The Aces On Bridge 2013 - Bobby Wolff PDF

The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on January 15th, 2013
“I believe in recovery, and as a role model I have the responsibility to let young people
know that you can make a mistake and come back from it.”
— Anne Richards
Dealer: West North

West leads a fourth-highest heart seven against three no- Vul: North- ♠72
trump, and East plays the queen. What is your plan to South ♥62
♦KQ7642
make nine tricks? After taking the heart queen with the ♣AJ5
king, you note that six diamond tricks will be enough for West East
♠AJ94 ♠Q653
the game. Is that too much to ask? Maybe! Suppose the
♥AJ973 ♥Q54
full deal is similar to the layout shown here. ♦3 ♦ J 10 8 5
♣ Q 10 7 ♣93
If your next move is to play the diamond ace and king, South
♠ K 10 8
then when West shows out on the second round, you will ♥ K 10 8
have nowhere to turn. Even if the club queen were ♦A9
♣K8642
doubleton, you would not be able to play the suit to score
five club tricks. Even if the ace and king drop the club South West North East
queen, you will find that dummy’s club jack blocks the suit. 1♥ 2♦ 2♥
3 NT All pass
The solution is to test diamonds in a way that allows you
to recover from a bad break there, so long as the club suit Opening Lead: ♥7
lies favorably for you. You should cash the diamond king
at trick two and return to hand with a diamond to your ace. Whenever the diamond suit
breaks 3-2 you will take your nine top tricks as before. However, when the cards lie as
shown here, you will tackle clubs by leading a low one to the jack next. When that holds,
you cash the diamond queen, throwing a heart, followed by the ace and king of clubs.
That allows you to make a heart, three diamonds and five clubs, because your
communications have been left sufficiently fluid.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Since the two-spade response
South Holds: should be played as natural and forcing, if
♠72 not to game, you have way too much to sign
♥62 off with in three diamonds but no convenient
♦KQ7642 call. The best way to suggest your extras is
♣AJ5 to bid three clubs, describing your values
accurately and helping partner to work out
South West North East what you have. You can support spades at
2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass your next turn if convenient.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013
“A place for everything and everything in its place.”

— Samuel Smiles
Dealer: South North

West leads the diamond queen against your spade game Vul: North- ♠ K J 10 4
and you must somehow avoid the loss of three hearts and South ♥963
♦K63
one club. While East might hold the heart ace, what would ♣QJ5
be a 50 percent chance for anybody else is a far smaller West East
♠52 ♠76
chance for someone with your bad luck. What can you do
♥ A 10 8 ♥QJ42
about it? ♦ Q J 10 8 ♦9542
♣ 10 9 6 3 ♣K74
You win the diamond lead with the ace and draw trump South
♠AQ983
with the ace and king. You then lead the club queen from ♥K75
dummy. East plays low and the queen holds the trick. ♦A7
♣A82
What now? At this point you could cross to dummy and
take the heart finesse, but why not hope that West has South West North East
both the club 10 and nine – in which case he can be 1♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
endplayed? 4♠ All pass
If you continue with ace and another club, East will win Opening Lead: ♦Q
the third round and a switch to the heart queen will sink
you. But since you hope to throw West on lead with the third round of clubs, you should
play the club jack next. East has to cover with the king and you win with the ace.
You cross to the diamond king and ruff a diamond in your hand, eliminating that suit.
When you exit with the club eight, West has to win the trick. Now a minor-suit return will
give you a ruff-and-discard and a heart return will allow you to make the heart king sooner
or later. If East had won the club, you would still have been able to take the heart finesse.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With a ten-count packed with
South Holds: defense you are better off starting with a
♠ K J 10 4 redouble than raising hearts, since your
♥963 hand is not strong offensively. If you do opt
♦K63 for a heart raise many play a two-club call
♣QJ5 here as artificial, suggesting a balanced 7-10
with three trump. I find this a sensible
South West North East treatment (effectively playing Drury after a
1♥ Dbl. double, even when you are an unpassed
?
hand).
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, January 3rd, 2013
“The world is content with setting right the surface of things.”

— Cardinal John Newman
Dealer: South North

I've always liked the deceptive element to bridge, so this Vul: Both ♠J953
hand, which I was shown from the National Swiss Teams ♥985
♦ K 10 7 5 4
Final a few years ago, was especially pleasing. ♣Q
West East
Against the contract of three no-trump West led the spade ♠ Q 10 7 6 2 ♠8
♥A6 ♥KJ7432
six, and the chances of success did not look rosy, with the
♦J3 ♦9862
blockages in clubs and diamonds, not to mention a wide- ♣ A 10 5 3 ♣76
open heart suit. South
♠AK4
♥ Q 10
With limited practical chances, South thought a little ♦AQ
deception might come to his aid. He tried the effect of the ♣KJ9842
spade nine from dummy, and when the eight appeared on
South West North East
his right, he overtook with the king. Cashing the diamond 1♣ 1♠ Pass Pass
ace and queen brought down the jack, and declarer could 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
now lead a low club from hand.
Opening Lead: ♠6
To West it looked exactly as if his partner held the
doubleton spade eight, and South had begun with the bare ace-king in that suit. It seemed
unnecessarily dangerous to let declarer reach dummy to cash his good diamonds, so he
rose with the club ace and, after long consideration, produced his “safe” spade exit.
Now South went up with dummy’s jack and cashed the diamonds. At this point declarer
already had nine tricks, but West was so disconcerted when the spade jack held, that he
discarded a club on the run of the diamonds, As a result that suit also came in without
further loss, giving South no fewer than 12 tricks!
The play to trick one is certainly a useful tool to add to your armory.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Respond one spade, planning to
South Holds: compete to two diamonds if one of the
♠J953 opponents rebid clubs. You should introduce
♥985 your major here since you are sure to have a
♦ K 10 7 5 4 fit of sorts, and it is your best chance of
♣Q game. Paradoxically, if you do introduce
diamonds at your next turn, your partner
South West North East should infer you have equal or better
1♣ Dbl. Pass diamonds, since you'd simply rebid a five-
? card major.
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, January 4th, 2013
“In the newspaper office — who are the spooks?

Who wears the mythic coat invisible?”
— Carl Sandberg
Dealer: East North

The bridge press has an association, the IBPA, and I Vul: North- ♠Q84
came across today's deal in an IBPA bulletin from a South ♥ 10 9 7
♦AK87
tournament 30 years ago. ♣KJ5
West East
Against six clubs West led the spade jack, and declarer’s ♠ J 10 9 ♠7532
normal approach was to take this with the king and play a ♥854 ♥J632
♦643 ♦ Q 10 9 5 2
trump; down one against the cruel trump split. ♣ A 10 8 6 ♣—
South
Whatever declarer does, West will score two club tricks, ♠AK6
♥AKQ
sooner or later. ♦J
♣Q97432
However, one player took the spade king and then
crucially played the diamond jack to the ace and ruffed a South West North East
Pass
diamond before playing a trump. The timing had now
1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass
been corrected to give him a chance to make the contract. 2 NT Pass 4 NT Pass
When the bad trump break came to light, declarer, in 6♣ All pass
dummy with the club king, decided to play West for three
Opening Lead: ♠J
cards in each of the side suits. (His choice would have
been to play West for two spades, three hearts and four diamonds, but East’s decision to
pitch a diamond on the first club pushed him in favor of the correct decision).
South ruffed another diamond low in hand and cashed the heart and spade winners
ending in dummy. Now he had reduced to an ending where dummy had the doubleton
club jack and the diamond king, South and West their three highest clubs.
Remarkably, when South ruffed the diamond ace with the club queen, West’s sure second
trump trick had vanished. Whether he overruffed and led into the club tenace, or
underruffed, and then let the club jack score in dummy, he could take only one further
trump trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If you play negative doubles it is
South Holds: important to agree that any time you pass as
♠Q84 responder then double a natural call at your
♥ 10 9 7 next turn, it is geared toward penalties not
♦AK87 take-out. It suggests a trap pass of one heart
♣KJ5 here, since a penalty double was not
available. So pass, and plan to lead a top
South West North East heart if the auction ends here.
1♦ 1♥ Pass 1 NT
Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, January 5th, 2013
“Here lies a poor woman who was always tired,

For she lived in a place where help wasn’t hired.”
— Anon
Dealer: South North

The opponents do not always find the best possible lead Vul: East- ♠Q9763
against your games, and you have to take advantage of West ♥ 10 6 2
♦K52
the opportunities they give. ♣Q2
West East
In today’s deal North had a difficult decision – some would ♠54 ♠A
raise to three spades, some might even have bounced all ♥K974 ♥AQ
♦ J 10 9 4 ♦8763
the way to game. But he opted for the low road today, and ♣ 10 8 3 ♣J97654
East wisely did not introduce a terrible suit over two South
♠ K J 10 8 2
spades, letting South declare four spades, giving West a ♥J853
blind lead. ♦AQ
♣AK
When West led the diamond jack from the top of his
sequence declarer seemed to have four inescapable 1♠ Pass 2♠ Pass
losers. However, he saw a solution — he needed one 4♠ All pass
defender to have a singleton spade ace and for the hearts
to be blocked, with either East or West having a singleton Opening Lead: ♦J
honor or doubleton double-honor. Correctly, he took the
first trick with the diamond ace, then cashed the club ace and king, before making the key
play of overtaking the diamond queen with the king and ruffing a diamond. Now he exited
with a trump.
East won his ace and could do no better than play the heart ace followed by the queen.
This left West with no winning answer and when he allowed the queen to hold, East was
forced to lead a minor suit card next. Declarer ruffed in hand with the spade eight and
threw the heart 10 from dummy. He drew West’s last trump with the king and could claim
his contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The most sensible way to play a
South Holds: sequence where your partner doubles and
♠Q9763 then bids his LHO's suit is for the call to be
♥ 10 6 2 natural. Thus your partner is showing extras
♦K52 and long hearts. East may well have just a
♣Q2 four-card suit to one honor with your partner
having six. But you don't have to commit
South West North East yourself; raise to three hearts just in case
1♣ Dbl. 1♥ you and your partner are not on the same
1♠ 2♣ 2♥ Pass
wavelength.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, January 6th, 2013
ANSWER: This hand constitutes an

automatic overcall because of the additional
Dear Mr. Wolff: side-suit strength. Yes the call is dangerous,
Rubber Bridge seems to pose me special but as I have remarked on many occasions,
problems when it comes to trusting when a call has high risk and reward
aggressive partners. Recently I held: ♠ J-8-7, associated, too dangerous is never an
♥ K-J-9-4, ♦ K-Q-3, ♣ A-5-4 and responded excuse.
one heart to one club. My partner jumped to
four hearts, and I had to decide how much to
bid now. (My partner actually held four Dear Mr. Wolff:
hearts and five clubs and 14 points and I
drove to slam, making when they did not Do you have any comment on the fact that
cash their spade tricks!) the age limit for senior events at bridge is
moving toward 60 from 55? Is 60 the new
— Doubting Thomas, Tucson, Ariz. 50?
— Curmudgeon, Willoughby, Ohio
ANSWER: You were certainly right to be
suspicious – but you knew your customer, of
course, and I suspect nothing you said ANSWER: These days as the age of bridge
would stop them doing the same thing again players is tending to increase, and the
next time. I guess next time go low and if average age of the membership of the ACBL
asked why, explain what happened the last is rising, 60 is indeed quite young at bridge –
time you trusted them! Plus scores at rubber and maybe lower than the average
are rarely bad. member's age. So there is really no choice
but to push the minimum age for seniors up
to 60.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Is it considered the norm for all pairs to play Dear Mr. Wolff:
transfers in response to a no-trump overcall
as well as an opening bid? If so how does Can you talk me through an auction I
one use a transfer into the opponents' suit? recently had? I opened one diamond and
rebid one spade over one heart. My partner
— Pom-Pom, Worcester, Mass. now used the fourth suit to set up a game
force, ♠ Q-10-3-2, ♥ A-4, ♦ K-J-6-5-4, ♣ K-10
and I was not sure whether to rebid
ANSWER: The logic behind transfers, of diamonds, raise hearts, or bid no-trump.
having the strong hand declarer, applies just — Third Rail, Fredericksburg, Va.
as much over the overcall as the opening
bid; a transfer into the opponents' suit could
be natural, or — if you prefer — three-suited
with shortage in their suit. More and more ANSWER: Here a simple rebid of two
pairs play transfers in response to jump two diamonds is both economical and leaves
no-trump rebids, and even in response to a partner room to describe his hand efficiently.
nebulous club. It will take some time before I Raising with a doubleton honor or bidding
change, but I'm an old dog, and it is hard to no-trump are both logical options with these
teach me new tricks. cards if you didn't have my preferred call
available (switch your diamonds and clubs
so that the fourth suit call was two diamonds
and you would have a real problem, for
Dear Mr. Wolff: example).
I'm always in doubt when vulnerable at either
pairs or teams as to when to overcall at the
one-level. For example recently with: ♠ K-9-
5-4-2, ♥ Q, ♦ K-2, ♣ 10-7-5-3-2 I passed over
a one diamond opening bid and we missed
our spade fit. But my suit and hand seemed
so feeble I was reluctant to get involved.
— Red for Danger, Providence R.I.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, January 7th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on January 21st, 2013
“Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.”

— Arnold Bennett
Dealer: West North

Here, you reach a slam after the opponents pre-empt, Vul: East- ♠A52
warning you of bad breaks to come. North's four-club call West ♥843
♦AQ6
was a cuebid, agreeing spades, since having opened one ♣AJ62
no-trump, he would never go past three no-trump without West East
♠7
a fit for you. That encourages you to follow the simple ♠9864
♥ K Q J 10 9 6
route to six spades. ♥2
5
♦ J 10 8 7 5 3
♦4
♣ 10 4
On the lead of the heart two to the ace, you can be ♣Q875
South
entirely sure that hearts are splitting 7-1. That is good ♠ K Q J 10 3
news if you plan to construct an endplay, since West has ♥A7
♦K92
no communications to his partner’s hand. After winning ♣K93
the heart ace, you draw trump, throwing a heart from the
table. Now can you do better than taking the simple club South West North East
finesse? Pass 1 NT 3♥
3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass
4 NT Pass 5♣* Pass
Yes, you can; start by playing a diamond to the queen. 6♠ All pass
Then lead a low club from the table and cover East’s card
*Zero or three of the five key cards
with the nine. Here West wins with the 10 and plays back
a second diamond. You now take the diamond ace and Opening Lead: ♥2
king, then play the spade 10, throwing the last heart from
dummy. This reduces everyone to three cards, and East is squeezed; he cannot keep
both the hearts and clubs guarded.
Instead of relying on the club finesse — a 50 percent chance — you followed a line of play
that would win whenever West had either the club 10 or club queen. By testing diamonds
and spades and getting an inferential count of hearts, you would always be sure how
many clubs East started with, and thus whether a finesse was necessary in the three-card
ending.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It must surely be the best
South Holds: percentage action to lead a club, assuming
♠AJ8 you should be able to set partner's suit up at
♥42 the cost of no more than two tempos. And
♦QJ962 you should lead low here — do not lead top
♣ 10 7 3 or middle from three cards in a situation like
this, in order to help partner work out the
South West North East count. He should have a shrewd idea on the
3♣ 3 NT honor location in clubs when dummy comes
All pass down.
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on January 22nd, 2013
“A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes
Dealer: South North

Against your contract of three no-trump, West leads the Vul: East- ♠ 10 4 2
spade seven. You duck East's queen and win the second West ♥ K 10 6 3
♦85
spade (since if spades are 4-3, they pose no imminent ♣AK43
danger to you). West East
♠KJ975 ♠Q3
♥J75 ♥Q98
You have five top tricks and must aim to score four tricks
♦ J 10 6 ♦Q72
from the diamond suit. Additionally, though, when West ♣Q8 ♣J9652
holds five spades, you must set up the diamonds without South
♠A86
allowing West on lead. This can be done if East holds ♥A42
three diamonds to the queen — but only if you take care ♦AK943
♣ 10 7
to lead diamonds twice toward your hand.
Therefore, after taking the spade ace, cross to the heart 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
king and lead a low diamond. East plays low and you win 2♦ Pass 3 NT All pass
with the diamond ace. You return to dummy with a club
and lead another diamond. If East rises with the queen, Opening Lead: ♠7
you will let it hold. He will probably play low instead, and
you win with the king. When you surrender a third round of the suit, it is East (the safe
hand) who has to win the trick. As a result of good fortune combined with sound
technique, you make your game.
Do you see why it was right to win the second round of spades? Suppose you had held up
the spade ace a second time. West might then have played a middle (suit-preference)
spade for want of anything better to do, and a bright East could then ditch the diamond
queen! This would promote West’s diamond jack to an entry.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have a three-way choice.
South Holds: You could overcall one no-trump without a
♠A86 club stopper (on the basis that East hasn't
♥A42 really bid clubs yet); you could double for
♦AK943 takeout without four cards in either major; or
♣ 10 7 you could overcall one diamond and hope
partner will introduce a major suit if that is
South West North East your best strain for game or partscore. My
1♣ vote goes to the double, with the overcall
? close behind.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on January 23rd, 2013
“The Horses of Disaster plunge in the heavy clay.”

— W.B. Yeats
Dealer: East North

When South took advantage of the favorable vulnerability Vul: East- ♠AJ7
to overcall four spades (for which one could hardly blame West ♥ J 10 8 5
♦A6
him), North took him seriously and jumped to slam. No ♣A743
one had done anything ridiculous, but the final contract West East
♠3
was hardly one Lloyds of London would have had any ♠642
♥AKQ9743
interest in underwriting. ♥6
2
♦J9532
♦ 10 8
♣KJ82
In fact the slam has almost no play – 12 out of 13 of ♣ Q 10
South
West’s cards defeat the slam, but can you criticize him for ♠ K Q 10 9 8 5
leading his singleton heart? I certainly cannot — and ♥—
♦KQ74
anyone who would is a results-merchant of the highest ♣965
order!
Even after that start, declarer had to play perfectly to 4♥
envisage a possible way home. He ruffed the first heart 4♠ Pass 6♠ All pass
high, then led a low trump to the seven to ruff a second
Opening Lead: ♥6
heart, and made his next critical play when he ducked a
club. East won the first club and returned the suit, allowing declarer to win in dummy and
ruff a third heart. Declarer drew the second round of trumps by leading the 10 to the jack
to ruff a fourth heart with his last trump, and West was forced to underruff to preserve his
diamond guard and master club. That only postponed the evil day: South crossed to
dummy with the diamond ace to cash the spade ace and pitch his club, squeezing West in
the minors.
This play is called a dummy reversal. Declarer scored seven trump tricks by ruffing four
times in the South hand and drawing trump with the three-card suit.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's double of two
South Holds: diamonds suggests extras with no
♠AJ7 convenient call. Typically he will be 4-4 in
♥ J 10 8 5 the majors and at least a limit raise in hearts.
♦A6 Since you have a maximum in high cards
♣A743 and decent shape, together with great
controls, bid three hearts to suggest those
South West North East extras.
1♣ 1♦ Dbl. Pass
1♥ 2♦ Dbl. Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, January 10th, 2013
“'Tis the good reader that makes the good book.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dealer: West North

I always appreciate receiving deals from my readers. Here Vul: East- ♠Q542
is one from Orville St. Clair, who pointed out the elegance West ♥A63
♦Q9865
of the possibilities in the deal, which he had played in four ♣Q
diamonds, making 11 tricks. Let's consider instead that he West East
♠J98 ♠A76
had been in five diamonds, to appreciate the full beauty of
♥KQJ92 ♥ 10 7 5 4
the play. ♦2 ♦A
♣9742 ♣ K 10 8 6 5
If you look at all four hands, you will see that there are two South
♠ K 10 3
inescapable aces for declarer to lose in five diamonds, so ♥8
the key to the deal is to avoid losing a second spade trick. ♦ K J 10 7 4 3
♣AJ3
After a top heart lead, declarer would like to find a way to
force the defenders to open up his vulnerable suits. South West North East
Remember, there is no suit that you can play to more Pass Pass 1♣
advantage by yourself, compared to having the opponents 1♦ 2♥* 3♣ 3♥
5♦ All pass
tackle it for you.
*Hearts, plus club fit
So, win the heart lead and advance the club queen. East
Opening Lead: ♥K
will no doubt cover, but no matter what he does, you play
the ace and ruff a club, ruff a heart, ruff a club, and ruff another heart before leading a
high trump from your hand. When East wins, he could lead either a club or heart to let you
pitch a spade from hand and ruff in dummy, or he can shift to a spade. You put in the 10
and this is covered by West’s jack and won by the queen. Next a spade toward the king
means East will win just one spade trick, whether he takes the ace now or later.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have the perfect shape and
South Holds: high-cards to double two hearts, although
♠ K 10 3 you are at the minimum end of the range,.
♥8 Double suggests short hearts and playability
♦ K J 10 7 4 3 in both the unbid suits. Why rebid three
♣AJ3 diamonds when you have no guarantee of a
fit? Ask partner what he has, rather than
South West North East repeat your story.
1♥
2♦ 2♥ Pass Pass
?
“Between the idea

And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow.”
— T.S. Eliot
Dealer: East North

When this deal came up a year or so ago in the later Vul: Both ♠QJ76
stages of a national knockout championship, I was ♥KQ87
♦J4
surprised that neither declarer came a great deal closer to ♣942
making his delicate game contract. West East
♠K ♠ A 10 9 8 4 2
Both Wests led the spade king against four hearts and ♥J3 ♥6
♦A862 ♦ Q 10 7 3
shifted to the club jack, at least reducing the total number ♣ J 10 8 7 6 3 ♣K5
of possible losers declarer had by one. Both declarers South
♠53
pulled out cards without any particular direction in mind, ♥ A 10 9 5 4 2
and eventually finished up by leading a diamond toward ♦K95
♣AQ
the king, thus going down one for a flat board. Running
the diamond jack would not have worked any better, since South West North East
East would have covered, of course. 2♠
3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
Success requires nothing more than finding trumps not 3-
0, with the clubs dividing no worse than 6-2 and the club Opening Lead: ♠K
10 where you would expect it to be — in the West hand.
The winning line is to cash the heart ace at trick three, then your remaining high club,
before you cross to dummy with the heart king, drawing the last trump in the process.
Now you lead the club nine from dummy and throw your last spade away, endplaying
West into winning and either leading a diamond, when you lose just to the ace, or playing
a club. In that case, you pitch a diamond from dummy and play to ruff two diamonds in the
North hand.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With no spade stopper, you
South Holds: cannot bid no-trump. Partner has asked you
♠53 for a stopper rather than announcing that he
♥ A 10 9 5 4 2 has one himself. Therefore, you must
♦K95 support clubs instead. Be aware that
♣AQ although you have only two trumps, this
holding is more than sufficient, given how
South West North East strong your doubleton is. It provides far
1♥ 1♠ 2♣ Pass better support than three small trumps.
2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
?
“The master played this way and that,

And Atherton, amazed thereat,
Said, “‘Now I have a thing in view
That will enlighten one or two.’”
— Edwin Arlington Robinson
Dealer: East- North

