Regardless, lucky North ends up scoring the jack of clubs, making two.

On the other side the bidding has gone P-P-1NT-all pass and gets the five of hearts for a lead. East plays the A-K of diamonds and loses the jack to the queen. What would North naturally lead back? A heart. Let's say South steps up with the ace. What is he going to return? Yuck. Lead from the A-Q-10 of spades? Probably not. A club. Thank you very much; two clubs, four diamonds, and two hearts. They never find the spades.

Thursday evening April 24, 2008

Lead: queen of spades

Declarer needs some huzpa to make this contract with an overtrick, but there is a way. The fourth heart dangles on the board, waiting to be collected. After two spade tricks, the third lead knocks out the ace. East must have courage and lead toward the queen, hoping South has the ace. South's fingers tremble but he must resist the temptation to jump on the ace and cash his fourth spade. Most South's will not be able to resist and will return a diamond, the nine flushing out the jack from North. With the ace of clubs gone, declarer has another entry to the board in order to finesse the big heart, which falls. Declarer gets four hearts, two clubs, a spade and a diamond for +2 and 120 points. Meanwhile, two hearts makes 2 or 1 for 110 max and not a top board.

Thursday evening April 24, 2008

Lead: seven of hearts

The queen of hearts would have been just as friendly as the seven, giving declarer three tricks in the suit. In this very aggressive contract, declarer needs to find the king of diamonds in the East after he forces the ace of spades out. Declarer makes three spades, two clubs, three hearts and four diamonds. Notice that any lead but a heart will cause the contract to go down.

Thursday evening April 24, 2008

Lead: queen of diamonds

North has has no choice but to take the ace, conceding a trick to declarer who will lose either a diamond or heart in the end after drawing trump. It's an aggressive slam bid but works in this case as the hearts divide 3-3.