.Today's deal illustrates what to an experienced bridge West
player is a rather unlikely theme because it runs counter Vul: West ♠A52
♥Q943
to the idea of what a squeeze is. Simply put, if you guard ♦965
one suit and your partner another suit, neither of you ♣953
West East
should be squeezed. If you each have to guard a third
♠Q64 ♠ 10 9 7 3
suit, you can understand a squeeze might operate – but if ♥— ♥ A 10 2
there are only two danger suits, and two of you to look ♦ A K Q 10 4 ♦872
♣QJ764 ♣ 10 8 2
after those suits, how can any pressure be brought to South
bear? Watch and learn! ♠KJ8
♥KJ8765
♦J3
Against four hearts West began by playing off his three ♣AK
top diamonds, eliminating that suit as a source of
pressure for declarer. Declarer ruffed the third diamond South West North East
1♦ Pass Pass
and played a trump. East took the second trump and
2♥ 3♣ 4♥ All pass
sensibly exited with the club two, giving nothing away.
Opening Lead: ♦K
Declarer won this in hand and simply ran his trump,
reducing to a position where dummy had ace-third of spades and two small clubs, while
declarer had three spades, a trump and the master club.
When South led his last trump, West had to keep the spades guarded and so pitched
down to one club, while a spade was discarded from dummy. Now East had to throw a
spade to keep control of the clubs. Reading the position, South (who knew West had the
spade queen because of East’s pass in response to his partner’s opening bid) led the
spade jack, covered all around. The fall of the 10-9 of spades meant declarer’s hand was
now high.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is tempting to double and then
South Holds: bid hearts, and this plan will work fine if the
♠KJ8 opponents do not intervene and deprive you
♥KJ8765 of the chance to describe your hand
♦J3 efficiently; but they may well do so. The
♣AK hand is at the absolute top of the range for a
one-heart overcall, but that would be my
South West North East choice. Beef up the hearts by adding the 10,
1♣ and you might double.
?
ANSWER: I agree with the opening call and

would raise hearts for sure at my second
Dear Mr. Wolff: turn. Whether I bid two hearts or doubled
My partner opened one club and the next (the so-called support double showing a
hand overcalled one spade. With ♠ 3-2, ♥ A- three-card raise) would depend on the
J-10-7-4, ♦ K-Q-9-4, ♣ 10-9, would you make methods I used.
a negative double or bid two hearts? How
would you modify the hand to make the
other choice more appealing? Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Worker Bee, Dallas, Texas After partner opens and the next hand
doubles, when is it right to redouble with
tolerance or support for partner? Has it to do
ANSWER: Two factors to consider are that a with the values held, or the quality of the
two-heart call should have real prospects of support?
game facing a mildly suitable hand in the 12- — Sporting Life, Bellingham, Wash.
14 range. More important, try not to endplay
yourself in the auction. If you double, what
will you do if the opponents raise themselves
to two spades? If you bid two hearts, are ANSWER: Normally when partner opens a
there any rebids partner can make that will major and the next hand doubles, you show
fix you? I dislike the first scenario more, so I support immediately rather than redoubling.
would bid two hearts, but turn my heart 10 Exceptions come when you have a full
into the two and I double. opening bid so that you are worried you
might miss slam, or when the trumps are
weak and outside defense is very strong. I
like to have a way to make a simple
Dear Mr. Wolff: constructive as well as obstructive raise, and
If you respond with Stayman to a one-no- a way to invite and pre-empt with a jump.
trump or two-no-trump opening bid, what is a More on this in due course…
subsequent jump to four no-trump? Is that
quantitative, or Blackwood for partner's
major? What if he denies a major? Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Gone Fishing, Kansas City, Mo. I'm sure you would use Stayman over your
partner's strong no-trump with this hand: ♠ J-
7-2, ♥ A-J-9-4, ♦ K-J-7-4, ♣ 10-2. When the
ANSWER: Stayman followed by four no- next hand doubles two clubs and partner
trump should be quantitative whatever bids two spades, would you consider playing
partner's response. So one needs a way to spades, not no-trump?
set partner's major, if he has shown one. — Second Thoughts, Laredo, Texas
After Stayman in response to a no-trump
opening finds a major, the cheapest call in
the other major at the three-level or higher
(thus one no-trump – two clubs – two hearts ANSWER: I do not have to commit myself. I
– three spades) sets partner's major as can cuebid the opponents' suit to ask partner
trump, and a subsequent four-no-trump call whether he is happy with our side's club
would be Blackwood. Other jumps are stopper. In this sequence the cuebid simply
splinter raises of the major. asks partner to describe his hand, with clubs
clearly the danger suit.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

I opened one club somewhat light, holding
♠ Q-6-3-2, ♥ A-Q-4, ♦ 4, ♣ K-10-6-5-3. The
next hand overcalled one diamond, my
partner bid one heart, and when my RHO bid
two diamonds, I bid two hearts. Afterwards,
my partner suggested that I show my
minimum hand best by passing here. What
do you think?
— Talking Heads, Staten Island, N.Y.
“A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies.”

— Oscar Wilde
Dealer: South North

Against your contract of three no-trump, West leads the Vul: Neither ♠ K 7 4 2
heart seven to East's queen. You hold up your ace to cut ♥84
♦K75
the defenders' communications and win the third round, ♣AJ83
throwing a spade from dummy. You need three club tricks, West East
♠6 ♠ Q J 10 8 5
but cannot afford to let West obtain the lead.
♥KJ973 ♥ Q 10 6
♦ J 10 9 2 ♦643
The normal play when you are missing both the 10 and ♣ K 10 6 ♣95
nine is to lead to the jack, your best shot at four tricks, but South
♠A93
here a first-round finesse of the club jack is not best. The ♥A52
point is that West would eventually win the lead by taking ♦AQ8
♣Q742
a trick with his remaining club K-10 and defeat you by
cashing out his hearts. (You would also go down when South West North East
West started with club K-9-6, provided East unblocked the 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
club 10 under dummy’s jack.) 2♦ Pass 3 NT All pass
Since West is the danger hand, you should lead the club Opening Lead: ♥7
queen on the first round, planning to run that card. Here
West will cover with the king, won with dummy’s ace. It will then be a relatively simple
matter to return to your hand with a diamond and lead to the club eight, ducking into the
safe hand.
Incidentally, a sensible play for three tricks in isolation, if you weren’t concerned with
keeping West off lead, would be to cash the club ace first. If either the club 10 or nine falls,
make your next play on the assumption that this card may be a singleton. For example, if
East drops the club nine, you should lead to the club queen next.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There are two approaches here.
South Holds: You can go for what might be described as
♠K6 the 'instant gratification' approach of leading
♥ 10 5 4 3 the spade king. Typically this either works
♦J62 and sets the hand or costs your side a
♣J743 critical trick. The passive approach of
leading a club is the other way to go I'd
South West North East choose the club lead myself.
Pass 1♥
Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥
All pass
“Fortunes … come tumbling into some men's laps.”

— Francis Bacon
Dealer: South North

How would you tackle today's spade game when West Vul: East- ♠84
leads the diamond nine? West ♥KQ72
♦ A 10 5
♣9752
The original declarer did not give the matter sufficient West East
consideration, and as a result, plunged to defeat. He won ♠K972 ♠6
♥J6 ♥ 10 9 5 4 3
the diamond lead with dummy’s ace and finessed the
♦94 ♦KQJ62
spade queen. West won with the king and played another ♣ K J 10 6 3 ♣Q4
diamond. After cashing two winners in the suit, East tried South
♠ A Q J 10 5 3
his luck with a fourth round of diamonds. With the trumps ♥A8
lying as they were, this promoted West’s spade nine to the ♦873
♣A8
setting trick. Do you see how declarer could have avoided
this trump promotion? South West North East
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
To kill the entry to the East hand, you need to duck the 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
first round of diamonds. You can then win the second
round with dummy’s ace and finesse in trump, and West Opening Lead: ♦9
can no longer reach the East hand for a trump promotion.
There is absolutely no risk in ducking the first diamond. If the diamond-nine opening lead
happened to be a singleton, West would be ruffing a loser after a diamond return.
Holding up an ace to break the defenders’ communications is a familiar idea when playing
in no-trump, but it can be just as valuable in a suit contract. The purpose is exactly the
same — to cut the communications between the defenders.
Incidentally, you must also resist the temptation to try to cash the top hearts early. There is
no need to rush to take your discard — it can wait till after trumps are drawn.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your offensive values are so
South Holds: good, and your defensive tricks so
♠6 negligible, that it feels right to jump to three
♥ 10 9 5 4 3 diamonds immediately, rather than
♦KQJ62 competing to two diamonds, which might
♣Q4 leave your opponents room to get to
together more efficiently than you would like.
1♦ Pass
1♥ 1♠ Pass 2♣
?
“From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were — I have not seen
As others saw.”
— Edgar Allan Poe
Dealer: South North

The field in a pairs game generally played four hearts Vul: Neither ♠ J 9 5 4
here and the traveler showed a string of scores of plus 50 ♥QJ6
♦ A 10 5
to East-West, and yet when West leads the diamond ♣ 10 7 2
queen against your heart game, you should really find a West East
♠K73 ♠Q862
way to make the contract.
♥85 ♥9
♦QJ963 ♦K87
The mistake most declarers made was to win the lead in ♣A63 ♣QJ985
dummy and play a spade to the 10. West won, led a low South
♠ A 10
diamond to his partner, and a club shift scuttled declarer’s ♥ A K 10 7 4 3 2
chances. ♦42
♣K4
Let’s revisit the play. Since you are not keen for East to be
able to obtain the lead cheaply to lead a club through your 1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass
king, you should play low from dummy on the first trick. 4♥ All pass
East is welcome to overtake with the diamond king. If he
pays this high price to gain the lead, the defenders can Opening Lead: ♦Q
take their clubs, but you will finesse the diamond 10
subsequently, setting up a discard for your spade loser.
If East plays low at trick one, you win the next diamond with dummy’s ace and play a
spade to the 10. If West wins with the king or queen, you will unblock the spade ace and
later take a ruffing spade finesse through East after drawing trumps to set up a discard for
one of your club losers. So long as the spade honors are split, the defenders cannot
prevent this line of play. And if both spade honors are on your right, you still have the club
finesse available.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner has real extras and,
South Holds: in the first instance, is looking for no-trump if
♠J954 you can offer a heart stopper. Here, you
♥QJ6 have a decent hand for the bidding and a
♦ A 10 5 decent heart stopper — just enough to jump
♣ 10 7 2 to three no-trump. Without the diamond 10
and heart jack, you would bid two no-trump.
1♦ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
?
“This is one of those cases in which the imagination is baffled by the facts.”
— Winston Churchill
Dealer: East North

If you just looked at the North-South cards in four hearts Vul: East- ♠AK7
,you would expect 10 tricks to be a cakewalk, especially West ♥9
♦8654
as East's opening bid suggests the diamond ace rates to ♣ Q 10 8 5 2
be onside. West East
♠ 10 5 3 ♠QJ862
♥832 ♥74
However, the fly in the ointment was the opening lead of
♦3 ♦ A Q J 10
the diamond three. Imagine that as declarer you were ♣K97643 ♣AJ
faced with that situation. You would let East win the South
♠94
diamond ace, cover the return of the diamond queen, and ♥ A K Q J 10 6 5
West would ruff and exit with a spade. ♦K972
♣—
With two diamond losers to get rid of, you would ruff a
club, go back to the heart nine to ruff another club, and try 1♠
to put some pressure on the opponents — but nothing 4♥ All pass
would materialize.
Opening Lead: ♦3
Instead, declarer must duck the second trick. No harm will
come to South in the unlikely event that diamonds were originally 3-2: he will simply have
invested an overtrick as insurance. But if the cards lie as in the diagram, at trick three East
will lead a third diamond, covered and ruffed. When West exits with a spade, you win in
dummy and ruff a club. Then you play a heart to the nine, ruff a second club, and run the
hearts, pitching dummy’s diamond, followed by low clubs. First you squeeze West out of a
spade (as he has to guard clubs), then, when you throw dummy’s club queen, East must
pitch spades to keep the diamond guard. So trick 13 will be won with dummy’s spade
seven.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this sequence at your second
South Holds: turn the "impossible" two-spade call shows a
♠AK7 good raise to three clubs, while a simple
♥9 raise to three clubs would suggests more
♦8654 shape and fewer high cards, so take the
♣ Q 10 8 5 2 more aggressive route. For the record, had
partner responded two diamonds, not two
South West North East clubs, a simple raise would have sufficed.
1♥ Pass
1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on February 1st, 2013
“Great things are done when men and mountains meet;

This is not done by jostling in the street.”
— William Blake
Dealer: North North

In today's deal North made a jump raise in hearts at his Vul: East- ♠A
second turn rather than show spade shortage — he would West ♥ 10 8 5 4
♦AKQ64
have needed something like an additional trump honor to ♣Q63
make that call. South also took the discreet route when he West East
♠ Q J 10 3 ♠K9764
made one cuebid, then jumped to five hearts to ask for a
♥J973 ♥6
spade control. North had enough for a grand-slam try ♦93 ♦ 10 8 2
now, but South declined to cooperate. He knew his ♣ K 10 7 ♣9854
South
partner could not have as much as five good diamonds, ♠852
the spade ace and the club king. If he did, he would have ♥AKQ2
♦J75
cuebid six clubs over the jump to five hearts. (North could ♣AJ2
only make a grand-slam try if he had the spade ace.)
When dummy came down, South thought that his side 1♣ Pass
might be cold for a grand slam, but that was no reason not 1♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
to be careful. He won the spade lead, immediately led a 5♥ Pass 5♠ Pass
low heart from dummy, and ducked East’s six. That player 6♥ All pass
shifted to a club, and declarer won the ace, ruffed a
spade, crossed to hand with a trump, ruffed a second Opening Lead: ♠Q
spade, came to the diamond jack and drew trumps, with
four diamond winners to take care of the two club losers in hand.
As the cards lie, with trumps not breaking and the club finesse losing, the only line to
make the hand is to duck the first trump. Try it for yourself and you will find that if you win
the first trump trick, you can no longer make the hand.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this position an overcall of one
South Holds: no-trump shows the equivalent of a strong
♠852 no-trump, but since your hand is at the
♥AKQ2 minimum end of the range with such bare
♦J75 honors and without a diamond stop that it is
♣AJ2 probably a bit of a stretch. While the choice
appears to be to bid one no-trump or to pass
South West North East throughout, maybe on this occasion
1♦ Pass 1♥ discretion really is the better part of valor.
?
by Bobby Wolff on February 2nd, 2013
“And from the day that's over

No flashes of delight I can recover.”
— Siegfried Sassoon
Dealer: South North

One thing about rubber bridge is that you frequently have Vul: Both ♠AK3
to make up in the play for what you drop in the auction. In ♥K64
♦K97
the following deal six clubs appears to be far better than ♣AQ65
six no-trump despite the bad trump split. South can ruff a West East
♠ 10 4 ♠J865
diamond and leave himself with many chances, but some
♥AJ72 ♥985
ambiguity about whether four clubs was Gerber or ♦632 ♦QJ854
showing a club fit led to the 4-4 fit being missed. A forcing ♣ 10 7 3 2 ♣9
South
three-club call by North at her third turn would perhaps ♠Q972
have been wiser. ♥ Q 10 3
♦ A 10
♣KJ84
Still, six no-trump offered some fascinating play. On the
lead of the spade 10 South won in dummy and cashed South West North East
four rounds of clubs, on which East parted with two 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass
diamonds, echoing in the suit, and a low heart. Since she 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
2 NT Pass 4♣ Pass
would surely have pitched a spade from three small, 4♦ Pass 6 NT All pass
South cashed out the spades via the finesse, and that
persuaded West to discard a small heart and a small Opening Lead: ♠10
diamond.
Reasoning that West would surely have led a heart without the ace, she was likely to hold
that card. So declarer, going for the grandstand finish (on the grounds that anyone can
take a finesse!), cashed the diamond ace and king to strip West of her exit cards. Then,
instead of taking a simple finesse for the heart jack, he led a heart to the queen. West won
the ace, but in the two-card ending she was endplayed, forced to lead away from the heart
jack around to South’s 10, and the contract came home.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Given your spade length, partner
South Holds: surely doesn't have four spades. So he has
♠J865 at least four diamonds. Given that, you want
♥985 to raise diamonds to keep the opponents out
♦QJ854 of their presumed fit in clubs or hearts, so
♣9 bid three diamonds as a pre-emptive raise,
not a limit raise. With the latter hand-type,
South West North East you would start with a cuebid.
1♦ 1♠
?
by Bobby Wolff on February 3rd, 2013
ANSWER: While I admit one would

sometimes like to use the call to help in
Dear Mr. Wolff: negotiating to the best small slam, that
My partner has been trying to persuade me usage comes up too rarely. Better is to play it
to play suit-preference signals and discards. as looking for a grand slam and asking
Where do you stand on attitude as opposed responder either to bid kings up the line, or
to suit preference? to jump to a grand slam with undisclosed
extras or a source of tricks.
— Up and Down, Trenton, N.J.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

ANSWER: In signaling I like attitude as the
primary signal. I use count when I think Facing a two-club opening bid, would you
partner knows my attitude — or he has respond two diamonds or two no-trump with
specifically requested it. I do not use attitude ♠ 9-2, ♥ A-10-7-4, ♦ J-6-4, ♣ K-10-6-3? And
on declarer's leads; I may use suit what is the factor that makes you go one
preference, but only if I think partner does way or the other?
not need to know my count. Suit preference — In the Bushes, Tupelo, Miss.
in the trump suit IS a useful signal, since
count in that suit is so often already
established. And once both players know
how a suit is divided, suit preference is very ANSWER: If you play the two-no-trump
useful from the remaining holding. response as natural (say 8-10), this hand
qualifies. My instincts are that the hand will
play better your partner's way up, so I'd bid
two diamonds and hope to catch up later.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I assume you would open this hand one
diamond without a qualm: ♠ A-Q-3-2, ♥ J-2, Dear Mr. Wolff:
♦ K-Q-10-9-4, ♣ 10-6. But would you overcall
two diamonds over one heart — or do you I was watching bridge online when I saw
prefer either a pass or double? experts do something strange after Stayman
was doubled. What would you recommend
— Walter Mitty, Wilmington, N.C. Average Joes do here?
— Fast Learner, Elkhart, Ind.
ANSWER: The overcall of two diamonds
risks losing spades but pre-empts the
opponents; the double risks finding clubs — ANSWER: Make the normal response to
and regretting it — but puts spades front and Stayman with a club stopper, redouble to
center. Much depends on your style of show good clubs, and pass without a
doubling; if you play fast and loose, as I tend stopper, when partner's redouble asks for a
to, the double is fine. Doublers who are more major again. Now if you want (and can
disciplined will overcall. Either is better than remember), you may use transfers in
passing! response to get the hand declared the other
way up. Two diamonds would show hearts,
two hearts would show spades, and two no-
trump denies a major. If that sounds too
Dear Mr. Wolff: obscure, just respond as you usually would
Please comment on the best use of five no- after the redouble.
trump after asking for aces or for key cards.
Does it always show possession of all the
key cards, or can it be used to get to the
best small slam?
— Seasick, Mason City, Iowa
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, January 21st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on February 4th, 2013
“Here's a pretty state of things!

Here’s a pretty how-de-do!”
— W.S. Gilbert
Dealer: East North

All this week's deals come from last year's NEC Vul: Neither ♠K74
tournament in Yokohama, Japan. Today's comes from the ♥KQJ74
♦K72
final between an Australian and a Bulgarian squad. ♣A6
West East
With the Australians taking a decent lead into the final set, ♠Q2 ♠AJ853
we saw a moment of low farce. Nobody was hurt, but ♥ 10 9 8 6 2 ♥53
♦6 ♦ Q J 10
many of the eight players emerged with scrambled egg all ♣ J 10 9 4 3 ♣875
over their faces. South
♠ 10 9 6
♥A
Three no-trump by either North or South has the attraction ♦A98543
of nine top tricks while six diamonds or six no-trump by ♣KQ2
North are perfectly playable contracts, even if neither is an
odds-on spot. I wish I could say the same for either four 2♠*
diamonds, or six diamonds when played by South. A 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
complex relay auction (in which South described his hand 3♠ Pass 4♦ All pass
precisely) led the Australasians to the very dicey slam. * A (very) weak two
Having said that, if you reached six diamonds and Opening Lead: ♠Q
received a top club lead — as happened at the table —
you’d count yourself a little unlucky to go down. The point is that you need only 2-2 trumps
or the hand with three diamonds to have at least three hearts – by my calculation about an
80 percent chance. That was what happened to the New Zealand declarer, but East could
ruff the third heart and cash the spade ace. Down one.
To add insult to injury, from a Bulgarian perspective, when West led his spade queen
against four diamonds on the auction shown, North having passed a forcing call to stop
‘safely’ low, the defenders took two spades, a ruff and a trump trick. Down one and no
swing!
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A heart lead looks like your best
South Holds: chance to attack a suit where your side has
♠42 seven or more cards, and the heart nine is
♥984 the best way to clarify your holding to
♦KQ75 partner in case a switch is called for. My
♣J863 second choice would be a club, I think, my
third a spade.
1♦ Pass 1 NT
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
“When logic and proportion

Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s ‘Off with her head.’ ”
— Grace Slick
Dealer: East North

Today's deal from the 2012 NEC tournament in Yokohama Vul: East- ♠K9
shows how illogical bridge can sometimes be. Both tables West ♥K
♦ 10 9 7 5 3
reached three no-trump on the lead of the heart three. ♣KQ953
With five diamonds and two hearts in the bag, you need West East
♠AJ83 ♠6542
two more tricks. However, as soon as you lose the lead,
♥ Q 10 7 3 2 ♥J654
you know a heart will come back, and you will not be able ♦8 ♦J6
to lose the lead again without the defenders cashing out ♣ J 10 7 ♣A84
South
to beat you. ♠ Q 10 7
♥A98
It looks normal to play on clubs, the long suit, and leading ♦AKQ42
♣62
low toward the king-queen feels like the natural play.
However, David Bakhshi won the heart, crossed to a high South West North East
diamond, and instead correctly played a spade to the Pass
king. When that held, he led the club king to the ace, won 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
the heart return, and claimed nine tricks. Even if East had
Opening Lead: ♥3
won the club ace and played back a spade, declarer
would have put in the 10 and the defense would surely have been able to cash at most
three tricks there, since West was highly unlikely to have started with five good spades.
Of course it wouldn’t have helped East to fly up with the spade ace at trick three. And if
the spade king had lost to the ace and a heart had been returned, declarer would still
have come home if the spade jack was onside. Only the spade ace with West and the
spade jack with East beats the hand. By contrast, playing on clubs is only a 50 percent
chance.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I'm as much in favor of light
South Holds: opening bids as the next man (though
♠K9 maybe it depends a little on just who my
♥K neighbor is) but this is emphatically NOT a
♦ 10 9 7 5 3 one-diamond opening bid. I hate opening
♣KQ953 bad suits in subminimum hands, and here
my kings are in my short suits and I'm
South West North East directing my partner to lead my worst suit.
? Not for me, thanks; I 'll pass and bide my
time.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by
failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much
because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”
— Theodore Roosevelt
Dealer: North North

The final of the NEC tournament held in Yokohama this Vul: Neither ♠ A 10 2
time last year was between Down Under from Australasia ♥ 10 9 6
♦QJ742
and the Bulgarian All Stars. Both teams are more ♣ 10 3
aggressive bidders than most, and in the deal that West East
♠KQJ7 ♠98543
followed the aggressive approach paid huge dividends,
♥8 ♥Q73
when coupled with some careful declarer play. ♦983 ♦ A K 10 6
♣Q9642 ♣8
In one room for Down Under Tony Nunn as West South
♠6
overcalled one spade over one club and Sartaj Hans ♥AKJ542
jumped to four spades, driving his opponents to the five- ♦5
♣AKJ75
level.
In five hearts declarer needed clubs not to be unusually Pass Pass
hostile so cashed the club ace and king early and was 1♣* Pass 1♦** Dbl.
doubtless more hurt than surprised when East ruffed. Now 4♥ All pass
there were two more tricks to lose, whatever declarer did. *Strong
**Weak
But Martin Reid declared four hearts in the other room on
an essentially uncontested auction, and paradoxically, the Opening Lead: ♠K
very bad break in clubs was good news, in a sense, for
Bulgaria, since Reid now might have trouble making 10 tricks in hearts.
After an opening spade lead, declarer won in dummy and led a heart to hand and a
diamond to the jack to cut the defenders’ communications. When East won and shifted to
a club, Reid won his ace and carefully ducked a club. Now whether West took his club
queen or East ruffed, declarer could now arrange to ruff clubs in dummy and hold his
losers to one more trump trick.
That swing made the match safe for Down Under — the first win for an Antipodean team
in this event for over a decade.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your hand is a little too good to
South Holds: sign off in three hearts but maybe not quite
♠ A 10 2 good enough to bid game here. The best
♥ 10 9 6 way to suggest your diamond values, and
♦QJ742 help for partner is to bid three diamonds
♣ 10 3 now. That will pass the final decision to your
partner.
1♥ 1♠
2♥ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
“It was, of course, a grand and impressive thing to do, to mistrust the obvious, and to pin
one's faith in things which could not be seen!”
— Galen
Dealer: South North

The NEC tournament from Yokohama, held this time last Vul: Neither ♠ Q J 10 3
year, featured a Swiss tournament followed by a knockout ♥ K J 10 7
♦J2
for the eight surviving teams. The quarterfinal matches ♣QJ6
started with a defensive problem on the very first deal that West East
♠97542 ♠86
might look easy — but at the table these things are never
♥A43 ♥Q95
as simple as you might think. ♦9743 ♦AK65
♣5 ♣ A 10 8 7
In one room, where the auction had petered out in two no- South
♠AK
trump, declarer won the spade lead and cashed his other ♥862
high spade to unblock the suit, before playing a club ♦ Q 10 8
♣K9432
toward dummy — perhaps making the position easier to
defend than was necessary. East made the critical play for South West North East
the defense when he ducked this trick, won the next club, 1 NT* Pass 2♣ Pass
and cleared the diamonds by playing ace, king and a third 2♦ Pass 3 NT All pass
round. When declarer won the diamond queen and played *12-14
a heart, West climbed up with the heart ace and cashed
Opening Lead: ♠4
out the diamonds for down one.
Ducking the club might look like an instinctive play, but it was not one that was found at
many other tables. For example, when defending three no-trump after a spade lead and a
club play at trick two, East in the other room fell from grace by winning the first club and
returning a low diamond. Declarer won in dummy and unblocked spades, crossed to the
club jack, and cashed out dummy’s spades, then ran the clubs with the aid of the finesse
and had nine tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Did you feel compelled to bid by
South Holds: doubling or bidding one diamond – because
♠86 you had enough points for an opening bid?
♥Q95 That is understandable, but when fixed, stay
♦AK65 fixed — for the time being. If the opponents
♣ A 10 8 7 come to a stop in spades, you can balance
with a double; otherwise, stay silent, and
South West North East don't make a bad situation worse. Overcalls
Pass Pass 1♣ should be five-card suits or much better four-
? carders than this.
“Double, double toil and trouble

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”
— William Shakespeare
Dealer: East North

Today's deal from last year's NEC trophy in Yokohama Vul: Both ♠KJ85
features the use (and abuse) of doubles. Let's look at the ♥KQ87
♦ 10 8
unsuccessful story first, where West opened one diamond ♣K53
and North doubled for takeout. East bid one heart, South West East
♠ Q 10 4 ♠A93
joined in with two clubs, and West now doubled to show a
♥543 ♥AJ62
three-card heart raise — the so-called support double. ♦AKQ75 ♦J6
♣ 10 8 ♣9764
Even if playing mandatory support doubles, this West South
♠762
hand surely fails to qualify since arguably it is neither an ♥ 10 9
opening bid, nor does it have three-card support — but ♦9432
♣AQJ2
maybe I’m old-fashioned. Two hearts went down on
repeated spade leads, when the fourth spade promoted a South West North East
trump for South. Pass
Pass 1♦ Dbl. Rdbl.
By contrast when Tony Nunn and Sartaj Hans were East- 2♣ Pass Pass Dbl.
All pass
West, they constructed an auction, as shown here, to
defend two clubs doubled. Put yourself in West’s shoes Opening Lead: ♣8
and pick a lead. Too easy, especially facing diamond
shortage, right? No. Nunn led a small club, not his diamond sequence. Declarer won in
hand and led a heart to the king, ducked by East, then played a diamond to West, who
returned his second trump. A heart run around to the jack saw East play a third trump,
won in dummy, and the ruffing finesse in hearts now set up the heart eight, but
simultaneously ran declarer out of trump.
At this point declarer naturally misguessed spades by leading to the spade king, Hans
could win his ace, unblock the diamond jack, then cross to his partner’s spade queen.
Three more diamond winners meant a penalty of 800 out of nothing.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Forcing to game with a call of
South Holds: three diamonds or a jump to four clubs
♠KJ85 seems an overbid, while raising to three
♥KQ87 clubs is a clear underbid — though not
♦ 10 8 absurd, given your lack of aces. All that is
♣K53 left is a double, which is card-showing, not
penalties, in the hope that the next round of
South West North East the auction will clarify for you what to do
1♣ 1♦ next.
Dbl. Pass 2♣ 2♦
?
“It is not enough to fight. It is the spirit which we bring to the fight that decides the issue. It
is morale that wins the victory.”
— George C. Marshall
Dealer: East North

In today's deal from the 2012 NEC tournament in Vul: Both ♠64
Yokohama, five diamonds is a contract that looks hard to ♥AQ86
♦AJ87
bring home with the club honors split. ♣ A 10 7
West East
At our featured table both the Indonesian and Japanese ♠ K 10 9 8 3 ♠AQ752
ladies played five diamonds on the defense of two rounds ♥ K J 10 4 ♥752
♦— ♦96
of spades. They ruffed and drew trump, then played three ♣K986 ♣Q42
rounds of hearts early, ruffing in hand. When the South
♠J
Indonesian declarer next ran the club jack, the Japanese ♥93
west failed to cover and declarer came home easily. The ♦ K Q 10 5 4 3 2
♣J53
other declarer led a club to the 10, and now a club return
killed any chances of a squeeze. South West North East
Pass
With the sight of all four hands, declarer does best to lead 3♦ Dbl. 3 NT 4♠
a club to the eight, 10 and queen after drawing trumps. Pass Pass 5♦ Dbl.
All pass
East can later be caught in a simple heart-club squeeze.
Opening Lead: ♠10
So far so good — but what about East-West? Could they
bring home four spades doubled if allowed to buy the hand? Three pairs did collect 10
tricks in spades – if you can get there from East, to avoid the heart ruff, the game is
extremely hard to beat.
After a diamond lead, you ruff and draw trump, eliminating diamonds en route, then lead a
heart to the 10. To defeat you, North must win cheaply and return a low heart. That is far
from easy to do, especially if playing regular signals, since South cannot afford to play the
heart nine on the first round of the suit, or North is truly endplayed on winning the heart
queen!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When opener jump shifts, he
South Holds: should know where he is going — whether it
♠AQ752 is to raise partner, bid no-trump, or repeat
♥752 one of his suits. Do not get in his way; give
♦96 preference to his first suit with no clear-cut
♣Q42 second action, as here. By supporting to
three diamonds, you give him the maximum
South West North East room to tell you why he forced to game. A
1♦ Pass three-spade rebid should really be six, or a
1♠ Pass 3♣ Pass better five-carder.
?
ANSWER: Good question! This hand is

absolutely on the cusp of a jump to two
Dear Mr. Wolff: spades. I'd make the call because it gets the
Can you tell me about false preference? My whole hand off my chest, but I'd be much
partner opened one heart and I held ♠ A-3-2, happier to have a chunkier four-card suit
♥ Q-4, ♦ Q-9-4, ♣ 10-8-6-4-2. I responded than this. The jump suggests 8-9 with five
one no-trump and now my partner bid two spades or 10-12 with four. Facing a direct-
diamonds. Was I right to pass or should I seat double, you might have a little less.
have bid three diamonds or even two
hearts? My partner said I should have given
false preference to hearts, but that feels like Dear Mr. Wolff:
a lie!
I saw recently that a good team had a sports
— Truthful James, Vancouver, British psychologist on its squad. Is that a wise way
Columbia to spend money, or is it cash down the
drain?
— Sofa So Good, Atlanta, Ga.
ANSWER: Yes, it is correct to bid two hearts
here since a 5-2 heart fit rates to play as well
as two diamonds. Moreover, your partner
could still be planning to bid on, if he has ANSWER: Most pairs in Open (and Senior
extras but not enough to force to game — teams) tend to be a little too set in their ways
and if he does, you'll be glad you kept the to get much use from help of this sort. My
auction open. Make your heart queen the experience is that juniors and women's
nine and I'd pass two diamonds. teams (possibly because they are less
confident or perhaps more open to advice)
have used and benefited from such help.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I was watching some bridge online and Dear Mr. Wolff:
wondered how many IMPs a good team
rates to score in a set of 16 boards. If that is When you open one spade with ♠ A-Q-7-6-3-
too hard to predict, how many does it rate to 2, ♥ 7, ♦ Q-10-6, ♣ K-J-8, you plan to rebid
lose against an equivalent team? two spades over any response. Say partner
bids a game-forcing two diamonds and then
— Number Cruncher, Birmingham, Ala. bids two no-trump over your two-spade
rebid. Do you now rebid spades or do you
bid three no-trump?
ANSWER: I've seen suggestions that the — Third Time's a Charm, Detroit, Mich.
average number of IMPs in total per deal is
between four and five. Certainly, if you
concede fewer than 1.5 IMPs per board, you
will win almost every match you ever play, ANSWER: I love questions that I can
and even 2 IMPs a board tends to mean respond to with a different answer from my
good play or very flat deals. reader's suggestions. It is clear to bid three
diamonds now, showing three diamonds,
and leaving room for partner to produce
delayed spade support with a three-spade
Dear Mr. Wolff: call, or for him to temporize with a three-
I assume you would pass over a one-club heart call.
opening on your right, and if so, you would
hear your LHO pass and partner double.
Holding ♠ K-9-7-2, ♥ A-J-10, ♦ 9-7-3, ♣ Q-10-
5, do you respond one spade or two spades
— or something else?
— In the Balance, Pleasanton, Calif.
“Advice is seldom welcome; and those who want it the most always like it the least.”
— The Earl of Chesterfield
Dealer: South North

Some of the most important techniques in bridge are Vul: North- ♠K3
those that assist you in establishing a suit. In today's deal, South ♥AK5
♦A74
how would you play the spade slam when West leads the ♣KJ653
diamond 10? The key is to make full use of the available West East
♠ 10 ♠QJ8
entries to dummy.
♥J962 ♥ Q 10 7 3
♦ 10 9 8 3 ♦KJ5
If spades break, you are home; what if they do not? West ♣Q842 ♣ 10 9 7
may have led from the diamond king but it is no more than South
♠A976542
a 50-50 chance. And rightly or wrongly, many players ♥84
regard leading from a king as a sin comparable to ♦Q62
♣A
coveting one’s neighbor’s ox. A rather better chance is
that clubs will break 4-3 and that you can set up a second South West North East
discard in the suit. 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
2♠ Pass 4 NT Pass
You rise with dummy’s diamond ace and lead low to your 5♥ Pass 6♠ All pass
spade ace. You then unblock the club ace and return to
Opening Lead: ♦10
dummy with the spade king, discovering that East holds a
trump trick. All follow to the club king, on which you discard one of your diamond losers.
You then ruff a club, and when you return to dummy with a top heart and lead a low club,
there is nothing that East can do. If he ruffs the losing club with his master trump, you will
discard your last diamond loser and claim the balance. No doubt East will prefer to discard
on the fourth round of clubs. You ruff in hand, return to dummy with a heart, and lead the
club jack. Whether or not East ruffs, you will throw your last diamond and make the slam.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: On auctions of this sort, the
South Holds: world is divided into those who go passive
♠A52 (here a diamond lead is more logical than a
♥Q943 club, since partner had the chance to double
♦965 clubs and didn't do so) and those who go
♣532 active with a heart lead. Put me in the latter
group, for better or worse. A trump lead is
South West North East NOT passive by the way — give partner the
1 NT doubleton spade jack to see why.
Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠
Pass 4♠ All pass
“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”

— Benjamin Franklin
Dealer: West North

Some ruffing-finesse deals offer you an extra-chance play Vul: Both ♠ K 10 8
in the same suit. When today's deal arose, declarer ♥A5
♦J74
looked no further than the ruffing finesse without trying to ♣ Q J 10 9 3
combine his chances, and duly tumbled to defeat. West East
♠4 ♠72
♥KQJ763 ♥ 10 9 4
Would you have done better? Cover the East and West
♦9862 ♦ A 10 3
cards, and plan how you would play the spade slam when ♣K5 ♣87642
West leads the heart king. South
♠AQJ9653
♥82
The original declarer saw that a successful ruffing finesse ♦KQ5
in clubs would allow him to dispose of his heart loser. He ♣A
won the heart lead, crossed to the spade ace, and cashed
the club ace. He then returned to dummy with a trump and 2♥ Pass 3♥
ran the club queen, throwing the heart loser from his 4♠ Pass 4 NT Pass
hand. West won with the club king, and rather than trying 5♠ Pass 6♠ All pass
to cash a heart — which would have been fatal to the
Opening Lead: ♥K
defense — returned a diamond to his partner’s ace, to put
the slam one down.
Declarer had missed his extra chance namely that West might hold a doubleton club king
(which was a greater possibility than normal, with six hearts in his hand). After winning the
heart lead, you should play a club to the ace. You return to dummy with the spade eight
and ruff a club high, just in case West began with a doubleton club king. If the king does
not appear, you cross to the spade 10 and take the ruffing finesse in clubs. (This is a far
better chance than playing West for club K-x-x.)
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's cuebid asks you to
South Holds: describe your hand. You have delayed heart
♠ K 10 8 support and should simply bid two hearts
♥A5 now. There is no need to look for no-trump
♦J74 or to feel you need to do more with your 11-
♣ Q J 10 7 3 count. Your partner should know you have
values and heart tolerance.
1♦ 1♥ Pass
2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
?
“But we're clasping hands at the crossroads now

In the Fiend’s own night for weather.”
— Richard Hovey
Dealer: South North

When the bidding suggests that suits will be breaking Vul: East- ♠K52
unkindly, that the key finesse will fail, and an endplay is West ♥K9863
♦86
not an option, it may be the intermediate cards that will ♣ 10 7 3
come to the rescue. West East
♠J ♠ Q 10 4
Against four spades West kicked off with three rounds of ♥J2 ♥ 10 7 5 4
♦ K J 10 5 4 ♦932
clubs, South ruffing the third. Prospects looked poor since ♣AKQ82 ♣J65
the diamond king was almost certainly wrong, and with South
♠A98763
West having announced at least 10 cards in the minors, ♥AQ
the 2-2 trump break that declarer needed for his contract ♦AQ7
♣94
to succeed looked unlikely.
South continued with the spade ace, collecting the jack 1♠ 2♦ Pass Pass
from West and the four from East and was now at the Dbl. 3♣ 3♥ Pass
crossroads. If spades were indeed 2-2, then he could 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
afford to lose a diamond, and either dummy’s last trump or
Opening Lead: ♣K
the heart king would take care of his third diamond.
But instinct told him that the spade jack was bare, which meant that West was likely to
hold a doubleton heart. If that doubleton included the jack or 10 — or both — dummy’s
heart pips would provide two diamond discards.
So declarer played the heart ace, then the queen. When West produced the jack, declarer
overtook the queen with the king and ran the nine. East covered, South ruffed, then
returned to dummy with the spade king, West showing out. One diamond went away on
the heart eight and another on the fifth heart, and declarer had 10 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A simple call of three clubs
South Holds: shows your basic hand shape. However, if
♠J you consider, as I do, that you have too
♥J2 much slam potential for this call, then jump
♦ K J 10 5 4 to four clubs to emphasize the good suits
♣AKQ82 and extra shape. Once partner bids the
fourth suit, it is highly unlikely here that three
South West North East no-trump will be the right final contract.
1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass
2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, January 31st, 2013
“Worn by the chain of years, without surprise,

The wise man welcomes thee [death], and leaves the glare
Of noisy sunshine gladly.”
— George Pellew
Dealer: North North

In today's deal South had no problem in driving to game Vul: East- ♠ J 10 7 6
once his partner raised his suit. Making game proved to West ♥A5
♦ Q 10
be a far more challenging proposition. In the contract of ♣AJ764
four spades I suggest that it would be the norm rather West East
♠52 ♠9
than the exception to rely on the club finesse here, but
♥KQJ4 ♥98632
declarer can do considerably better. ♦J9642 ♦AK87
♣93 ♣ Q 10 5
After the lead of the heart king is taken by the ace, South
♠AKQ843
declarer draws trump and exits with a second heart. The ♥ 10 7
best the defenders can do is for West to win and lead a ♦53
♣K82
club through, realizing that declarer must have a hole in
the club suit — and that if all he needed to do was set up South West North East
clubs, he would not have given up a heart. 1♣ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♠ Pass
Rather than waste dummy’s club jack, declarer plays low 4♠ All pass
from the board and wins in hand, then leads a diamond,
Opening Lead: ♥K
covering West’s card. East can take his diamond king and
ace, but then has nowhere to turn. A club gives up the whole suit, while a diamond or
heart lets South discard his club loser and ruff on the board.
For this line of play to succeed, all declarer needs is to find both high diamonds with East.
If West has one of the top diamonds and more than one club, declarer falls back on the
club finesse. Effectively this play turns a 50-50 contract into one where you will succeed at
least two times out of three.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Were you tempted to respond
South Holds: two hearts? You shouldn't yield to such
♠9 temptation. To respond at the two-level as a
♥98632 passed hand, you need some combination
♦AK87 of a sixth-card in your long suit, or more
♣ Q 10 5 spade tolerance, or a better hand. With no fit
for spades, do not encourage partner to
South West North East rebid his suit unless he really wants to.
Pass Pass 1♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, February 1st, 2013
“Stare, stare in the basin

And wonder what you’ve missed.”
— W.H. Auden
Dealer: West North

West leads the heart king against your three-no-trump Vul: Neither ♠ 8 5
contract and persists with the suit. You win the heart ace ♥ 10 7
♦AKQ73
on the third round, and with eight top tricks must aim to ♣AQ74
develop a ninth from one of the minor suits, without West East
♠KQ3 ♠ J 10 4
allowing West on lead. What is your plan?
♥KQJ92 ♥854
♦ J 10 5 2 ♦86
Looking for a 3-3 break in the club suit can wait. The first ♣6 ♣ J 10 9 8 2
priority is to seek an extra trick from the diamonds. If the South
♠A9762
suit breaks 3-3, two extra tricks will drop into your lap. Life ♥A63
will also be easy when East holds four diamonds, since ♦94
♣K53
you can concede a fourth round to the safe hand. The key
situation occurs when West holds four diamonds; in that South West North East
case you must aim to duck an early diamond trick to East. 1♥ 2♦ Pass
2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass
At trick four, you lead the diamond nine, intending to run 3 NT All pass
that card to East. Let’s suppose that West thwarts you
Opening Lead: ♥K
temporarily by covering with the jack. You win the trick in
dummy and return to your hand with the club king. You then lead the diamond four toward
dummy. West cannot afford to rise with the 10 or you will make all five diamond tricks. He
plays low and you cover with dummy’s seven, ducking the trick into the safe hand. East
wins with the eight and you have ensured your contract when he follows suit. What is
more, you will be spared the annoyance of finding that clubs were 3-3 all along!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no easy way to show
South Holds: your fifth spade and simultaneously invite
♠A9762 game. The best you can do is to rebid two
♥A63 no-trump and hope that your partner will bid
♦94 out his shape if he has three spades, or
♣K53 rebid his minors as appropriate. Facing a
minimum opening bid, two no-trump may be
South West North East as good a partscore as any.
1♦ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, February 2nd, 2013
“Wit will shine

Through the harsh cadence of a rugged line.”
— John Dryden
Dealer: South North

Consider your line of play in six clubs from London's Vul: Both ♠ J 10 8 7 3 2
TGR's bridge club, on a trump lead. ♥3
♦ J 10
♣Q984
If clubs are 2-2, then you could draw trump and play off West East
hearts, making 13 tricks should hearts break 3-3. If hearts ♠K64 ♠AQ95
are 4-2, you discard one diamond and then ruff the hearts ♥ J 10 5 2 ♥96
♦AQ982 ♦7543
good but make only 12 tricks, since you eventually run out ♣3 ♣762
of trumps. South
♠—
♥AKQ874
Equally, if hearts break while clubs do not, then you can ♦K6
make 13 tricks by simply playing out your other top hearts ♣ A K J 10 5
while discarding diamonds. Then you ruff a diamond,
cross back to hand with a trump, ruff another diamond, 2♥ Pass 2 NT Pass
cross back to hand with a spade, ruff to draw trump, and 3♣ Pass 4♣ Pass
claim the remainder. 4♠ Pass 5♣ Pass
6♣ All pass
However, what you need to do is find a safer line for the
Opening Lead: ♣3
slam if neither suit breaks. If you draw three rounds of
trump but then find hearts are 4-2, you will need East to hold the diamond ace if you are
going to come to 12 tricks. On the other hand, if you play off three rounds of hearts
immediately (discarding diamonds) and East ruffs and returns a trump, you will go down.
The solution is somewhat counterintuitive: What you must do is play off two top hearts,
discarding a diamond, and then play a diamond. Even if the defenders could win and play
another trump (which on the actual lie of the cards they cannot), you still have two trumps
in dummy, one to ruff the hearts good, and one to ruff a diamond.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Jump to three spades to show a
South Holds: limit raise. Your ruffing value suggests you
♠K64 raise spades directly and get your hand off
♥ J 10 5 2 your chest at one go. It would not be
♦AQ982 unreasonable to force to game by bidding
♣3 two diamonds, then raising spades, and I
would do that with the diamond king instead
South West North East of the queen.
1♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
ANSWER: In third seat — whatever the

vulnerability — you might decide to get in at
Dear Mr. Wolff: any price, but in any other position I'd feel
Say you open one diamond with: ♠ K-9, ♥ K- that the four-card major was just too much of
J-2, ♦ A-7-4-3-2, ♣ Q-9-2, and hear a double a liability. I'm also too good to pre-empt if
to your left, and a redouble from partner, non-vulnerable. I'd be too worried about
passed back to your LHO. When you hear missing game or slam.
one spade to your left, passed back to you.
Is this forcing? And if you do act do you
rebid diamonds, or do something else? Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Same Old Story, Lakeland, Fla. Two terms appearing often in your column
are "uppercut" and "trump promotion.," They
both relate to the defenders' building extra
ANSWER: Yes, this auction is forcing but not trump tricks, but I'm not sure of the
to game. You have a straightforward call of difference. Could you clarify this for me?
one no-trump, suggesting a minimum — Dictionary Johnson, Baton Rouge, La.
balanced hand with a spade stop. To rebid
diamonds, you should have six of them, and
probably a respectable hand, since you did
not act at your previous turn. ANSWER: A trump promotion occurs when
a defender leads a suit in which neither
second hand nor the leader's partner has
any cards. Declarer has the option of
Dear Mr. Wolff: discarding or ruffing low, thus conceding a
At the club last week I heard a director cheap trump trick, or of ruffing high and
discussing Goldwater's Rule. What is it, and leaving one defender with an extra trump
who was Goldwater? winner. An uppercut is the act of ruffing in
with a significant trump spot as second or
— Tracker, Monterey, Calif. third hand in order to build a trump trick for
your partner if the next player overruffs.
ANSWER: Harry Goldwater was one of the
most popular tournament directors of the 60s Dear Mr. Wolff:
and 70s, who suggested that a lead made
out of turn should always be accepted When your RHO opens four clubs, or even
because, in his words, "Anyone stupid three clubs, are you supposed to act or pass
enough to not know whose lead it is isn't with ♠ A-J-9-5-2, ♥ K-9-4-2, ♦ K-2, ♣ Q-5?
smart enough to make a good one." And if you take action, do you double or bid
spades?
— Fired Up, Midland, Mich.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What are the rules for pre-empting, if ever,
with a six-card suit? If you have: ♠ 4-2, ♥ K- ANSWER: You cannot afford to pass with
10-6-4, ♦ 2, ♣ A-Q-9-8-5-4, I can see the your opening-bid strength and short clubs.
four-card major is a disadvantage, but are Double is flawed, because of the diamond
there any vulnerabilities where you might act weakness, but it is the call that has the most
to get in the opponents' way? upsides, whether the opponents open at the
three- or four-level.
— Roadblock, Twin Falls, Idaho
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, February 4th, 2013
“We may live without friends; we may live without books;

But civilized man cannot live without cooks.”
— Lord Lytton
Dealer: North North

Sam Fry Jr. was one of the original 10 life masters Vul: North- ♠4
appointed by the ACBL and the hero of today's deal. South ♥J975
♦ Q 10 9 7 5
When it came up, somewhat different conventions were ♣K73
the norm, and Fry could make a penalty double of three West East
♠ A 10 5 2 ♠3
spades.
♥ K Q 10 ♥86432
♦K43 ♦A82
South took the lead of the heart king and played the ♣AQ9 ♣ 10 8 4 2
spade king. It looks natural for West to win this — but he South
♠KQJ9876
would then have had to guess what to do next. ♥A
♦J6
But Fry ducked the spade king — which could hardly cost, ♣J65
since he was not going to score all of his small trumps
whatever he did. He hoped to get a meaningful signal Pass Pass
from his partner on the next trump, and that was what 3♠ Dbl. All pass
transpired. West took the spade-queen lead with the ace
and, noting his partner’s diamond eight, switched to the Opening Lead: ♥K
diamond three. East won the diamond ace and found the
obvious club shift. Since Fry knew from his partner’s play of the two that he had at most
four cards in the suit, he could put in the nine. The defense took two trumps, two
diamonds and two clubs for plus 500.
West can also succeed by shifting to the club queen when in with the trump ace. But if
South had begun with both the club jack and 10, West needs to play a diamond to collect
his 500.
Just for the record, nowadays West would surely bid three no-trump over three spades
and would have failed by at least two tricks. Sometimes the old ways are the best.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There are people brought up on
South Holds: Culbertson's theories who would lead the
♠Q752 diamond queen, assuming that partner won't
♥KJ73 believe they have an honor in his suit unless
♦Q74 they lead it. But the low card actually
♣85 suggests an honor rather than denying one.
(A high spot-card lead might deny an honor.)
South West North East Also, it avoids surrendering a trick
1♣ 1♦ 1♥ unnecessarily if declarer has three diamonds
2♦ 3♣ Pass 3 NT to a top honor, plus the jack.
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, February 5th, 2013
“It was great fun,

But it was just one of those things.”
— Cole Porter
Dealer: South North

In today's deal, North-South need to be able to judge the Vul: Both ♠542
presence or absence of the two black jacks in order to see ♥K76
♦8742
what level they should play at. If they had both of those ♣A85
cards, a grand slam would be the target, while with one of West East
♠ 10 ♠J963
them, 12 tricks would be a cakewalk. However, with
♥J32 ♥ 10 9 8 5
neither of them, some careful play is required for declarer ♦QJ93 ♦ K 10 6 5
to give himself every opportunity to bring home 12 tricks. ♣J9762 ♣ 10
South
♠AKQ87
So how are you going to make six spades after the ♥AQ4
diamond-queen lead? Presumably, you start by drawing ♦A
♣KQ43
trump. When West shows out on the second round, the
focus shifts to trying to avoid losing a club and a trump if South West North East
neither suit behaves. 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
Since East has trump length, he rates to be short in clubs, 4♣ Pass 4♥ Pass
4 NT Pass 5♦ Pass
if anyone is. (If he is long in both suits, it will be easy to
6♠ All pass
play to ruff a club on the board.)
Opening Lead: ♦Q
You need to protect yourself against both 4-2 and 5-1 club
breaks. You cannot afford to have a club honor ruffed away, so play a club to the ace and
a club toward your hand. It does not help East to trump in, since he would be ruffing a
loser. Win the club king and cross back to dummy with the heart king to lead another club
toward your hand. Again, it doesn’t help East to ruff, so he discards again. Now you can
ruff a club in dummy. East can overruff, but that will be his only trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A jump to three hearts would be
South Holds: more about shape than high cards, and I
♠J963 would advocate this call if your heart 10 and
♥ 10 9 8 5 diamond king were switched. Here, though,
♦ K 10 6 5 you have decent defense (in context) so I
♣ 10 would simply bid two hearts, perhaps
intending to compete to three hearts over
South West North East three clubs.
1♥ 2♦
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
“The proper study of mankind is man.”

— Alexander Pope
Dealer: South North

How should you play six clubs on a heart lead? Does this Vul: North- ♠Q7
deal require card-play technique or elements of South ♥AJ5
♦AQ54
psychology? ♣J874
West East
The best mathematical chance of success is to win the ♠K432 ♠986
♥ 10 9 8 7 ♥KQ63
heart ace. Next play the diamond ace and ruff a diamond
♦ K 10 8 3 ♦J972
high. You can cash the club ace, lead the club 10 to the ♣5 ♣63
jack, then ruff another diamond. If the diamond king has South
♠ A J 10 5
fallen, you will have created a home for your heart loser. If ♥42
not, you can always fall back on the spade finesse. This ♦6
♣ A K Q 10 9 2
line allows you to take your chances in echelon; but the
extra chance that you have built for yourself is less than South West North East
10 percent. 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
Contrast this approach with winning the heart ace at trick 4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
4♠ Pass 5♥ Pass
one and looking for a more psychological line. Simply call
6♣ All pass
for the spade queen, then use your bridge judgment to
gauge East’s reaction to this play. Opening Lead: ♥10
Even if East is a real expert, he would have to be truly inspired not to cover this card, or at
least to consider doing so. If East ducks the spade queen without thought, then you
should assume that West has the spade king. If so, you should rise with the spade ace,
draw trump, and try to take the diamond finesse to discard your heart loser. Against any
but the very best defenders (and there are precious few of them!), this line has a 75
percent chance of success.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It would be extremely dangerous
South Holds: to pass for penalties here. And to jump to
♠Q7 three no-trump could prove extremely
♥AJ5 embarrassing if your partner has a singleton
♦AQ54 or void in clubs. Start by cuebidding two
♣J874 clubs and you will always be able to follow
up with a three-no-trump call at your next
South West North East turn, suggesting a little more doubt about the
1♣ Dbl. Pass final contract.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, February 7th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on February 21st, 2013
“There are who teach only the sweet lessons of peace and safety
But I teach lessons of war and death to those I love.”
— Walt Whitman
Dealer: West North

When West led the heart king against six spades, declarer Vul: Both ♠942
took it and played the two top trumps, both defenders ♥ A 10 6
♦AK
following. He then turned to the club suit. If East had held ♣ A K J 10 3
the last trump, the slam would have been made. East West East
♠ J 10 8 ♠Q5
could ruff in whenever he chose, but he would have no
♥KQJ852 ♥7
heart to return. Declarer could then discard both his heart ♦ 10 4 ♦J986532
losers on dummy's clubs. But today it was West who ♣86 ♣942
South
ruffed the third club, and he cashed two hearts to put the ♠AK763
slam two down. ♥943
♦Q7
♣Q75
Since you are booked to lose a trump trick, even if the
spade suit breaks 3-2, the critical trump trick must be lost South West North East
to East, who is known to be the safe hand. After winning 2♥ Dbl. Pass
the heart lead, you should play a trump toward your hand 4♠ Pass 4 NT Pass
5♥* Pass 6♠ All pass
and win with the ace. You then return to dummy with a
*Two of the five keycards, including
diamond to lead another trump. When the queen appears the spade king, but no trump queen
from East, you must duck. You can then win East’s return,
draw the last trump, and discard your two heart losers. Opening Lead: ♥K
This play is indicated because hearts are known to be 6-1.
Had West not bid, the line found at the table would probably have been best.
Incidentally, you would make the same sort of play if your trumps were A-Q-7-6-3. After
finessing the spade queen, you would return to dummy to lead a second round of trumps.
Whenever the spade king appeared from East, you would duck it, keeping West off lead
for the duration of the deal.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The double of a no-trump
South Holds: opening or overcall is for penalties, so you
♠AK763 have no reason to remove it. Your partner
♥943 knows you opened third in hand (when
♦Q7 traditionally a few liberties can be taken) and
♣Q75 you have no reason to be ashamed of your
values. Pass, and await developments.
Pass Pass
1♠ 1 NT Dbl. Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, February 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on February 22nd, 2013
“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.”
— Patrick Henry
Dealer: West North

How do you plan the play in six spades on the lead of the Vul: East- ♠652
heart ace? Obviously, since trumps are under control, the West ♥532
♦854
most likely problem comes when clubs are 4-1. ♣Q952
West East
As you will need to exert pressure on the defender who ♠— ♠9743
♥ A K 10 9 7 6 4 ♥QJ8
has four clubs, you should tighten the projected ending by
♦J6 ♦Q9732
discarding a club at trick one! After ruffing the next heart, ♣ J 10 8 7 ♣3
you will draw trumps, cash the club ace-king, and claim 12 South
♠ A K Q J 10 8
tricks if they split. ♥—
♦ A K 10
If East has four clubs, you need him also to have sole ♣AK64
control of diamonds. Then, after all of the trumps are
played, he will have to keep four cards, most probably two 3♥ Pass 4♥
clubs and two diamonds, and the diamond 10 will become 6♠ All pass
a winner.
Opening Lead: ♥K
What will you do if West has four clubs? All you need for
West to hold in addition to his four clubs is at least one diamond honor. Cash the diamond
king and run the trumps to reduce to a five-card ending with one trump, two clubs and two
diamonds in hand and one heart, one diamond and three clubs on the board.
When you play the last trump, West must keep all his clubs, but throwing the diamond
jack will let you finesse the diamond 10. So West parts with his last heart, and you pitch
dummy’s small club. Now when you cash the king and queen of clubs, East has no
recourse. A heart discard establishes dummy’s heart five, while pitching a second
diamond sees your diamond A-10 take the last two tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This auction shows more than a
South Holds: strong two-no-trump opening — remember
♠9743 that a balancing action of two no-trump by
♥QJ8 your partner at his previous turn would show
♦Q9732 19-20. So you have enough to go to game,
♣3 and the best route is to use Stayman with a
call of three clubs. This should not be
South West North East natural. Unless proven to the contrary, bids
1♣ in the opponents' suit are always forcing.
Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
1♦ Pass 2 NT Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, February 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on February 23rd, 2013
“Life may change, but it may fly not;

Hope may vanish, but can die not.”
— Percy Bysshe Shelley
Dealer: South North

Against six diamonds West leads the heart queen. As the Vul: East- ♠9432
spade ace will surely be wrong, given West's vulnerable West ♥K62
♦AJ3
two-suited action, how do you plan to make 12 tricks? ♣AKQ
West East
You need to bring pressure to bear on West in the ♠AQJ65 ♠ 10 8
endgame, and the entry position requires you to win the ♥ Q J 10 9 5 ♥84
♦4 ♦872
heart queen in hand with the ace, then draw two rounds of ♣94 ♣ J 10 8 6 3 2
trump with the ace and another honor, say the jack. Then South
♠K7
you must make the key play of cashing dummy’s three top ♥A73
clubs, throwing a heart from hand. (You need to have the ♦ K Q 10 9 6 5
♣75
lead in hand as you put West’s feet to the fire.) If you take
all your trumps at once, you have to discard prematurely South West North East
from the North hand. You now settle down to run the rest 1♦ 2♦* Dbl. Pass
of the trumps. 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
3 NT Pass 4♣ Pass
4♥ Pass 5♣ Pass
After a heart, six trumps, and three clubs have been
6♦ All pass
played, you will have generated a three-card ending in
*Majors
which West will have to reduce to a singleton spade or a
singleton heart, while dummy has yet to discard, with two Opening Lead: ♥Q
spades and two hearts. If West lets a spade go, throw a
heart from dummy and then lead the spade seven to West’s now bare ace; you will take
the last two tricks with your major-suit kings. If West pitches a heart instead, he will have
only one heart remaining, so throw a spade from dummy and cash the heart king;
dummy’s heart six will now be good for your 12th trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this auction it is probably best
South Holds: and certainly simplest to play exactly the
♠9432 same structure after a one-no-trump overcall
♥K62 as you would over a one-no-trump opening.
♦AJ3 So here the two-diamond call is a transfer to
♣AKQ hearts and you should simply complete the
transfer. It is not yet against the law to have
South West North East a maximum for your bid.
1♦
1 NT Pass 2♦ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, February 10th, 2013
Dear Mr. Wolff: Dear Mr. Wolff:

When you are playing pairs, what are your When you hear a three diamond pre-empt
views on coming in over one no-trump with on your left, and partner doubles, what
light and shapely hands? How does the should you do with ♠ K-9-4, ♥ K-J-7-4, ♦ 10-
position change depending on your 3, ♣ Q-9-5-4? And what do you do if your
vulnerability or status as a passed hand? RHO then raises to four diamonds?
— Quiet Man, Great Falls, Mont. — Diamond Jubilee, Madison, Wis.
ANSWER: Vulnerability and position are ANSWER: I can't say I like it, but I would
very important. I'd almost always bid if guess to jump to four hearts over the double.
nonvulnerable and a passed hand, If the heart jack were a small card, I'd guess
especially in balancing seat, on hands where to go low and bid three hearts — and I can't
I wouldn't consider acting vulnerable in direct say I would be happy either! If they raise to
seat; 5-4 pattern is always sufficient no four diamonds, my problems are solved. I
matter what the vulnerability — so long as can make a responsive double, asking
the high cards are not out of line with a bid. partner to pass if relatively balanced, or to
act with extra shape.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
When my partner opened one diamond, I
responded one spade with: ♠ A-K-7-2, ♥ J-5- I'm a beginner who learned the basics of the
2, ♦ Q-2, ♣ 10-8-6-3. Now my partner bid two game in London, England. What does the
diamonds, and I was not sure if I should phrase "two over one" mean? Would you
raise to three diamonds or pass, or even bid recommend that I learn this system or stick
two no-trump. What should I consider here? with what I know?
— At the Crossroads, Seneca, S.C. — Convert, Bellevue, Wash.
ANSWER: First, you are too good to pass ANSWER: The key difference between
because of the quick tricks and diamond English and American bids is that the latter
card. (Consider partner with six diamonds to tend to be a little sounder, and a response at
the ace-king plus the heart ace, and you the two-level is game-forcing, while in the
have nine tricks in no-trump.) The raise to UK you do not even guarantee a second
three diamonds will get you to a safer call. Because everyone in the United States
partscore facing a minimum hand, while two (perhaps excluding some rubber bridge
no-trump is slightly more likely to get you to players) plays something broadly similar, I
game. think you should learn an approach where a
two-level response in a non-competitive
auction is a game-force. Visit here for an
Dear Mr. Wolff: excellent summary of the basics.
Do you prefer to play Ghestem or a specific
two-suited overcall to a convention like
Michaels, where in some cases you show a
two-suiter with a major and a nonspecific
minor?
— Mickey Blue-Eyes, Doylestown, Pa.
ANSWER: Over the opening of a major suit,

the issue is whether to give up a jump to
three clubs as a natural pre-empt to
distinguish which minor you hold along with
spades. I vote for keeping the club jump
natural and using the cuebid as spades and
a minor. I won't deny the ambiguity can be
costly on occasion, because the degree of fit
may never be discovered. But losing my
ability to pre-empt seems potentially more
costly.
“Fair are the flowers and the children, but their subtle suggestion is fairer;
Rare is the roseburst of dawn, but the secret that clasps it is rarer.”
— Richard Realf
Dealer: East North

All the deals this week come from the annals of one of the Vul: North- ♠2
best annual invitational tournaments in the world, the NEC South ♥ A 10 6 4
♦ A J 10 5 3 2
tournament in Yokohama. This event is traditionally held in ♣Q7
February, though it has moved to April just for 2013. West East
♠ 10 3 ♠A98764
In this deal from the semifinals between Bulgaria and an ♥Q2 ♥K8
♦987 ♦K6
Anglo-Dutch team, the Bulgarians won the bidding battle ♣ A J 10 8 3 2 ♣965
but lost the war – though it was a close run thing. South
♠KQJ5
♥J9753
In the room not featured North had overcalled bid two ♦Q4
diamonds over one no-trump, which simplified the auction ♣K4
but lost the heart fit for good. The Bulgarians as East-
West declared four clubs, and the defenders led spades 1♠
and eventually scored a trick in each suit for down one. Pass 1 NT Dbl. 2♠
4♥ All pass
Meanwhile, although the Bulgarian contract of four hearts
(on the auction shown) appeared hopeless, Manol Iliev Opening Lead: ♠10
gave himself a decent chance. He got a spade lead and a
club shift to the ace for a club return. He won in hand and played out his top spades, on
which Ricco van Prooijen discarded — though ruffing in with the queen might have been
best.
Now declarer played a heart to the ace, and Louk Verhees carefully unblocked his king to
let his partner in for the diamond play, insuring the defeat of the game. Had he not done
so, he would have been thrown in and forced to lead from the diamond king or give a ruff-
sluff.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: While you might lead a heart in
South Holds: an attempt to set up heart winners before
♠K95 they can be discarded, when dummy is
♥975 weak the club suit doesn't feel like much of a
♦ 10 6 2 threat. More likely is that declarer is in a 5-3
♣ J 10 8 3 diamond fit and you may need to lead trump
repeatedly to kill a major-suit ruff in dummy.
South West North East So lead the diamond two.
1♥ Dbl.
Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦
2♥ 3♦ All pass
“Deign on the passing world to turn thine eyes,

And pause awhile from learning to be wise.”
— Samuel Johnson
Dealer: South North

On this deal from the 2007 NEC event both tables in a Vul: East- ♠KQ
match between Japanese and Polish squads reached West ♥ 10 3 2
♦ J 10 6
three no-trump. For Japan Akihiko Yamada led a diamond ♣A8753
and declarer took the first trick and cleared the clubs. The West East
♠A52 ♠ 10 7 6 3
defense set up the diamonds, but declarer could run his
♥Q654 ♥J98
clubs and knock out the spade ace. When diamonds ♦K987 ♦Q532
proved to be 4-4, South had nine tricks. ♣ 10 4 ♣K6
South
♠J984
In the other room Cezary Balicki led a fourth-highest heart ♥AK7
four. (Where the opponents do not use Stayman, then ♦A4
♣QJ92
when in doubt a major is generally best.) Declarer won the
first heart to take the club finesse. Adam Zmudzinski won South West North East
his king as Balicki dropped the club 10. In this position the 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
partnership conventionally play a variety of signal known
Opening Lead: ♥4
as the Smith Echo to suggest that West would be happy
with a switch. Naturally, Zmudzinski shifted to diamonds,
and Balicki won his king and returned a low card. When Zmudzinski ducked the second
diamond, declarer’s diamond ace fell on air. Now when the defenders got in with the
spade ace they could cash out for down one.
Nicely done by the defenders; but declarer had opened the door to them by playing on
clubs before spades. South wants to keep East off lead for just this reason, and the losing
club finesse will surely give the defense the chance to find the killing shift. However, if the
cards lie as they do, no shift can hurt declarer when West takes the spade ace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This sequence is not a reverse. If
South Holds: opener has real extras and both minors, he
♠A52 jumps to three diamonds here, so this
♥Q654 sequence suggests 4-4 or 4-5 in the minors
♦K987 and 12-15 points. Since you have no extras,
♣ 10 4 you have no reason to invite game. You
would raise to three diamonds if one of your
South West North East small diamonds were the queen.
1♣ 1♠
Dbl. Pass 2♦ Pass
?
“There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.”
— Mark Twain
Dealer: West North

Today's deal shows that expert players can make just as Vul: East- ♠J83
many amusing mistakes as their less talented colleagues. West ♥2
♦ A J 10 7 3 2
In one room the Australian East-West pair had found an ♣A93
excellent vulnerable save in five hearts over four spades, West East
♠72 ♠A95
down 200 on a top spade lead.
♥A63 ♥KQJ9754
♦Q ♦84
In the other room it looks as if four spades should be ♣QJ76542 ♣8
relatively straightforward to make. West led a top club, South
♠ K Q 10 6 4
and now instead of playing on trumps, South made the ♥ 10 8
“expert” play of a heart at trick two to cut the defenders’ ♦K965
♣ K 10
communications. West won this and shifted to the
diamond queen. Oops… Now declarer could not prevent South West North East
East from ruffing a diamond and West from ruffing a club Pass 1♦ 3♥
for down one. 3♠ 4♥ 4♠ All pass
In the Netherlands-China match South played four spades Opening Lead: ♣Q

on the lead of the diamond queen. Declarer won in
dummy and led a spade to his hand, Huub Bertens as East ducking because he could see
that the ruff would gain his side only one trick, and that this would not be enough.
Now declarer played a heart. The defenders took their diamond ruff and led a club, won in
North. At this point when a second trump was played, Bertens took his spade ace and
played a second heart, forcing dummy to ruff and locking the lead in the North hand.
Dummy had four diamonds and two clubs left while East was out of both minors and still
had a trump, so declarer was forced to concede a second ruff.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: My personal style (which I would
South Holds: also recommend to others) is that facing an
♠ K Q 10 6 4 overcall, all jumps in new suits are fit-
♥ 10 8 showing, meaning that they promise at least
♦K965 invitational values and guarantee at least
♣ K 10 three-card support for partner, while also
showing a decent suit in which you jump. A
South West North East jump in partner's suit remains natural and
1♥ 2♦ 2♥ pre-emptive, of course, but this hand is
?
tailor-made for a three-spade call.
“I know enough of the world now to have almost lost the capacity of being much surprised
by anything; but it is matter of some surprise to me, even now, that I can have been so
easily thrown away at such an age.”
— Charles Dickens
Dealer: East North

This week's deals all come from past NEC tournaments. Vul: North- ♠AK7
In today's deal four spades looks a decent spot unless the South ♥9
♦Q852
defenders lead a top club early, as you can play to ♣A9632
establish the diamond queen for a club discard. Naturally, West East
♠ 10 5
at the featured table in a match between Australia and a ♠J4
♥ A Q 10 6 5 3
♥KJ4
Beijing squad, the lead was the club king. 2
♦ K 10 9 7 6
♦J3
♣KQJ
Both declarers fell from grace. The Australian declarer ♣ 10 4
South
took the club lead, cashed a top spade, and played a ♠Q98632
heart. When a diamond came back, he had no chance to ♥87
♦A4
make. ♣875
The Chinese declarer won the opening lead and played a South West North East
heart at once, which East won to play back a club (a 3♥
diamond was necessary now). West did his best by Pass 4♥ Dbl. Pass
4♠ All pass
winning and switching back to hearts, but declarer ruffed
and led a club, and the two-two trump break meant he Opening Lead: ♣K
was home.
The board was played at eight tables in the quarter-finals of the main event, but only one
declarer, Leon Jacobs of the Netherlands, made four spades by ducking the opening club
lead. This might feel as if it risks undertricks, and indeed it does if the clubs split 4-1; but
then you were never making your game whatever you did.
The point is that after declarer ducks the club, the defenders can’t continue clubs, or the
diamond loser eventually goes away when clubs break 3-2. Even after a heart shift at trick
two, followed by a diamond through from East, declarer sets up a diamond discard for the
losing club.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You certainly have enough to
South Holds: drive to game, but your absence of aces
♠J4 should concern you in five clubs. Best is to
♥KJ4 bid three no-trump now and not worry about
♦ K 10 9 7 6 the spades. If you bid five clubs, you will get
♣KQJ a heart lead through your tenace. Now,
unless partner has great heart shortage or
South West North East an unexpected heart honor, you will probably
1♥ 2♣ Pass be sunk at once.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, February 15th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on March 1st, 2013
“To fear the worst oft cures the worse.”

Dealer: West North

What would you do with the South cards after a one-heart Vul: North- ♠J832
opening to your right? South ♥J62
♦KJ9
♣A94
In one room the Bulgarian South overcalled one no-trump, West East
and that got his side to the no-trump game. ♠96 ♠Q54
♥ 10 9 7 ♥K8543
♦ Q 10 7 5 4 ♦A6
Against three no-trump West led the heart 10 to the queen
♣K75 ♣ J 10 8
and declarer misguessed diamonds, playing low to the South
king and ace, because he needed his RHO to have the ♠ A K 10 7
♥AQ
club king and spade queen if he was going to make his ♦832
game. Back came a heart and South won and cashed one ♣Q632
top spade before leading a second diamond. West rose
with the queen and the defense cashed three hearts Pass Pass 1♥
before East exited with a spade, trying to talk South out of Dbl. 2♥ Dbl. Pass
the finesse. It didn’t work, and declarer claimed the rest 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
4♠ All pass
for down one.
Opening Lead: ♥10
In our featured room four spades received the same lead
of the heart 10. Declarer, Louk Verhees, won cheaply, cashed one top spade, crossed to
the club ace, played a low spade to the 10, drew the last trump, and guessed well in
diamonds by playing low to the nine and ace. The defense could cash two clubs, but
Verhees finished with 10 tricks for plus 620.
Declarer’s play in diamonds was based on the idea that if the club king was right, he did
not mind losing two diamonds; if it was wrong, then this play in the diamond suit was the
one most likely to hold his losers to one, since if West had the club king, East surely had
the diamond ace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner has shown a strong
South Holds: hand, typically with four hearts and five-plus
♠ A K 10 7 clubs. (Assuming you use four-suit transfers,
♥AQ then with a weak or strong hand and just
♦832 clubs, your partner would transfer into clubs
♣Q632 and not use Stayman.) Despite your
minimum hand, it feels right simply to raise
South West North East clubs and hope partner has a diamond
1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass control — in which case he will show it, and
2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass you are off to the races!
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, February 16th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on March 2nd, 2013
“Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by
subjecting them to too much change in too short a time.”
— Alvin Toffler
Dealer: West North

In today's deal from the semifinals of the NEC tournament Vul: Neither ♠ 10 9 6 5 3
in 2007, even if West pre-empted to two or three hearts, ♥A
♦AK85
South became declarer in four spades. What do you think ♣K87
his chances are? West East
♠— ♠QJ42
In one room Justin Hackett led the diamond three. ♥ K J 10 7 4 3 ♥85
♦Q743 ♦ J 10 6
Declarer Huub Bertens rose with dummy’s ace to play a ♣542 ♣AQ63
spade to his ace, then ran the club jack to East’s queen. South
♠AK87
Jason Hackett now made the critical error by returning a ♥Q962
top trump. Declarer won, played a diamond to the king, ♦92
♣ J 10 9
ruffed a diamond, crossed to dummy’s heart ace, and led
the fourth diamond, scoring his spade eight. (It would South West North East
have done East no good to ruff high in front of him.) He 2♥ Dbl. Pass
then ruffed a heart, exited with a trump, and had to score 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
two of the remaining tricks for plus-420.

Opening Lead: ♦3
The play went the same way in the Closed Room to the
first three tricks but at trick four Martin Schollaardt returned the diamond 10. Declarer, Geir
Helgemo, won in dummy and played a top spade. Schollaardt did very well to duck.
Helgemo won cheaply in hand, played a heart to the ace, the club king to the ace, then
ruffed the diamond return, ruffed a heart, came to hand with the club 10, and led a fourth
heart, ruffed and overruffed. The trump return now left Helgemo with a heart loser; minus
50, and 10 IMPs to the Dutchmen.
East’s ducking the trump prevented declarer from ruffing two diamonds in hand without
creating an extra trump winner for the defense.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Since a direct call of two hearts
South Holds: by your partner would be natural and forcing,
♠ 10 9 6 5 3 you should assume he has long hearts
♥A (typically six) and not enough values to
♦AK85 follow an invitational sequence to game.
♣K87 Typically, you would expect about an eight-
count here, so it feels best to pass (albeit
South West North East reluctantly) on the grounds that anything
1♠ 2♣ Dbl. Pass else may be worse.
2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on March 3rd, 2013
ANSWER: I would respond with one no-

trump (and be entirely happy with that
Dear Mr. Wolff: choice, though I would prefer it to be
I assume you would pass when your RHO forcing). The hand is not worth a game-
opens one diamond and you hold ♠ K-J-2, force, because of the absence of fit, and I
♥ K-J-7-2, ♦ J-10-8-2, ♣ Q-9. If you do, your think I will get my chance to limit the hand at
LHO passes and your partner doubles. the next turn. I might miss a game if partner
Should you drive to game now, or invite — can pass with a balanced 14-count or so, but
and in hearts or no-trump? I'll take my chances on that.
— Looking for the Path, Bristol, Va.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
ANSWER: You are certainly a bit too good What is a cuebid? I see the word used to
for a two-heart call, but I'd be a little cover many different situations —
uncomfortable bidding one no-trump. Even sometimes in slam-going auctions,
though you are fine for values, for that call I'd sometimes in auctions that are not even
be worried about having to give up too many game-forcing!
tempos to set up the long suits. I certainly do — Ace Ventura, Duluth, Minn.
not want to force to game here, so two
hearts it is. Give me just a little more (maybe
the spade queen for the jack), and I'd risk a
two-diamond cuebid. ANSWER: You make a good point: These
days players use the term in many disparate
ways. After partner opens or overcalls, when
you bid the opponents' suit at your first turn
Dear Mr. Wolff: to speak, it is generally used to mean a
If you play a double of a no-trump (be it value-showing raise of the opponents' suit.
weak or strong) as penalties, how do you Later in the auction, the call tends to ask
advocate continuing? And should your your partner if he has that suit stopped for
approach be consistent whether third hand no-trump purposes. Finally, a cuebid above
runs from the double or not? three no-trump shows a control in that suit
for slam purposes. No wonder you are
— Boot Straps, Santa Fe, N.M. confused!
ANSWER: A simple and effective way to bid Dear Mr. Wolff:

is to assume that after you double one no-
trump, you rescue yourself by using What criteria do I follow in deciding whether
Stayman and transfers. Equally, if the to open this hand at the one-level or two-
opponents run, you can play the same level: ♠ 9, ♥ K-J-7-4-3-2, ♦ Q-9-8-4, ♣ A-10?
methods as you would if you had opened Would you consider passing and backing in
one no-trump and the opponents had later?
overcalled. — Level-Headed, Cartersville, Ga.
Dear Mr. Wolff: ANSWER: There is no moderate hand with

When your partner opens one spade, would a decent six-card suit that should not be
you prefer to force to game with a call of two opened either at the one- or two-level.
clubs or would you bid one no-trump, holding (There is no gap between the ranges.) If I'm
♠ 4-2, ♥ Q-J-9-2, ♦ Q-2, ♣ A-Q-5-4-3? Is your vulnerable, this looks like a two-heart
choice affected by whether the no-trump call opening bid; if I'm nonvulnerable, in first seat
is forcing, semiforcing, or indeed nonforcing? my diamond spots persuade me to open one
heart. I suppose that in second seat I could
— Flavor of the Month, Houston, Texas go either way.
by Bobby Wolff on March 4th, 2013
“My soul, do not seek immortal life, but exhaust the realm of the possible.”
— Pindar
Dealer: South North

As South you open one heart, and when your partner Vul: East- ♠93
raises to two hearts (the hand is not close to a limit raise, West ♥KQ87
♦732
though North should plan to compete to three hearts if ♣ K 10 5 2
necessary), you resist the temptation to go directly to West East
♠ Q J 10 5 ♠K762
game but advance with two no-trump, promising 17-18
♥52 ♥63
points. That is enough for your partner to jump to four ♦ A J 10 4 ♦Q986
hearts, against which West leads the spade queen. ♣Q87 ♣964
South
♠A84
If you win the first spade, draw trump and, trying to avoid ♥ A J 10 9 4
a lead through the diamond king, take a losing club ♦K5
♣AJ3
finesse, West will win and play a spade to East’s king.
Then a diamond cooks your goose. South West North East
1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass
Is there any reason for you to guess clubs right — other 2 NT Pass 4♥ All pass
than the old wives’ tale that the queen lies over (or under)
the jack? No, there isn’t, but if you make the right Opening Lead: ♠Q
preparations, you can follow a line where you will succeed
regardless of the location of the club queen.
The trick is to duck the opening lead. You win the next spade, draw trump, and take the
losing club finesse. Now West has no entry to his partner’s hand. His best chance is to
exit passively with a club, hoping you have four clubs and thus no discard coming on the
clubs, since the auction has told West that you must hold the diamond king. But that does
not work; you can discard a diamond on the clubs, give up a diamond, and ruff a spade in
dummy for the 10th trick.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Assuming West is a competent
South Holds: player, he has shown 16-17 and an
♠765 unbalanced or semibalanced hand, so he
♥A85 must have club length. The choice is a
♦ 10 6 passive spade lead or an active club lead,
♣Q9642 and since the clubs do not appear to be lying
well for the opponents and they have no
South West North East values to spare, I'd lead the spade seven.
1♣ Pass 1♦
Pass 1♠ Pass 1 NT
Pass 2 NT All pass
“Credulity is the man's weakness, but the child's strength.”

— Charles Lamb
Dealer: South North

Sometimes the most difficult hands are ones where you Vul: Both ♠985
appear to have an embarrassment of riches, with ♥A975
♦ Q 10 6 2
numerous ways to take or develop tricks. ♣83
West East
Looking for the safest way to achieve your goal is ♠QJ763 ♠K2
♥ 10 6 ♥J843
complicated by the fact that when you believe your
♦97 ♦J843
chances appear very good, it is easy to relax and take ♣ K J 10 4 ♣965
your eye off the ball. South
♠ A 10 4
♥KQ2
Consider today’s deal, where at one table in a team game ♦AK5
the defenders led and continued spades against three no- ♣AQ72
trump. South made the apparently natural move of
ducking the spade ace until the third round. Then he 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
tested the red suits and had no joy there, falling back on
the club finesse. West (who had pitched clubs on the third Opening Lead: ♠6
round of the red suits) had two spades ready to cash
when he won his club king, and that meant down one.
In the other room when West led the spade six, declarer ducked East’s king. East could
see no reason to do anything but continue with the spade two. (Yes, a club shift would
have worked better, but that is far from obvious.)
South rose with the spade ace and tested the red suits. When East proved to guard both
of these suits, declarer put West on play with a spade. That player could cash two spade
winners but then had to lead from his club king into South’s ace-queen. This line is
guaranteed to succeed if East has length in both red suits.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your approach here may depend
South Holds: on the form of scoring and the vulnerability. I
♠985 tend rarely to save at rubber bridge. At pairs
♥A975 or teams I think you should pass if
♦ Q 10 6 2 vulnerable: a sacrifice rates to cost at least
♣83 500 (even if facing a decent hand such as
six good diamonds and four clubs to the
South West North East queen). Nonvulnerable I bid five diamonds
1♠ 3♦ 3♠ first and count the cost later; let the
? opponents make the last mistake.
“To meet death one needs no letters of introduction.”

— Leo Tolstoy
Dealer: North North

There is a big difference between needing tricks from a Vul: Neither ♠ 10 6 4 2
suit, in which case you grab what you can get, and trying ♥AQ
♦ Q J 10 9 4
to avoid losing too many tricks in that suit. ♣K7
West East
Against three no-trump West led the spade five, and ♠Q8753 ♠K9
♥J86 ♥ 10 9 7 3
although when East played the king declarer has two sure
♦K6 ♦A73
tricks in the suit, this gives him only seven winners. In ♣Q53 ♣J842
order to get home he needs to set up his diamond suit, South
♠AJ
which should produce three tricks once the ace and king ♥K542
have been knocked out. Three diamonds, two clubs and ♦852
♣ A 10 9 6
three heart tricks are eight, so only one trick is needed
from the spade suit. South West North East
1♦ Pass
What South needs to guard against is the spade suit 1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass
producing three tricks for the defense. If spades break 4- 3 NT All pass
3, all is well, but if they break 5-2, declarer must exhaust
Opening Lead: ♠5
East’s spades before he wins the first diamond honor, and
West will surely do his best to arrange that he does. (If East has both diamond honors,
there is no problem; if West has both, there is no hope. But if they divide, then taking
insurance at the cost of a trick ensures the contract.)
Therefore declarer must duck the spade king and win the spade return, so that when East
is in with the diamond ace, he has no further spade to play, and the spade 10 in dummy
acts as a guard against the run of the suit when West gets in. Now the defense can only
come to two spade and two diamond tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Although you cannot be sure that
South Holds: your spade king is pulling its full weight, you
♠K9 certainly have enough to look for game here.
♥ 10 9 7 3 The issue is whether to bid four hearts or
♦A73 simply raise to three hearts. (It surely cannot
♣J842 be right to consider no-trump here.) I believe
your heart spots entitle you to bid game.
1♣ 1♦ 1♠
2♦ Pass 2♥ 2♠
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, February 21st, 2013
“They say the honest newspaper-fellow who sits in the hall and takes down the names of
the great ones who are admitted to the feasts, dies after a little time. He can't survive the
glare of fashion long.”
— William Thackeray
Dealer: South North

Today's deal saw West with a comfortable diamond lead Vul: Both ♠K
against four hearts, and South was realized that he was ♥J8752
♦K75
faced with a distinctly uphill struggle when North revealed ♣ J 10 9 7
a disappointing dummy, with the spade king worth little or West East
♠A873 ♠ Q 10 9 6 2
nothing.
♥ 10 3 ♥K9
♦QJ96 ♦ 10 4 2
From declarer’s perspective, there was a certain loser in ♣KQ6 ♣543
each of the side suits, as well as further potential ones in South
♠J54
trump and clubs. After winning the lead in dummy with the ♥AQ64
diamond king, East doing his best to encourage, declarer ♦A83
♣A82
led a trump to the queen. When that held, South led a
spade. West took his the spade ace and continued with a South West North East
high diamond, setting up a trick for his side. South took 1 NT Pass 2♦ Pass
the diamond with his ace, ruffed a spade, and led a 3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
second trump, crossing his fingers as he did so. When

Opening Lead: ♦Q
East’s king appeared, South’s potential trump loser had
disappeared. After winning the heart ace, declarer ruffed his last spade, and now had to
resist the temptation to relax.
Rather than play clubs himself, a 75 percent line, but one that might be fatal if West had
both clubs and East a diamond entry, South completed the elimination by playing a
diamond. East was able to win and shift to a club, but West then had to concede the 10th
trick, either by conceding a ruff-and-discard or by playing on clubs to declarer’s
advantage.
Note that if declarer plays clubs prematurely, West can win and lead a diamond to his
partner, for a second club through declarer’s gizzard.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This boils down to a simple
South Holds: question; should you make a negative
♠K double with average values for the call, but
♥J8752 little support for partner's suit and decent
♦K75 defense of the opponents' suit? The simple
♣ J 10 9 7 answer is that if your side has a heart fit, you
might make game, so that it feels right to
South West North East bid. Switch the red suits and I would pass,
1♠ 2♣ feeling that if I'm facing a balanced hand, our
? best plus-score will come on defense.
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, February 22nd, 2013
“When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.”
— Henry Francis Lyte
Dealer: South North

Nowadays in a European Teams Championships the Vul: East- ♠ J 10 4
boards are pre-dealt, the same boards are played across West ♥Q53
♦KQ4
the field, and hand records are available at the close of ♣Q932
play. All this is a boon for bridge journalists. West East
♠Q8653 ♠972
On today’s hand, from the 2010 event, the popular ♥A9762 ♥ K J 10 8
♦8 ♦73
contract was five diamonds by South. Whether it made or ♣J5 ♣ K 10 7 4
failed depended to a large extent on the activities, or lack South
♠AK
of them, by opponents during the bidding phase. ♥4
♦ A J 10 9 6 5 2
When West employed a gadget to show both majors over ♣A86
South’s one-diamond opener, declarer was able to
pinpoint the distribution and play accordingly. Additionally, 1♦ 2♦ Dbl. 3♥
if West led and continued hearts, the majors could be 3♠ Pass 4♦ Pass
eliminated and East endplayed. The worst-case scenario 5♣ Pass 5♦ All pass
for South is a trump lead. With a certain heart loser, the
Opening Lead: ♦8
contract depends on losing just one trick in clubs.
West is known to have at least five cards in each major, and has shown out on the second
round of diamonds. So he can have two clubs at most. Of course a simple line would be to
play West for the king, but the odds favor him instead tp have the jack or 10. If that is so,
South can secure his contract. A low club to the nine loses to the 10, and back comes,
say, a spade. Now, so long as declarer has retained a trump entry to dummy, the club
queen can be led, neatly bringing down West’s jack, an example of the intrafinesse at
work.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your hand may look as if it will
South Holds: play well at no-trump because it is so
♠ J 10 4 square, but the holes in all three of the side
♥Q53 suits (and the soft cards) simply make it look
♦KQ4 like a hand without much future. With such
♣Q932 square shape I'd simply raise to three hearts
and not make a cue-bid raise of hearts.
South West North East Whether partner has one, two, or three small
2♦ 2♥ Pass diamonds, this hand won't be pulling its
?
weight.
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, February 23rd, 2013
“Such labored nothings, in so strange a style,

Amaze the unlearned, and make the learned smile.”
— Alexander Pope
Dealer: West North

Against four spades West leads the trump seven to East's Vul: East- ♠6532
ace and a trump is returned, West following suit. West ♥8
♦AQ
♣J98653
The contract is in danger only if East has the diamond West East
king and you cannot avoid losing two club tricks. If West ♠97 ♠A4
has both club honors, you will surely be sunk whenever ♥KJ542 ♥Q963
♦ 10 8 3 2 ♦K975
East has the diamond king. Let’s not worry about that. ♣A2 ♣ Q 10 7
South
What else do we know? There are clues in the bidding ♠ K Q J 10 8
♥ A 10 7
and the lead. Since West did not lead a heart, East surely ♦J64
has a heart honor. If East had the club ace as well, he ♣K4
would have: the spade ace, the diamond king, the club
ace and a heart honor. That would give him at least 12 Pass Pass Pass
high-card points and an opener in third seat. Thus, if the 1♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
diamond king is wrong, so is the club ace.
Opening Lead: ♠7
The best way to win against this layout is to lead the club
four from hand next! If West rises with the club ace, then you will lose only one club trick
and are home free. If West plays low, you put in the jack. East will win the first club and
can only return a heart. You will win and play the club king to West’s ace. West must shift
to diamonds, but you rise with the ace and ruff the clubs good before returning to dummy
with a heart ruff to run the good clubs. You will make four trumps, a heart, a heart ruff, a
diamond and three clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's redouble sounds
South Holds: like an SOS redouble — "Help, get me out of
♠6532 here.". His likely holding is four spades and
♥8 five or six hearts, and since you know
♦AQ spades is now the best strain, simply bid two
♣J98653 spades rather than confuse the issue with
further escape maneuvers. The rule here is
South West North East that if you want to play a doubled contract,
1♦ 1♥ 1 NT you don't need to redouble to get a good
2♣ Dbl. Rdbl. Pass
score.
?

Are you familiar with a convention called My LHO opened one club on my left, and my
"stolen bid"? What are the pluses and partner doubled at favorable vulnerability.
minuses of the convention, in which a double While I was wondering what to respond with
and all low-level calls act as transfers? ♠ K-J-9, ♥ J-2, ♦ Q-10-8-7, ♣ K-Q-6-4, my
RHO bid one heart. There seemed to be a
— Gunsmith, San Luis Obispo, Calif. lot of high cards in the deck, but what would
you recommend for me to do? Should I invite
game or settle for a part-score in either
ANSWER: "Stolen Bid" permits you to keep diamonds or spades?
transfers in play when the opponents come
in over your no-trump, an undeniable plus. — Lindy Hop, Grenada, Miss.
You can, however, no longer use a takeout
double — one of the more important hand-
types. While responder at his first turn to ANSWER: I agree that this looks like a
speak can bid all the suits efficiently in either partscore deal – since in situations where
scenario, to my mind being able to transfer both opponents are bidding, partner
declarership is worth less than being able to probably has shape, not high cards. I'd bid
make a negative double. either one no-trump or two diamonds — the
former at pairs, the latter at teams.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
When you hold a balanced hand such as
♠ K-Q-3, ♥ K-10-8, ♦ J-6-3-2, ♣ A-8-5 do you Should you change your responses to
think there is any argument to be made for Blackwood when the opponents intervene or
opening one club as opposed to one double a four-no-trump call or the response
diamond, reserving the one-diamond to it? If so, what scheme do you use?
opening for less balanced hands?
— Fat Freddy, Durham, N.C.
— Jumbotron, Rockford, Ill.
ANSWER: When a four-no-trump call is

ANSWER: What you suggest requires a doubled, I recommend you ignore it. With
conventional agreement with your partner any other intervention below the trump suit,
(and would make your one club and one use double to show no key cards (or aces if
diamond bids alertable). That said, yes, if playing regular Blackwood) and pass with
you open one club with all minimum one, then step responses thereafter. With
balanced hands, you get much more higher intervention use double to show zero
confidence in the one-diamond opening. or two key-cards, pass for one key-card, and
step responses with three or four cards.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

What exactly is a trial bid? When should you
use it and how does it work?
— Hoppity Bunny, Portland, Ore.
ANSWER: After you agree a suit in

nonforcing fashion via a raise of opener's or
responder's suit, a call in a new suit shows
length and asks for help — typically with a
three- or four-card suit to one top honor. It
asks the hand that has raised to evaluate
whether it is maximum or minimum for the
auction thus far. You sign-off with a minimum
or an unsuitable holding, and move to game
with a maximum, or suitable holding in the
critical suit.
“A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through
the power of the majority.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Dealer: East North

When we read books or articles about suit combinations, Vul: Neither ♠KJ86
they generally assume that the suit is in isolation — i.e., ♥J876
♦ A 10
that the only consideration is the actual odds in the single ♣QJ8
combination. However, in real life there are often other West East
♠A742 ♠Q93
things to take into account.
♥5 ♥Q43
♦KJ9532 ♦Q6
For example, here West leads the diamond six against ♣ 10 2 ♣K9764
four hearts. How would you plan the play? South
♠ 10 5
♥ A K 10 9 2
The first decision is whether or not to win the first ♦874
diamond, and that depends on whether you think West ♣A53
might have a seven-card diamond suit. The rule of 11
says no – but that is not the full story. You don’t want to Pass
duck the first diamond and run into a club shift that may 1♥ 3♦ 4♦ Pass
help the defenders build a trick in that suit. 4♥ All pass
After you win the diamond ace, the percentage play in Opening Lead: ♦5
isolation in hearts is to start by cashing the ace. With no
opposition bidding, you would then cash the king, but in the face of West’s pre-empt you
may prefer to take a finesse against East’s queen. The problem is that you have no easy
way back to dummy.
Even if you guess correctly in spades, the defenders may be able to take the spade ace
and play two more rounds of diamonds, generating a trump loser for you. Now you will
need something miraculous in the black suits to avoid a fourth loser.
After you win trick one, it is surely better to take a first-round heart finesse, playing East to
have queen-third or queen-fourth of trumps from the outset.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is an old wives' tale that one
South Holds: should always lead majors, not minors,
♠K542 against auctions of this sort. First you decide
♥A7 if you have an obvious lead from length; if
♦J93 not, you compare suits of equal attraction,
♣ J 10 5 3 and only then does a tie go to the major.
Here your clubs offer a far more attractive
South West North East lead than your spades. Lead a low club
1 NT rather than an honor, though.
All pass
“Elected Silence, sing to me

And beat upon my whorled ear,
Pipe me to pastures still and be
The music that I care to hear.”
— Gerard Manley Hopkins
Dealer: South North

South was puzzled why his result of down one in four Vul: Neither ♠ A 7 5
hearts had cost his team 10 IMPs. When prompted, North, ♥ Q 10 9 8
♦Q742
who had stoically watched the play as dummy, took pains ♣Q7
to explain. West East
♠ Q J 10 8 3 ♠62
♥K4 ♥32
Against four hearts West had led a top spade, and
♦653 ♦ K J 10 9
declarer won this in dummy, then took the heart finesse. It ♣KJ8 ♣ 10 9 4 3 2
lost to the king and back came another spade, won in South
♠K94
hand by South. Declarer drew trump in one further round ♥AJ765
then exited with the spade nine. His hope was that West ♦A8
♣A65
held both minor-suit kings and would be endplayed. But
West could exit safely in diamonds, and did so. Declarer South West North East
ended one down, having lost a trick in each suit. 1♥ 1♠ 2♠ Pass
4♥ All pass
As North pointed out, if the trump finesse was right at trick
two, it would still be right later on in the deal. But you may Opening Lead: ♠Q
not want to take the finesse at all if other factors make it
irrelevant.
The best play is to win the initial spade lead in hand, not in dummy, and play a club toward
the queen. West must take the king or lose it, and will presumably return another spade.
You can win this in dummy and cash the club queen.
Now you don’t take any chances. You play a trump to your ace, then cash the club ace
and discard dummy’s losing spade. After that, you can draw the outstanding trumps and
will have 10 tricks on top. Your only losers are one club, one diamond and one trump.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: One of the aspects of the
South Holds: modern game that bears repeating is that
♠K94 when you hold a 16-count and
♥AJ765 approximately balanced shape, as here, it is
♦A8 hard to find a way to describe the hand
♣A65 unless you open one no-trump. It is not
perfect, but it is better than opening one
South West North East heart and guessing how to upgrade or
? downgrade the hand at your next turn.
“There are two kinds of fools. One says, 'This is old, and therefore good.' And one says,
'This is new, and therefore better.'”
— John Brunner
Dealer: South North

It is hard to sacrifice a trick voluntarily, and that is Vul: Neither ♠ A 6 5
especially true when you appear to have been given a ♥ K J 10 5
♦A2
free finesse. But never say never, and today's deal is an ♣ J 10 4 3
example of when deception trumps other factors. The deal West East
♠K93 ♠ Q 10 8 7 2
shows when you might rise with an ace unnecessarily to
♥864 ♥A73
try to encourage a continuation of the suit led — even at ♦ 10 7 6 5 ♦Q983
the apparent cost of a trick. ♣K72 ♣6
South
♠J4
Four hearts might well be the best game, but your auction ♥Q92
strongly suggested that you had three hearts and five ♦KJ4
♣AQ985
clubs, and North opted for the nine-card fit. In a sense you
have done well to avoid three no-trump here in favor of a South West North East
suit game, since a spade lead sinks you if the club finesse 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass
is wrong — but even so, isn’t five clubs equally doomed? 2♥ Pass 3♣ Pass
4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
5♣ All pass
Not necessarily: West gives you a respite by leading a
diamond. If you run this to your hand, you set up an Opening Lead: ♦7
irrelevant discard for a spade from dummy. However the
defenders will know to shift to spades when in with the trump king.
A better and more deceptive approach is to win the diamond ace and take the club
finesse. Unless East works out to discourage at trick one (and why should he?), West will
probably continue diamonds, hoping for the spade switch from East, and he will be sorely
disappointed. You now have time to draw trump and set up hearts to provide the discard
that really matters, the spade from hand.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is important to understand that
South Holds: your redouble sets up a forcing pass for your
♠A65 side through two diamonds — and possibly
♥ K J 10 5 higher, depending upon partnership
♦A2 agreement. At this moment you have no
♣ J 10 4 3 idea what the best spot for your side is, so
why make the decision? Pass and let
South West North East partner develop his hand appropriately.
1♦ Dbl.
Rdbl. Pass Pass 1♠
?
“Necessity is the mistress and guardian of nature.”

— Leonardo da Vinci
Dealer: North North

Two of the original ACBL Life Masters were players Vul: Neither ♠ Q 4 3
whose surnames differed by a single letter. We saw a deal ♥A53
♦ K Q 10 9 8
earlier this month defended by Sam Fry; time, therefore, ♣Q9
to credit Richard Frey, who was the fifth member of the West East
♠AJ9 ♠K765
Four Aces, the first team to take on Eli Culbertson. He
♥ 10 8 6 4 2 ♥K9
collaborated with Howard Schenken in a daily column for ♦A63 ♦742
over 30 years. Here is a deal that he defended expertly. ♣64 ♣8532
South
♠ 10 8 2
Against three no-trump, Frey (West) led the heart four. ♥QJ7
Declarer played low from dummy, and East won the trick ♦J5
♣ A K J 10 7
with his king and returned the heart nine, declarer
following first with the heart seven, then with the queen. South West North East
1♦ Pass
Declarer now attacked diamonds, and Frey could see that 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
he would be able to win the diamond ace and clear 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
hearts. But what were the chances that he would regain
Opening Lead: ♥4
the lead with the spade ace before declarer had cashed
nine tricks?
It is very easy to focus on your own hand and you own plans without considering what
declarer might do to combat them. Here, Frey correctly concluded that he had little chance
of success by clearing the hearts. Since he could also see the danger of ducking even
one diamond trick if declarer had six clubs, he took his diamond ace at once and shifted to
the spade jack. Since East had the spade king, with length, this ensured that the
defenders could take three spade tricks and set the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Even if you do not play two-over-
South Holds: one game-forcing, you should be safe
♠Q43 jumping to three spades, knowing that
♥A53 partner will play this as forcing. For the
♦ K Q 10 9 8 record, double here would be penalties, a
♣Q9 three-heart call would ask for a heart stopper
for no-trump.
1♠ Pass
2♦ 2♥ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, March 1st, 2013
“This mean and unrefined stuff of mine

Will make your glistering gold but more to shine.”
— Anne Bradstreet
Dealer: South North

Today's deal was played by the Canadian great Sam Gold Vul: North- ♠J98
in the 50s. Sam has just been inducted into the Canadian South ♥K73
♦ A Q 10 2
Bridge Hall of Fame for his services to the game in ♣AQ2
Montreal. West East
♠542 ♠73
Have a look at today’s deal, and count the top tricks. It ♥ 10 8 ♥J965
♦8765 ♦KJ93
looks like 10 — five spades, three hearts and two aces — ♣J987 ♣K63
with an 11th trick looking to be something of a struggle. South
♠ A K Q 10 6
Sam was in six spades on an unfriendly diamond lead — ♥AQ42
let’s see how he set about making 12 tricks. ♦4
♣ 10 5 4
The diamond eight went to dummy’s ace. A diamond
ruffed high let declarer lead the spade 10 to the jack, 1♠ Pass 3 NT* Pass
allowing another diamond to be ruffed high. Now came the 4♥ Pass 4♠ Pass
spade six to the eight, and a third diamond ruff, denuding 4 NT Pass 5♥ Pass
6♠ All pass
both opponents of the suit.
*Balanced 15-17 with three spades
Gold led a heart to the king, and the spade nine drew the
Opening Lead: ♦8
opponent’s last trump as Gold threw a club. The heart ace
and queen disclosed the bad break in that suit, but Gold now calmly threw East in with his
heart jack to lead away from his club king into dummy’s tenace. Contract made!
This is a perfect example of what the experts describe as a dummy reversal. Declarer
ruffed three times in the long trump hand and drew trump from the short hand, turning five
trump tricks into six. One of the requirements is decent trump spots in dummy and of
course a 3-2 trump break (but that is heavily with the odds).
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you elected to bid one no-
South Holds: trump, you opted to treat your hand as
♠73 balanced. There does not seem to be a
♥J965 good reason to redefine your hand as
♦KJ93 unbalanced by bidding three diamonds. Both
♣K63 the hearts and spades look as if they will be
subject to overruffs. Pass, and hope you can
South West North East find a way to come to six tricks.
1♥ Dbl. 1♠
1 NT 2♥ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
“To be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.”

— Amos Alcott
Dealer: West North

Do you like the way North handled his cards in today's Vul: North- ♠5
deal? I do. It is simple and straightforward, since North South ♥AJ2
♦KQ53
can reasonably expect to buy a decent five-card diamond ♣AKQ65
suit. So long as his partner does not have significant West East
♠AQJ97 ♠8632
wasted values in spades, slam should have good play. A
♥ K Q 10 8 3 ♥65
slightly more prudent approach would be to jump to four ♦8 ♦ 10 9 2
spades at the second turn, as long as that promises ♣J3 ♣9874
South
specifically a singleton spade and not a void. If partner ♠ K 10 4
signs off in five diamonds, one can respect that approach. ♥974
♦AJ764
♣ 10 2
Of course, today it turns out that South does have an
almost wasted spade king and nothing in hearts — not to South West North East
mention that neither clubs nor diamonds will behave as 1♠ Dbl. Pass
South might wish. And still the slam has decent play (if 3♦ 3♥ 4 NT Pass
5♦ Pass 6♦ All pass
you can spot the winning line, which is not necessarily
obvious). Opening Lead: ♥K
The heart king goes to dummy’s ace, and declarer plays the diamond king, and a diamond
to the ace. Next come the club ace, king, and queen, on which South throws a heart. A
club ruff follows, and declarer next leads a diamond to the queen and takes the fifth club,
discarding his last heart from hand.
In the four-card ending, dummy has a trump, a spade and two hearts, while South has
three spades and a trump left. West has two spades and two hearts, and when declarer
leads a spade to the 10, West must win but then cannot lead either major without
conceding the rest.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You should double again, card-
South Holds: showing, not worried that you have only
♠5 three hearts. Your partner will remove the
♥AJ2 double to four no-trump if he has a two-
♦KQ53 suiter, and will select hearts only if he has
♣AKQ65 five of them. You cannot afford to pass out
four spades with a hand this good, and
South West North East bidding directly is too unilateral.
2♠
Dbl. 4♠ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, March 3rd, 2013

Assume you are in third seat and hold ♠ 8-6, My RHO was declarer at our local club.
♥ K-J-4, ♦ K-Q-10-7-3, ♣ Q-10-4. You hear Halfway through the play of the hand she led
one diamond from your partner and one a card and told the dummy to play anything.
heart on the right. Would you jump to three When I contested this, a director said this
no-trump now, or would you look for a suit was permissible. She then said I could play
contract first? any card from the dummy that I wished. Can
this possibly be correct?
— Lento Assai, Durango, Colo.
— Carte Blanche, Columbia, S.C.
ANSWER: Jumping to game in no-trump

without worrying about spades seems highly ANSWER: If declarer says "play anything,"
premature. Since most people play a jump then as a defender you can ask for a specific
raise to three diamonds in competition as card to be played from the dummy. But
based on shape, start with a cue-bid of two declarer is within her rights to do that to
hearts to show a good diamond raise and speed up play (generally if not always to
take it from there. You can always bid no- imply to the defenders that nothing THEY do
trump later. matters either). You are not being damaged
here, since if the choice of play matters,
YOU get to make the choice, not dummy.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What is the difference between a renege and Dear Mr. Wolff:
a revoke, and what are the penalties for the
two offenses? I was in second chair and doubled an
opening call of one club, holding ♠ A-10-8-4,
— Splitting Hairs, Springfield, Mass. ♥ K-J-2, ♦ K-Q-3, ♣ J-8-4. This was
redoubled and came back to me. Since my
partner had not acted when he could have
ANSWER: A renege and revoke are exactly done, I thought he wanted to play there –
the same thing, and the only difference is suffice it to say that three redoubled
that the latter term is the only one used in overtricks later I was sadder if not wiser.
the UK, whereas in the U.S. the former may Who goofed? (My partner had four small
be slightly more popular. Just for the record. spades and an otherwise balanced hand.)
The penalty for a renege is now one trick in
pretty much every circumstance — UNLESS — Flat Top, Galveston, Texas
you personally win the revoke trick with a
revoke card, which in turn implies you need
to have trumped the trick in error. Of course, ANSWER: There is no villain here, merely a
if one trick does not restore equity, there may lack of partnership agreement. A simple rule
be a further adjustment. is to play that all passes of redoubles are to
play, but one should make an exception
when the opponents are at the one-level,
Dear Mr. Wolff: and especially in today's quoted auction,
where the pass is neutral, waiting for partner
My partner did not agree with my choice to name a suit.
here. I was in fourth chair and heard a pass
on my left, one club from my partner, and
one heart to my right. I had ♠ J-8-7, ♥ 4, ♦ K-
9-7-5-4, ♣ A-J-5-4 and simply raised to two
clubs. When two hearts on my left was
passed around to me, I thought I was too
shapely to pass, so I bid three clubs, ending
in a 4-3 fit when diamonds was far safer.
What should I have done?
— Minor Errors, Fayetteville, N.C.
ANSWER: Your two-club call was very

reasonable. (You might have stretched to bid
two diamonds instead, but there is a lot to be
said for supporting with support.) When the
auction comes back to you in two hearts, I
wonder whether a call of two no-trump here
— unusual, suggesting four clubs and longer
diamonds, would be appropriate? If you had
wanted to bid no-trump naturally, you would
have done so on the first round of the
auction.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, March 4th, 2013
“I got a girl, a peach; we save up and go on a farm and raise pigs and be the boss
ourselves.”
— Carl Sandburg
Dealer: South North

The three little pigs came back from their bridge class, Vul: East- ♠K87
where they had been tested by a deal from "A Bridge to West ♥765
♦843
Inspired Declarer Play" by Julian Laderman (Master Point ♣QJ62
Press). West East
♠965 ♠ J 10 4 2
The Big Bad Wolf, who just happened to be in the vicinity, ♥ J 10 9 ♥K8
♦QJ97 ♦ 10 5
asked them if they had done well. The first little pig ♣K87 ♣ A 10 9 4 3
brought out the diagramed deal and said that it had South
♠AQ3
caused him fits. Declaring four hearts on a spade lead, he ♥AQ432
had won in hand, drawn three rounds of trump, then ♦AK62
♣5
played diamonds from the top. When diamonds did not
break he was down like a stone (inappropriate, I know, for South West North East
someone building his house from straw). 1♥ Pass 1 NT Pass
3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
The second pig did better. He won the spade lead, took a 3♠ Pass 4♥ All pass
heart finesse, then played three rounds of diamonds at
Opening Lead: ♠5
once. Alas for him, the hand long in diamonds won the
third round of the suit and led a fourth, promoting the heart king to the fourth trick for the
defense. (There was still an inevitable heart and club to come.)
The Big Bad Wolf may have thought to himself, “I woodn’t have played the hand that way,”
but he would never have uttered such a bad pun out loud.
The third little pig had grasped the theme. After winning the heart queen, he ducked a
diamond. He could win the return, draw a second trump, then ruff the fourth diamond at
his leisure.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: On this auction you should
South Holds: always lead a trump, as partner needs very
♠ 10 good trumps to pass the double. There will
♥QJ83 be time to tackle the side suits, but your
♦ K Q J 10 prime target is to prevent declarer from
♣ A 10 7 2 scoring his small trumps.

1♠
Dbl. All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
“The best things carried to excess are wrong.”

— Charles Churchill
Dealer: West North

Defending against four hearts, West led the club king, Vul: Both ♠K63
then thoughtfully shifted to the spade jack, appreciating ♥AK98
♦ A 10 9 6 4
that he would need to set up winners for his side before ♣ 10
declarer could establish the diamond suit for discards. West East
♠ J 10 ♠Q985
♥52 ♥73
South played low from dummy and won his spade ace. It
♦Q ♦KJ52
looked logical to draw trump next, then play a spade to ♣AKJ87643 ♣Q52
the king, followed by another spade. East won the trick South
♠A742
and exited with the spade nine, ruffed by declarer in ♥ Q J 10 6 4
dummy. ♦873
♣9
Declarer could now deduce that West had a singleton
diamond and so played a low diamond from dummy. If 4♣ Dbl. Pass
West won the trick, he would have to concede a ruff-and- 4♥ All pass
discard by leading a club, whereas if East rose with the
diamond king he, would be the one endplayed. Opening Lead: ♣K
Note that East might have exited with the fourth diamond instead of leading the fourth
spade. Now to make the contract, declarer must duck this trick, which will leave West
endplayed to give the ruff-sluff again. If declarer takes the diamond ace, then East will be
able to get in again and cash his two winners.
The contract can be defeated only by an initial spade lead. (However, the play is quite
complex if declarer wins the spade king, draws trump, then plays a club. The defenders
must win and play a diamond, and when declarer takes the trick and plays a spade, East
must go up with the queen to swallow his partner’s 10.).
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Whatever form of scoring is in
South Holds: use, and whatever the vulnerability is, this is
♠A742 a hand where you want to balance to show
♥ Q J 10 6 4 the majors, using DONT, Cappelletti, Landy,
♦873 or Meckwell. Passing out one no-trump rates
♣9 to see declarer wrapping up seven-plus
tricks on a minor-suit lead. Facing any sort
South West North East of fit in hearts or spades, you won't go for a
Pass 1 NT Pass Pass number — and might make your contract.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
“An American credit card … is just as good in Europe as American gold used to be.”
— Edward Bellamy
Dealer: South North

From the 2000 Spingold, Joey Silver of Canada found a Vul: Both ♠AQ3
nice line in defense. ♥J98642
♦976
♣4
He led a top club against four hearts, and his partner, West East
Debbie Rosenberg, followed high. With dummy having a ♠ 10 6 5 4 ♠KJ72
♥A7 ♥5
singleton, this was an extension of the Obvious Shift
♦KJ54 ♦ 10 8
principle. Since a diamond would have been West’s ♣KQ7 ♣ 10 9 8 5 3 2
logical switch, her encouragement in clubs showed no South
♠98
great interest in his switching to diamonds if he regained ♥ K Q 10 3
the lead. ♦AQ32
♣AJ6
Declarer won the club ace and deceptively returned the
heart queen at trick two. Silver took the ace and 1 NT Pass 2♦* Pass
accurately shifted to a spade. When declarer finessed, 3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
Debbie Rosenberg won her king and shifted to a diamond. *Transfer to hearts
Now declarer had no chance, since whatever he did, he
would be left with two diamond losers. Opening Lead: ♣K
At the other table West ducked declarer’s play of the heart queen, for fear of crashing the
heart king in his partner’s hand. That allowed South to take the spade finesse next, with
his endplay chances intact. East won the spade king and shifted to the diamond 10, but
declarer could take this with the ace and eliminate the spades by ruffing out the suit.
When West was thrown in with the heart ace, he had to offer a ruff and discard or give
South a trick in either minor, while South still had a heart entry back to hand. (It is curious
that the winning line for declarer and the winning line for the defense both involve playing
spades at trick three.)
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It might look sensible to bid
South Holds: hearts, but in fact with spade support this
♠AQ3 good, you should simply raise to two
♥J98642 spades. The problem with bidding hearts is
♦976 that it will tend to deny spade support.
♣4 Additionally, if you do bid hearts and hear
the opponents raise clubs, you may feel
South West North East obliged to bid spades later, to prevent
Pass 1♣ 1♠ 2♣ partner from leading a heart.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, March 7th, 2013
“Whether ye may not hold

Secrets more dear than gold?
This is the ever new
Puzzle within your blue.”
— Charles Goodrich Whiting
Dealer: North North

Against South's contract of three no-trump, from a pair Vul: East- ♠65
game, West obediently led the spade eight, and most West ♥AKJ6
♦A7
declarers sensibly held up the spade ace for one round, ♣Q9765
but then took the second spade trick. West East
♠83 ♠ K Q J 10 9
♥ 10 7 5 4 ♥93
The contract could not be made without bringing in the
♦ K J 10 3 2 ♦865
club suit, so some players took the simplistic approach of ♣K2 ♣ J 10 3
playing ace, and another club to West’s king, whereupon South
♠A742
10 tricks rolled in. ♥Q82
♦Q94
At other tables the more astute Wests unblocked their ♣A84
club king under declarer’s ace, appreciating that their
partner must hold the jack. Otherwise, why had South not 1♣ 1♠
entered dummy and led toward his club jack, to keep 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
East, the danger hand, off lead?
Opening Lead: ♠8
Another declarer crossed to dummy with a heart at trick
three, and led the club five, under which East sleepily followed with the three. Declarer
played the eight, and West was forced to win with the king, after which there was no
defense.
The unluckiest declarer of all crossed to dummy and led a small club. East inserted the 10
(which suggested ownership of the jack), and when South played the ace, West
unblocked the king. Now the contract had to fail.
There is no guaranteed route to success. Best is for South to lead toward the club queen
at trick three, and West must duck his king. Declarer puts up the queen and leads a low
club from dummy, on which East plays the jack (NOT the 10). Now South has to guess
whether to duck or win the trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With a balanced hand, after
South Holds: hearing a one-diamond response to one
♠A742 club, your best rebid is one no-trump rather
♥Q82 than one spade. The one-spade call should
♦Q94 show an unbalanced hand with at least four
♣A84 clubs. In fact, even with a 4-4 pattern in the
black suits, you have the choice of rebidding
South West North East one no-trump. The logic is that responder
1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass rates not to have a major or to have enough
? points to introduce a major over one no-
trump.
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, March 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on March 22nd, 2013
“So here I’ll watch the night and wait

To see the morning shine,
When he will hear the stroke of eight
And not the stroke of nine.”
— A.E. Housman
Dealer: North North

Against four spades West led the club jack, which not only Vul: East- ♠A8
began to set up tricks for the defenders, but also West ♥QJ7
♦ 10 8 7 5 2
threatened the entries to dummy. Declarer could see that ♣AQ6
he was in jeopardy of losing two tricks in each of the West East
♠92 ♠764
minors, with no particularly convenient way to establish a
♥ K 10 9 5 ♥86432
discard for himself. ♦KJ4 ♦Q9
♣ J 10 9 5 ♣K83
At one table declarer decided to delay taking the club South
♠ K Q J 10 5 3
finesse leaving himself the option of playing for the ♥A
doubleton club king on his right, rather than taking the ♦A63
♣742
club finesse immediately. He rose with the ace, drew
trumps, cashed the heart ace, then played ace and South West North East
another diamond. East won the diamond queen and 1♦ Pass
exited with a low heart, letting declarer shake his second 1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
4♠ All pass
diamond loser. However, when the club king failed to
behave, he was down a trick. Opening Lead: ♣J
In the other room South decided to take the club finesse immediately. East did the right
thing when he won the club king and returned the suit. Now declarer fell back on a finesse
for his contract. Can you see which finesse? He unblocked the heart ace, then led a
spade to the eight, trying to create an extra entry to dummy. When the spade eight held,
he ran the heart queen to pitch his club loser.
West could win the heart ace and lead either minor, but nothing could stop South from
crossing back to the spade ace and pitching one of his slow diamond losers on the heart
jack for his 10th trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A response of three no-trump
South Holds: would show 13-15 points while denying a
♠A8 four-card major. There is some real
♥QJ7 temptation to make that call, but why
♦ 10 8 7 5 2 shouldn't your partner have really short
♣AQ6 spades or hearts, in which case game or
slam in either minor might be a far superior
South West North East spot? So just bid one diamond and take it
1♣ Pass from there.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, March 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on March 23rd, 2013
“The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum.”

— Havelock Ellis
Dealer: South North

Against four hearts West began with three top clubs, Vul: Neither ♠ K J 10 3
South ruffing the third round. This hand boils down to ♥83
♦ A Q 10 5
playing the trumps for one loser, which is best done by ♣932
assuming East has the heart queen. West East
♠985 ♠7642
♥6 ♥AQ54
West could have defeated four hearts after cashing the
♦8632 ♦97
club ace and king by shifting to a diamond to dislodge an ♣ A K Q J 10 ♣865
entry from dummy. South
♠AQ
♥ K J 10 9 7 2
But West played the third club — as I suspect we all might ♦KJ4
do. With no particularly deep plan in mind, South ruffed ♣74
and cashed the spade ace, overtook the spade queen
with the king, and led the heart three to the 10. When it 1♥ 2♣ Dbl. Pass
held, he crossed to dummy with the diamond 10 and 3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
ruffed a spade, then went back to dummy with a second
diamond to the queen and led the heart eight. If East Opening Lead: ♣K
played low, declarer would let the heart eight hold, then
lead out dummy’s top spade and remain in dummy for a trump coup. If East covered the
eight with his ace, he would have to lead a diamond, and declarer could take dummy’s
ace and be in dummy for the trump coup.
There is one trap in the deal (though I do not think many defenders would get this right for
the right reasons). If declarer leads the heart eight from dummy at trick six, instead of the
low trump, East can defeat the game by winning his ace and returning a diamond. Then
declarer does not have enough entries to dummy for the trump coup.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Here a double by you is
South Holds: emphatically not penalties. Few low-level
♠ K J 10 3 doubles are penalty-oriented, especially
♥83 when the opponents have found a fit. This
♦ A Q 10 5 double suggests the unbid suits and values.
♣932 You should be content to have a doubleton
in partner's suit as a fallback for him if he
South West North East does not have four cards in either black suit.
1♦ 1♥ 2♦
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, March 10th, 2013
ANSWER: Here is a simple set of rules that

are easy to remember. All direct actions by
Dear Mr. Wolff: responder at the three-level are natural and
Why is it that the more aggressive players game-forcing. Fourth suit remains artificial
who bid contracts to the limit don't get credit, and an inquiry, while responder's rebid of his
even for say an extra five points? Is it right suit simply shows five cards and is forcing
that a team that bids three clubs and makes for one round, but not to game. With a weak
10 tricks currently gets the same score as hand and four cards in your long suit, bid two
the team that bids four clubs and makes 10 no-trump. Now all continuations by opener
tricks? The same logic would apply to a except fourth suit are nonforcing.
team bidding two spades making three, as
compared to one bidding and making three
spades. Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Extra Credit, Albuquerque, N.M. How much do I need to move on, facing a
jump to game over an opponent's pre-
emptive opening? I held ♠ J-7, ♥ A-7, ♦ Q-8-
ANSWER: This is the precise approach in a 6-3, ♣ K-J-6-5-3 and my partner jumped to
game like spades, where there is a bonus for four spades over a three-heart pre-empt.
exact bidding. This is a good idea for the How would you decide whether to bid on,
occasional tournament such as a Christmas and what call would you choose if you did
party, but runs counter to the idea in bridge act?
that discretion is the better part of valor. Still, — Nosedive, Elmira, N.Y.
maybe someone will incorporate this theme
one day.
ANSWER: This hand looks worth an effort,
but I'm not happy with using Blackwood
Dear Mr. Wolff: since I really do not know what to do over a
I'm confused about the concept of a maximal response indicating that an ace or keycard is
double. In my club last week I held ♠ 10, missing. I'd try five hearts to show my heart
♥ Q-8-7, ♦ K-J-9-4, ♣ K-Q-9-3-2. My partner control and let partner decide whether he
opened one club and the next hand has enough to bid further.
overcalled one spade. I bid two spades to
show a good hand with clubs, and the next
player bid three spades, doubled by my Dear Mr. Wolff:
partner. Is this something special, such as a
club raise with game interest? I'm only an intermediate bridge player but
one of the first things I learned is pull trump
— Blinded by Science, Chicago, Ill. first, unless you have a reason not to (such
as to crossruff, trump a loser, maintain trump
control). I've noticed that experts don't
ANSWER: After one hand or the other has always do this. Why?
given partner a simple raise, there are times — Trump Eliminator, Levittown, Pa.
when a double in competition is a game-try,
but this is only after the opponents have
competed to take away all bidding space.
After a jump or limit raise by either hand has ANSWER: When you want to ruff things,
already established that the partnership has don't draw trump. When you don't want to
nearly the values for game, doubles revert to ruff anything, draw trump as soon as
their normal meaning of penalizing the possible. Often it is more important to set up
opponents. a side suit or take discards, or even to cut
the defenders' communications before
drawing trump. The only thing you need to
know is "never say never."
Dear Mr. Wolff:
You recently ran a sequence where opener
reversed into two diamonds after opening
one club and hearing a one-spade response.
Can you run through again what
continuations by responder should now be
forcing and what can be passed?
— Da Capo, Casper, Wyo.
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place,

then stand firm.”
— Abraham Lincoln
Dealer: South North

Today's deal is a relatively simple example of good Vul: East- ♠963
judgment both in the bidding and play of the hand. Let's West ♥43
♦AJ952
look at the auction first. ♣KJ7
West East
South made the decision to upgrade his 17-count into the ♠Q752 ♠ K J 10 4
range above a strong no-trump because of the ♥ K 10 8 7 5 ♥Q96
♦8643 ♦K
conjunction of aces plus a chunky five-card suit. So he ♣— ♣ 10 6 5 3 2
jumped to two no-trump at his second turn, and North had South
♠A8
a simple raise to game in no-trump. ♥AJ2
♦ Q 10 7
West led the heart seven, and declarer, not wanting a ♣AQ984
spade shift, took East’s queen with the ace. After cashing
the king and jack of clubs, then finessing against East’s 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass
club 10, she played off her remaining club winners, West 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
discarding three spades and two diamonds.
Opening Lead: ♥5
Now South had reached the decision point of the hand,
when he led the diamond queen. It had become clear that if West had the diamond king,
South would always make three no-trump, either by running the queen or rising with the
diamond ace and playing a diamond back to the 10. Even if West could duck the second
diamond, declarer would still have nine top winners (two diamonds, five clubs and the
major-suit aces).
The advantage of going up with the diamond ace was that it was a safety play, in that
while giving up overtricks if West had the diamond king, it would bring home the contract
when East had begun with a singleton king. So South called for the diamond ace, and
when the king fell, proceeded to make 12 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's three-diamond call
South Holds: was a help-suit try for game. Despite your
♠963 bad trumps, you have a good hand for him
♥43 now. But just in case he was slam-oriented,
♦AJ952 you should raise to four diamonds; it is easy
♣KJ7 to imagine a 5-4 diamond fit playing better in
slam than a five-three spade fit.
1♠ Pass
2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
?
“The verdict of the world is conclusive.”

— St. Augustine
Dealer: South North

In today's deal, West leads the heart 10 against what Vul: Both ♠ J 10 5
turns out to be a fairly shaky no-trump slam. (Maybe a ♥J7
♦KQ94
jump to five no-trump by North to offer a choice of slams ♣9652
would have been more sensible.) East wins the heart ace West East
♠843 ♠9762
and returns the three to your king. What is your plan to
♥ 10 9 8 4 2 ♥A653
make your contract? ♦ 10 8 6 5 ♦2
♣7 ♣K843
Obviously, you need East to have the club king to have South
♠AKQ
any chance of making your contract. If he has that card ♥KQ
and clubs are 3-2, then almost any plan will succeed. ♦AJ73
♣ A Q J 10
When he has four clubs headed by the king, you will need
West to have at least two diamonds, but suppose that South West North East
West has four diamonds. 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
3 NT Pass 6 NT All pass
The simple line is to win the second heart, lead a diamond
to the king, then take a club finesse. When you next cash Opening Lead: ♥10
the diamond ace and lead a diamond toward dummy,
West meanly puts in the 10, robbing you of an entry to dummy. Now you need clubs to
split 3-2, since you have no more entries to the board.
A better line is to win the diamond ace at trick three, then lead the diamond jack and
overtake it if West follows suit. You take a club finesse and are left with the Q-9 of
diamonds in dummy facing two small diamonds in hand. Whatever the original lie of the
diamonds, you can now insure two further entries to dummy to allow you to take two more
finesses in clubs and bring home your slam.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The answer here is more about
South Holds: partnership agreement than judgment. I
♠ J 10 5 suggest you adopt the idea that your partner
♥J7 in fourth chair can bid any suit or no-trump
♦KQ94 naturally, so a call of two clubs or two hearts
♣9652 would be natural. To show the unbid suits,
jump to two no-trump, or double with more
South West North East high cards and less shape. Here it feels right
1♣ to pass two hearts, not raise to three hearts.
Pass 1♥ 2♥ Pass
?
“And with you memories come, sharp pain, and dole.

Now there’s a choice — heartache or tortured liver!
A sea-sick body, or a you-sick soul!”
— Rupert Brooke
Dealer: West North

Today's deal sees two different defenders at work. Both Vul: Nil ♠AQ86
succeeded in defeating their opponents' game, but in very ♥5
♦ A K 10 6 4
different ways. ♣ 10 7 2
West East
At each table South was declarer in four spades when ♠95 ♠74
♥ J 10 6 ♥AKQ942
North treated his hand as worth a jump raise facing his
♦J752 ♦93
partner’s free bid of one spade. Of course in this auction ♣A986 ♣KJ4
South had promised five spades since he would have South
♠ K J 10 3 2
doubled one heart with only four spades. ♥873
♦Q8
The defense started with West leading the heart jack, and ♣Q53
East overtaking to play clubs. At one table East found the
best technical defense when he shifted to the club jack. Pass 1♦ 1♥
South covered with the queen, and West won and 1♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
returned the club nine. Now, whatever declarer did, he 4♠ All pass
had to lose two more club tricks.
Opening Lead: ♥J
In the other room East shifted to the club king at trick two,
and when it held the trick, he continued with a low club. South looked at him suspiciously.
Was East trying to pull a fast one, with an original club holding of ace-king-third, or did he
have his actual holding and had given up on the legitimate way to defeat the contract?
In the end, South guessed wrong and went up with the queen, letting West take his ace
and cash third club trick for the defense.
So which defender followed the better line? It is hard to say. Had East held the club nine
or eight in addition to the king-jack, the technical play of shifting to the club jack would
surely have been right.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand is just below the
South Holds: minimum required for a negative double
♠ K J 10 3 2 followed by a correction of two of a red suit
♥873 to two spades. And since you certainly need
♦Q8 more to make a forcing call of two spades
♣Q53 here, you should probably pass and hope
partner can reopen the bidding when he is
South West North East short in clubs.
1♦ 2♣
?
“She shamed to prize

A world conditioned thus, or care for breath
Where Nature such dilemmas could devise.”
— Thomas Hardy
Dealer: South North

Deciding whether to trump a winner or a loser is a Vul: North- ♠K4
common dilemma on defense. An unusual variation of the South ♥A9843
♦J752
theme of whether to ruff in or discard comes on hands like ♣94
today's. West East
♠96 ♠ J 10 7 3 2
♥ K 10 5 ♥QJ2
West has to make two good plays as second hand to beat
♦ Q 10 8 ♦3
five diamonds, after being given a chance by declarer. On ♣ K J 10 5 2 ♣Q873
the club lead declarer wins the ace and would do best, as South
♠AQ85
the cards lie, to draw only one round of trump before ♥76
taking the club discard on the spades. If, instead, he ♦AK964
♣A6
cashes the diamond ace and king, then leads out the top
three spades to pitch the club, West must refrain from South West North East
ruffing. 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass
1♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
West knows he cannot prevent declarer from discarding 5♦ All pass
dummy’s losing club whether he ruffs or not, but there is a
Opening Lead: ♣J
better use for the trump than ruffing a winner — drawing
two of the opponent’s trumps. If West mistakenly ruffs in, then declarer gives up a heart
and crossruffs the rest. So West must pitch a club on the third spade, after which declarer
will try to sneak a heart through. If he can duck the trick to East, he will be able to play
along crossruff lines.
Instead, West must hop up with the heart 10 on the first round of the suit, insuring he wins
the first or second heart. He cannot now be prevented from drawing one round of trump,
then tapping dummy with a club, preventing the establishment of the hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You are certainly good enough to
South Holds: bid again, and you have the choice of the
♠AQ85 simpler spade call (suggesting your basic
♥76 hand-pattern) or doubling. The double
♦AK964 sounds like extra values, with perhaps a
♣A6 more balanced hand than this, or more
playable in clubs than a doubleton, so the
South West North East simple call of one spade looks best.
1♦ Dbl. Pass 1♥
?
“Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.”
— Chinese proverb
Dealer: East North

West leads the heart 10 against your spade game. When Vul: East- ♠765
this holds, West plays a second heart and you ruff with the West ♥K43
♦AKQJ4
eight. You cash the trump ace and king, assuming that if ♣QJ
anyone is long in trumps, it will be West. East discards a West East
♠ Q 10 4 2 ♠3
heart on the second round, and now your aim is to make
♥ 10 9 2 ♥AQJ875
the contract when West started with the club king. ♦86 ♦532
♣K962 ♣ 10 8 3
The key here is to cross to the diamond ace and ruff South
♠AKJ98
dummy’s last heart, removing West’s remaining card in ♥6
the suit. Next, you run the diamond suit. If West refuses to ♦ 10 9 7
♣A754
ruff any of the diamonds, you will discard two clubs from
your hand and throw West in with a trump. After scoring South West North East
two trump tricks, he will have to lead away from the club 2♥
king. The effect is the same if West ruffs one of your 2♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
diamond winners. He can cash his other trump winner, but

Opening Lead: ♥10
will then have to lead away from the club king.
Note that the defense at trick two was rather soft. East should have won the first trick with
the jack and shifted to a club. Then West scores a trick with his club king. Now the
contract can be made only with a double-dummy line that relies on your reading West’s
original distribution. You would have to play one top trump and guess his precise
distribution to reduce him to Q-10-4 of trumps and force him to ruff a diamond winner. He
would then have to lead into the king-jack of trumps at trick 12.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Opinions differ widely about
South Holds: whether it is right to raise to two hearts here.
♠ Q 10 4 2 I say no; your bad trumps and defensive
♥ 10 9 2 values suggest not getting involved directly.
♦86 If the opponents allow you to balance with
♣K962 two hearts, you might make that call, but
otherwise, unless partner can bid again
South West North East voluntarily, you may be better off letting
1♣ 1♥ Dbl. sleeping dogs lie.
?
“A week is a long time in politics.”

— Sir Harold Wilson
Dealer: West North

As I'm sure my readers will have noticed, the deals I run Vul: North- ♠ A 10 4 2
on Saturdays tend to be slightly more complex than those South ♥ A J 10 6 2
♦J5
in midweek. I have a mental image of my readers having ♣62
slightly more time to drink their cups of coffee, and focus a West East
♠K3 ♠86
little more carefully on the newspaper.
♥83 ♥KQ975
♦ K Q 10 9 3 ♦62
Today’s deal features a contract of four spades reached ♣AQJ4 ♣ 10 9 8 5
with just half the deck in high-cards. Once the spade South
♠QJ975
finesse succeeds and trumpS break 2-2, South has ♥4
excellent play for 10 tricks — but what is the best line? ♦A874
♣K73
The answer may surprise you.
After the opening lead of the diamond king to South’s ace, 1♦ 1♥ Pass
declarer goes after trumps. He leads the spade queen, 1♠ 2♣ 2♠ Pass
which holds, then leads a spade to the ace. Next comes 4♠ All pass
the heart ace and a heart ruff. Now declarer exits with a
Opening Lead: ♦K
low diamond to West, who wins the queen and plays the
10.
Declarer ruffs, ruffs a second heart as West pitches a club, and then leads his last
diamond. West plays the nine and dummy discards a club rather than ruffing. West now
plays the diamond three and declarer discards dummy’s remaining club while throwing a
low club too. West is left on lead and whether he plays a low club or the club ace, declarer
will be able to make a trick with the club king.
Declarer finishes up by making seven trump tricks and one trick in each of the side-suits.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Partner has suggested a
South Holds: minimum, most likely with six or more clubs.
♠QJ975 Your choice is a simple and slightly
♥4 pessimistic raise to three clubs to invite
♦A874 game, or a bid of two diamonds to look for
♣K73 spade support, planning to raise clubs later
in what would then be a forcing auction. It's
South West North East a slight stretch, but I'd take the more
1♣ Pass aggressive position at teams, and only invite
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass at pairs.
?
ANSWER: I’m maybe not the best person to

answer this question – you could predict in
Dear Mr. Wolff: advance my answer would be to double first
My hand, ♠ K-Q-3, ♥ A-5-4, ♦ J-7, ♣ K-J-9-8- and reconsider later. It is normally safer to
4, looked like a normal one-club opening. overcall or double earlier than later in almost
The next hand overcalled one heart and my any auction. Here you have the right shape
partner bid one spade, which I raised to two and values to bid. If partner has a bust, it is
spades. Now my partner bid three diamonds, his fault.
and because I was not sure if he was
interested in slam or game, I did not know
what to do next. Any ideas? Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Lost in Space, Dodge City, Kan. As a bridge teacher I’m wondering whether I
should include transfer responses to one no-
trump in my basic lessons. Do you think this
ANSWER: Good question! Maybe a three- is a good idea?
heart probe will let partner disclose his — Quis custodiet, Waterbury, Conn.
intentions. If he bids only three spades, you
can raise to game. If he goes past three no-
trump, you can be sure he has a very good
hand and can cooperate in a slam venture. ANSWER: I understand my friend Eddie
Kantar has included transfer responses in
the second edition of his "Bridge for
Dummies" primer, on the grounds that it is
Dear Mr. Wolff: close to the norm for all players these days.
I play in a marathon bridge group and am Perhaps that is a good indication of the
hosting the bridge event this year. When I direction you should be heading?
handed out an instruction sheet to each
team recently, I indicated that on the last
deal of a Chicago a partscore is worth 100 Dear Mr. Wolff:
points. I was asked why. I was also asked
why a side that had an unconverted I opened one diamond with the following
partscore from an earlier deal wouldn’t get hand: ♠ K-J-9-4, ♥ K-3, ♦ A-Q-5-4, ♣ 10-6-2.
the benefit at the end of the rubber. Can you My partner responded one heart and I rebid
help please? one spade. Now my partner bid two clubs,
the fourth suit, and I did not know what to do.
— Home Rule, Saint John, New Brunswick Can you help me with my thinking here?
— Third Rail, Albany, Ga.
ANSWER: You have stated the rules
correctly. In Chicago the last deal partscore
is worth a bonus 100 points (presumably ANSWER: The answer is easy if you buy in
because you do not get a chance to convert to the idea that you would have raised hearts
it to game). The other side does NOT get a at your previous turn with a minimum
bonus if they had made a partscore on an unbalanced or semibalanced hand and three
earlier deal, as they did get a chance to trumps. Thus if you bid one spade and then
make game later — and failed to do so. This support hearts over the fourth-suit inquiry,
might seem illogical — but them’s the rules. you typically have a doubleton honor and
have three trumps relatively infrequently.
With extras and three hearts in a 4-3-5-1
shape, you jump to three hearts now.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Would you double a one-heart opening on
your right in all positions — and at any
vulnerability — with: ♠ J-8-6, ♥ K-J, ♦ K-10-6-
3, ♣ A-9-8-7? Would you ever hold back if
vulnerable or facing a passed partner?
— Timid Timmy, San Francisco, Calif.
by Bobby Wolff on April 1st, 2013
“His small eyes glistened like a maddened boar.

And as he walked, the boards creaked; as he walked,
A song of menace rumbled.”
— Edgar Lee Masters
Dealer: East North

With the spring national championships currently taking Vul: Neither ♠ K 10 8 2
place in St Louis, Mo., this week’s deals all come from last ♥A752
♦ A K Q 10
year’s championships in Memphis. ♣Q
West East
Sometimes you need the cards to lie just so to give ♠Q74 ♠AJ96
♥86 ♥Q94
yourself a chance to make your contract. And when they
♦952 ♦J87
do, the satisfaction for you (plus the irritation caused to ♣K9532 ♣ A 10 4
your opponents) is all the more. Today’s deal provides just South
♠53
such an example. ♥ K J 10 3
♦643
Nobody did anything too outrageous in the bidding, but ♣J876
four hearts was an uncomfortable contract for North-
South. When West led a low club (suggesting a five-card 1♣
suit in her methods), East decided to win and shift to a Pass 3♣ Dbl. Pass
trump, reasonably assuming her heart queen was a dead 3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
duck. Notice that the club spots would have allowed South
Opening Lead: ♣2
to set up the club eight for an extra winner had East
played either her high or low club. Declarer won the trump in hand, ruffed a club, ducked a
spade around to West, then won the trump return in hand and ruffed a second club. At this
point East was out of clubs, so declarer could next play the spade king to force East to
win. Since that player had no clubs to lead, she could do no better than play her low
spade. This allowed declarer to ruff, then draw the last trump, and run the diamonds for
four tricks.
In the end South scored six trump tricks (four in hand and two ruffs in dummy) plus four
diamond winners.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is hard to look beyond leading
South Holds: the fourth suit when you have length there. A
♠Q72 diamond may not work, but since nothing
♥ K 10 2 else looks attractive, you might as well lead
♦J973 from the suit where you know that your
♣972 partner probably has a reasonable holding.

1♣ Pass 1♥
Pass 1♠ Pass 1 NT
All pass
by Bobby Wolff on April 2nd, 2013
“Strait is the gate and narrow is the way.”

— St. Matthew:14
Dealer: North North

The first two days of the spring nationals feature the Vul: East- ♠AK9
Baldwin North American pairs, for which one qualifies by West ♥KQ862
♦AQ6
district; a small field reduces down to a 14-table final. At ♣J5
last year’s event, in Memphis, the winners were Jordan West East
♠74 ♠2
Cohen and Barry Senensky, who were among the lowest
♥ A J 10 5 4 ♥973
qualifiers for the finals. If not for this deal from the first ♦ K 10 8 4 ♦J972
qualifying session, they might not have been playing on ♣K6 ♣Q9872
South
day two. ♠ Q J 10 8 6 5 3
♥—
The deal emphasizes that one should not play bridge in a ♦53
♣ A 10 4 3
vacuum, but should take advantage of any indications
provided to you by the opponents. You exploit such South West North East
variations at your own risk, of course, but a skilled player 1♥ Pass
soon learns what and whom to believe! 1♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
6♠ All pass
Against the delicate spade slam (I might use a less
Opening Lead: ♠4
flattering term had the contract not come home), West led
a trump, taken in dummy. Declarer, Jordan Cohen — who is the son of one of the
stalwarts of the American Contract Bridge League, the late Ralph Cohen — followed up
by running the club jack, which lost to West’s king.
He won the spade continuation in dummy and was now faced with a choice of lines.
Rather than rely on strict percentages, he tested his table presence by advancing the
heart king. When South played low smoothly, Cohen decided that the ace rated to be
wrong. He ruffed the heart, then finessed in both minors to come to 12 tricks. He was
lucky, perhaps, but he exploited the lie of the cards to the best advantage.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have twice indicated that you
South Holds: have a miserable hand, but partner has still
♠2 made a slam-try. Arguably you should
♥973 cuebid four spades now, but that is very
♦J972 risky if partner misreads you. If you have to
♣Q9872 put up or shut up, then your hand looks
closer to a jump to a slam than to a sign-off
South West North East in five clubs.
2♥ Dbl. 3♥
Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
4♣ Pass 4♥ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on April 3rd, 2013
“To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything.”

— Anatole France
Dealer: South North

It’s very easy to defend by rote. See if you can do better Vul: Both ♠KQJ3
than the East-West pair managed on this deal, from the ♥AK73
♦J97
stratified pairs at the Memphis Nationals last spring. ♣ 10 2
North-South had managed to reach four spades after a West East
♠95 ♠ 10 8 6 4
patented transfer auction to establish they had no club
♥98642 ♥Q
stopper, and had also done well to locate the more solid of ♦K5 ♦843
their 4-3 major-suit fits. ♣Q974 ♣AKJ65
South
♠A72
The defenders led two rounds of clubs. So far, so good; ♥ J 10 5
but what next? East shifted to diamonds and declarer, ♦ A Q 10 6 2
♣83
Glenn Milgrim, could finesse, then draw trump when he
got back in. That was 10 painless tricks and a top for him. South West North East
Perhaps East should have led a third club instead for the 1 NT* Pass 2♣ Dbl.
ruff-sluff. Declarer should ruff in hand, could now lead a Pass Pass Rdbl. Pass
2♠** Pass 3♣ Pass
low diamond from hand, and might survive if he reads the 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass
position. But would he? Who can say? But making 420 4♠ All pass
rates to be very good here. *11-14 **No major.
Let’s go back to trick one. The delicate bidding sequence Opening Lead: ♣4
means that West knows his side has the club ace and
king, that both are cashing, and that the opponents are in a 4-3 fit. If he knows that he is
going to get in with the diamond king later on, perhaps he can find the heart lead.
Now the club queen and diamond king will provide re-entry to give partner two ruffs, if
declarer does not draw all the trump. (Incidentally, even a heart shift by East at trick two or
three does the trick — and that is certainly easier to find.)
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Partner has shown a
South Holds: powerhouse with spades. This hand is too
♠A72 good for a simple raise to four spades, so I
♥ J 10 5 need to find a way to do more. Since four
♦ A Q 10 6 2 diamonds sounds natural, denying a fit, my
♣83 only choices are to use four hearts as an
artificial call with a spade fit, not promising a
South West North East heart control — which I would not do without
1♥ Dbl. Pass prior agreement — or to jump to five spades
3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass to show extras. I’ll opt for that.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, March 21st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on April 4th, 2013
“A watcher, pale and tearful,

Looked forth with anxious eye.”
— Sarah Hale
Dealer: West North

At the U.S. Nationals in Memphis last spring, the Stratified Vul: North- ♠ 10 8 3
Open Pairs threw up a deal with a point of interest in the South ♥ 10 9 5 3 2
♦65
play. After a highly informative auction, South reached ♣A82
three hearts on a fourth-highest club lead from West. West East
♠KJ42 ♠975
Declarer won in hand and advanced the diamond queen
♥4 ♥QJ87
to West’s king. Back came a second club, and South won ♦K3 ♦ A 10 8 2
the club return in dummy to play a second diamond. East ♣Q97543 ♣ J 10
South
won the ace and shifted to a low spade. What should ♠AQ6
declarer do now? ♥AK6
♦QJ974
♣K6
The auction had strongly suggested that West, because of
his failure to act earlier was 4-6 in spades and clubs. He South West North East
would surely have opened three clubs or stayed silent Pass Pass Pass
without a side-suit. And the logical second suit for him to 1♣* Pass 1♦** Pass
1 NT 3♣ Dbl. Pass
hold had to be spades. 3♥ All pass
If that inference is sound, then the right line, which *Clubs or balanced
**Hearts
declarer missed at the table, is to win the spade ace,
which he did. But then it was right to cash only one top Opening Lead: ♣5
trump, not both — after all, on our projected arithmetic,
West could have at most one trump and South needs to retain a high trump in hand, as
we shall see.
If South had done that, he could then have played the diamond jack, pitching a spade
from dummy. Then he can ruff a diamond, ruff a club, and lead the fifth diamond to discard
the other losing spade from dummy. If East ruffs in on the third club, South overruffs and
leads the fifth diamond as before.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Whether you are playing two
South Holds: clubs as a game-force, or forcing for one
♠AQ6 round, there is little agreement as to how to
♥AK6 proceed with strong balanced hands. My
♦QJ974 preference is to bid three no-trump with a
♣K6 strong no-trump equivalent, and rebid two
no-trump with 12-14, or 18-plus, planning
South West North East with the latter to bid on over a sign-off. So I
1♦ Pass 2♣ Pass would bid two no-trump, then bid on over a
? sign-off to show 18-plus (the choice is a
conservative invitation to slam or simply
driving to the six-level).
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, March 22nd, 2013
“Pigeons on the grass alas.”

— Gertrude Stein
Dealer: South North

Gertrude Stein’s last words were, reputedly, “What is the Vul: Neither ♠ Q 7 6 4
answer? . . . What is the question?” ♥K73
♦K5
♣ Q 10 9 5
Take that as your mantra for the next problem, set by Kit West East
Woolsey from the second round of the Vanderbilt ♠AJ3 ♠—
♥J5 ♥ Q 10 9 8 2
Knockout Teams. You lead a third- and fifth-best club eight
♦A862 ♦QJ974
against three spades, to discover dummy has been ♣KJ84 ♣A73
playing a little joke. His two-no-trump call (simulating South
♠ K 10 9 8 5 2
invitational values or better) succeeded in keeping your ♥A64
side out of the auction. ♦ 10 3
♣62
Your club lead goes to dummy’s nine and partner’s ace.
Back comes the heart nine (which conventionally shows 2♠ Pass 2 NT Pass
zero or two higher honors) to declarer’s ace. He plays a 3♥* Pass 3♠ All pass
second club, and you win the king to continue hearts. *Feature
Declarer wins in dummy, cashes the club queen to discard
a heart, then plays a spade. Opening Lead: ♣8
Partner shows out, discarding the diamond queen, so you take declarer’s spade king with
your ace. There seems no point in underleading the diamond ace, since declarer cannot
have a guess in the suit, so you cash the diamond ace and play a diamond, locking
declarer in dummy. How does South get back to hand safely for the spade finesse?
Declarer is going to ruff a club to hand (having registered your club spots and that your
partner took the ace at trick one) unless you dropped the club jack under the queen a few
tricks ago!
Woolsey found the play and declarer went with the odds when he tried to ruff a heart to
hand. The overruff meant he was down one.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you hold a 10-count facing
South Holds: an overcall, you typically have a choice
♠Q764 between a simple raise and a cuebid, the
♥K73 latter showing a limit raise or better. But not
♦K5 all 10-counts are created equal — and this is
♣ Q 10 9 5 a very inferior example of the species. With
no controls, and soft cards in the side suits,
South West North East a simple raise to two hearts will more than
1♦ 1♥ Dbl. suffice here.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, March 23rd, 2013
“Heads I win; tails you lose.”

— Anon.
Dealer: South North

In this deal from the final of the Memphis Life Master Vul: Neither ♠ 7 3 2
Pairs, I assume that most of us would fall from grace and ♥875
♦ A Q 10 2
open the South hand one heart, thus ending up in four ♣AK9
hearts. West East
♠ A 10 9 5 ♠QJ4
♥ K 10 3 ♥Q9
At the table, South received a club lead and led a heart to
♦J93 ♦74
the nine, jack and king. Declarer won the club return, ♣ 10 8 3 ♣QJ7542
pitching a spade, and played a heart to the ace. He then South
♠K86
went to the diamond queen, ruffed a club, and ran the ♥AJ642
diamonds. West discarded a spade on the fourth ♦K865
♣6
diamond, so South simply played for the spade ace to be
onside — no dice. South West North East
1♥ Pass 2♦ Pass
By contrast, Sabine Auken reached four hearts on an 3♦ Pass 4♥ All pass
auction where East had been able to double an artificial
club call. When she got the lead of the club three (third Opening Lead: ♣3
from an even number, low from an odd number), she
played for clubs to have been 3-6 originally. After running the diamonds, she exited with
the third heart and endplayed West in trumps to lead spades.
Note that East should have put up the heart queen on the first round of the suit. Now
declarer could not arrange the endplay no matter what he did.
At another table, when West was stewing over what to lead against four hearts, his
opponent asked sympathetically if he would like some help and pulled out a card for him.
West accepted the choice — the heart three! This play forced East to put up the heart
queen, and now declarer had no chance.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no vulnerability where
South Holds: this is an appropriate pre-emptive opening.
♠QJ4 With so much defense in the majors and
♥Q9 such a feeble long suit, discretion is certainly
♦74 the order of the day. You might tempt me to
♣QJ7542 open three clubs — but only in first seat at
favorable vulnerability and if my club two
South West North East were the 10.
?

How do you proceed with the following hand: My partner and I found the following hand
♠ J-8, ♥ K-9-4, ♦ Q-7, ♣ A-J-7-6-5-2, difficult to bid. Please give us your opinion
assuming that you overcalled two clubs over on how the bidding should have gone. I held
one heart and heard your partner bid two ♠ K-9-7-3, ♥ K-6-3-2, ♦ Q-J-7-3-2, ♣ —. My
diamonds? What would you do next — if partner opened one club and the next hand
anything? bid one heart. I doubled and heard him bid
two diamonds. I jumped to four diamonds —
— Taking Steps, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. and found him with a 3-3-3-4 pattern
including three good diamonds. The
operation was not a success. What did we
ANSWER: A call of two diamonds should be do wrong?
played as forcing; new suits by unpassed
hands in response to two-level overcalls — Force Majeure, Wichita Falls, Texas
should be forcing if the auctions remain
uncompetitive. I’d guess to raise to three
diamonds now, but make my hand slightly ANSWER: At his second turn opener can
better (with a better spade honor or the club bid one spade with only three trumps if
king instead of the jack) and I’d bid two no- nothing else appeals. A call of one no-trump
trump. suggests a balanced hand, not heart
stoppers. With any 2-3-4-4 pattern
responder can rebid one no-trump. With four
Dear Mr. Wolff: spades and slightly better than a minimum,
opener can rebid two spades. Thus a call of
Do you have a page-a-day bridge calendar? one spade suggests three and an
Or do you know of one you would unbalanced hand, or four in a dead minimum
recommend? hand. A two-diamond bid by opener is
— Daily News, Bay City, Mich. typically 4-5 and a minimum.
ANSWER: Bridge calendars are not so easy Dear Mr. Wolff:

to find these days, though there used to be I’m interested in mastering the percentages
plenty… and I used to do one too! My choice at bridge. What do I need to know –and
would be to look at the calendar produced by where can I find learn them?
Andrew Robson, who is a very thoughtful
writer. You can Google his name and find a — Eager Beaver, Eau Claire, Wis.
calendar on his website.
ANSWER: Borel’s book on percentages has
Dear Mr. Wolff: more than you could possibly want to know,
while Kelsey and Glauert wrote an excellent
What would you open with ♠ K-J-9-2, ♥ J-3, book on the basics. But best is the
♦ K-8, ♣ A-K-J-5-4? Do you prefer one club Encyclopedia of Bridge, which has a
to one no-trump? splendid section on the percentages and suit
— Weighing In, Raleigh, N.C. management. I cannot recommend that book
too highly, because of its wide-ranging
coverage of the game.
ANSWER: I know I’m out of touch with the
younger generation here, but I loathe and
detest opening one no-trump with a five-card
minor and four spades, especially two suits
as good as these. My plan is to bid each suit
in order, then probably to make a try for
game if partner puts on the brakes in one
no-trump or two clubs. If that makes me old-
fashioned, then I’ve been called worse.
“If a man could bite the giant hand

That catches and destroys him,
As I was bitten by a rat
While demonstrating my patent trap….”
— Robert Fulton Tanner
Dealer: South North

Having a nasty surprise for the declarer in the trump suit Vul: North- ♠832
may be sufficient grounds for doubling the final contract, South ♥Q5
♦62
but by alerting declarer to the bad break, you may provide ♣AQ8542
a blueprint on how the hand should be played. West East
♠ A J 10 7 ♠4
♥ 10 7 3 2 ♥K64
In today’s deal, having given a restrained preference to
♦Q53 ♦ K 10 9 7 4
two spades, North could hardly be faulted for going on to ♣K6 ♣ 10 9 7 3
game when South issued a somewhat dubious invitation. South
♠KQ965
West doubled and led the diamond three; declarer took ♥AJ98
East’s king with the ace. Alerted by the double, declarer ♦AJ8
♣J
left trump well alone, and prepared for a diamond ruff by
returning the diamond jack at trick two, making sure that South West North East
East could not gain the lead and switch to a trump. 1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
West won and tried the effect of switching to a cunning 3♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
Pass Dbl. All pass
club six. Declarer put up dummy’s ace and played the
heart queen, covered by the king and ace. He ruffed his Opening Lead: ♦3
last diamond, returned to hand with the heart jack, and
ruffed a heart. Then he trumped a club, revealing West’s deception, and ruffed his last
heart with dummy’s remaining trump.
Declarer was now down to the spade K-Q-9-6 while West had his four trumps left, and
dummy was reduced to just clubs. With eight tricks in the bag, declarer played a club and
ruffed it with his spade queen. West overruffed with the spade ace and returned the jack,
but declarer ducked and left West on play to lead into declarer’s spade tenace. Contract
made!
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a blind guess. You could
South Holds: sell me on a passive diamond lead (the five)
♠ Q 10 5 4 or an aggressive heart lead. I would surely
♥Q94 not lead a spade, and a club looks just too
♦532 likely to cost a trick. In an auction where the
♣ K 10 8 opponents appear to have no values to
spare, there is much to be said for going
South West North East passive.
1♠ Pass 1 NT
Pass 2♠ Pass 2 NT
All pass
“A mortified appetite is never a wise companion.”

— Robert Louis Stevenson
Dealer: South North

Today’s contract of three no-trump sees West lead the Vul: East- ♠A54
spade jack, and — following general principles — you West ♥J
♦J97532
duck the trick. Spades appear to be the only danger suit, ♣ A 10 8
and ducking starts to cut the defenders’ communications. West East
♠ J 10 9 8 2 ♠KQ
♥Q73 ♥ 10 9 8 6 4
East overtakes with the queen and advances the spade
♦ Q 10 8 ♦6
king, which you duck again. If the defenders continued ♣K3 ♣J9752
with a third spade you would knock out the diamond South
♠763
queen, knowing that there is no danger from the spades; ♥AK52
but as the cards lie East cannot continue with a third ♦AK4
♣Q64
spade; instead he shifts to the heart 10, and now you
appear to be home free. South West North East
But beware! If you win the first heart and play three
rounds of diamonds, West will win and exit with a spade, Opening Lead: ♠J
locking you in dummy and cutting you off from your
second heart winner. And if you cash the second top heart, West will unblock the queen
and you are again doomed to go down.
Having identified the problem, no doubt you will have spotted the solution. After winning
the heart king at trick three, simply play the diamond ace and then lead a low diamond.
When West wins the diamond queen (and he might well duck!) he cannot simultaneously
dislodge dummy�s spade and club aces. The best he can do is clear the spades, but you
can arrange to cross back to hand with the diamond king, cash your heart winner, and go
back over to dummy with the club ace to run the diamonds.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If you have a transfer to
South Holds: diamonds, make the call, planning to follow
♠A54 up with three hearts. This, by partnership
♥J agreement, should suggest a singleton
♦J97532 heart, letting partner choose which game he
♣ A 10 8 wants to play. (With long diamonds and four
hearts you would start with Stayman, of
South West North East course.) If you don’t play this, simply bid
1 NT Pass three no-trump directly, as in our 52-card
? diagram today.
“‘Will you walk into my parlor?’

Said the Spider to the Fly….”
— Mary Howitt
Dealer: North North

Any contract that will make if a finesse succeeds cannot Vul: North- ♠QJ54
be considered hopeless. Sometimes, though, the auction South ♥ 10 8 6 5
♦AK7
will tell you that there has to be some better chance ♣42
because the bidding has converted your 50 percent play West East
♠96 ♠ 10 8 7 2
into a no-hoper. Put yourself in South's shoes to see if you
♥KJ973 ♥42
can spot the improvement. ♦ 10 4 ♦QJ83
♣ K Q J 10 ♣653
When Denmark played Canada in the Venice Cup a South
♠AK3
decade ago, both declarers (Francine Cimon and Trine ♥AQ
Bilde) reached three no-trump and knew that the auction ♦9652
♣A987
had indicated that the heart finesse would fail. They
ducked the first two clubs and worked out that West had South West North East
the long club from the defensive signals. Pass Pass
1♣ 1♥ Dbl. Pass
They won the third club and decided against trying to find 1 NT* Pass 3 NT All pass
a favorable heart distribution (such as playing East for the *15-17
singleton or doubleton jack). Instead, they cashed the
Opening Lead: ♣K
diamond ace and king, then the two top spades, and
exited with the fourth club. At this point West had nothing but hearts left and had to lead
into declarer’s acequeen to concede the ninth trick.
As you can see, the natural play might seem to be for declarer to win the second or third
round of clubs and cash all the spade winners, but then there is no way back to hand to
endplay West in clubs. To succeed, declarer needs to find West with relatively short
spades and diamonds; but the auction has made that virtually a racing certainty.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Jumps by passed hands facing
South Holds: an overcall should not be natural and weak.
♠96 North would have opened two spades or
♥KJ973 would have bid one spade over one heart;
♦ 10 4 so pre-empting by a passed hand makes no
♣ K Q J 10 sense. A far better agreement to have is that
the jump is a fit jump — a classic hand
South West North East would be five spades to the ace-queen, plus
Pass 1♦ four small hearts. With a minimum, you
1♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
should therefore sign off in three hearts.
?
“He was in Logic a great Critic,

Profoundly skilled in Analytic.
He could distinguish, and divide
A Hair ‘twixt South and South-West side….”
— Samuel Butler
Dealer: South North

Against four spades West leads the club queen, which Vul: Neither ♠ K 10 3
holds the trick. West then thoughtfully continues with the ♥J32
♦ Q J 10 8 3
club 10 to your ace. Everyone follows when you cash the ♣93
trump ace. What now? West East
♠8765 ♠4
♥K84 ♥Q975
At the table, after winning the club ace, one declarer drew
♦A72 ♦65
two rounds of trump with the ace and king, discovering the ♣ Q J 10 ♣K87642
4-1 break. Next he played on diamonds, but West held up South
♠AQJ92
his ace until the third round, then exited with a trump to ♥ A 10 6
the dummy’s 10. The contract could no longer be made, ♦K94
♣A5
since dummy had no more entries and West was poised
to ruff a fourth round of diamonds. Declarer had to try a South West North East
heart, hoping that East held both honors, but it was not to 1♠ Pass 2♠ Pass
be, and so declarer could not avoid losing four tricks. 4♠ All pass
The declarer at the second table showed better technique. Opening Lead: ♣Q
The first two tricks were the same, but instead of drawing
two rounds of trump, he cashed the trump ace, then played on diamonds. Like his
counterpart, this West held up the ace until the third round, then exited with a trump, taken
by dummy�s 10. Declarer now played a good diamond and threw one of his heart losers.
West could do no better than ruff and try a heart. Declarer took East’s queen with the ace
and crossed to dummy by playing a trump to the king, drawing West’s last trump. He then
cashed the fifth diamond to dispose of his remaining heart and claimed 10 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Once you overcall, you can
South Holds: never have a hand good enough to want to
♠ K 10 3 play no-trump in a competitive auction if
♥J32 facing a passing partner. So what does your
♦ Q J 10 8 3 partner have, if the call is not natural? Surely
♣93 he has both minors with longer clubs, and
enough values to want to compete, probably
South West North East a 4-5 or 4-6 pattern. Bid three diamonds and
1♥ 2♣ 2♥ be prepared to compete to four diamonds if
Pass Pass 2 NT Pass necessary.
?
“Logic must take care of itself.”

— Ludwig Wittgenstein
Dealer: East North

The opposition bidding frequently leads declarer toward Vul: Both ♠743
the winning line. In today’s deal, however, although that ♥KJ4
♦A9763
should have been the case, the best play was only ♣ 10 4
discovered in the post mortem. West East
♠962 ♠ K J 10 8 5
♥ 10 9 7 2 ♥A6
Against three no-trump West led a low spade to the 10
♦42 ♦ Q J 10 8
and queen, and now with six top tricks, declarer hoped ♣Q872 ♣63
that hearts, via a 3-3 break, might furnish the other three. South
♠AQ
A heart to the jack lost to the ace and back came a spade, ♥Q853
removing declarer’s last stopper in that suit. When hearts ♦K5
♣AKJ95
proved to be 4-2, South cashed the club ace then entered
dummy with the diamond ace and ran the club 10. It lost, South West North East
and the spade return saw the speedy demise of the game. 1♠
Dbl. Pass 2♦ Pass
In view of East’s opening bid, South was unlucky to find 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
the club queen offside. But, unless East’s opening bid was
Opening Lead: ♠2
an out-and-out psyche, declarer could have guaranteed
the contract by entering dummy with the diamond ace and leading the heart four toward
his queen. If East rises with the ace, declarer has three heart tricks, to bring the trick count
up to the requisite nine.
And if East plays low, the queen wins, and declarer can turn his attention to clubs, where
four tricks are always available by playing low to the 10. (Although at pairs, cashing the
ace and king would give you a shot at 10 tricks if the queen lies singleton or doubleton,
that play would not cater for a 5-1 or 6-0 break.)
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: At any form of scoring I would
South Holds: recommend a double here. This suggests
♠743 extra defense, but does not stop your
♥KJ4 partner from removing to three spades with
♦A9763 an unsuitable hand for defending. Imagine
♣ 10 4 your partner with nothing more than the club
ace-king and you surely have five top tricks!
1♠ 2♥
2♠ Pass Pass 3♥
?
“Promise the earth to counter shine

Whatever makes heaven’s forehead fine.”
— Richard Crashaw
Dealer: South North

Today’s deal features several rather subtle points in the Vul: North- ♠J652
play. The auction to three no-trump was straightforward South ♥62
♦ 10 3
enough, but the final contract was a very unattractive one. ♣ A K Q J 10
The risk of the defenders cashing four hearts and a spade West East
♠ 10 8 4 3 ♠A97
was a high one — and as it turned out, the spade
♥ J 10 9 4 ♥AKQ
blockage generated other additional problems. ♦Q8 ♦J752
♣943 ♣852
After West led the heart jack East cashed the queen, king South
♠KQ
and ace, on which West had the opportunity to signal suit ♥8753
preference. By following up the line, with the four then ♦AK964
♣76
nine, he was strongly suggesting no spade honor. Since
East could infer that declarer rated to have his precise South West North East
distribution, he thoughtfully shifted to a club. When 1♦ Pass 2♣ Pass
declarer saw what might happen if he played a spade at 2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass
once (East would win and play a second club to leave the
spades blocked), he found an unlikely resource by leading Opening Lead: ♥J
the diamond 10 to his king. Then he played the spade
king. East won and continued with his plan by returning a second club. Declarer ran all the
clubs, pitching his spade queen, and came down to a three-card ending with the
doubleton spade jack and a small diamond in dummy, and the heart eight and the
diamond K-9 in hand. East could keep his diamonds but West (forced to keep the
doubleton spade 10 and the master heart) had to pitch his last diamond.
Now declarer led out the spade jack to pitch his heart, then finessed the diamond nine for
his contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It looks best to me to double here
South Holds: rather than overcall in diamonds. That way
♠KQ you get hearts into the picture, and although
♥8753 your diamond suit is respectable, it is not
♦AK964 quite good enough for a two-level overcall —
♣76 especially when you have such a desirable
alternative available. If partner picks clubs,
South West North East let him play there.
1♠
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, March 31st, 2013
ANSWER: You might use a two-club

response to guarantee game-invitational
Dear Mr. Wolff: values, and for the overcaller to respond at
After your LHO opens one club and your the two-level with a minimum hand, and bid
partner doubles, your RHO bids one heart. at the three-level with a maximum hand.
You hold ♠ J-8-2, ♥ K-9-4, ♦ K-3, ♣ A-9-5-4- Alternatively, you can respond two diamonds
2. How would you plan to develop the with any minimum hand, any other bid at the
auction? two-level showing a medium hand, and any
call at the three-level showing a maximum
— Decked Out, Newark, N.J. hand.
ANSWER: There do seem to be a lot of Dear Mr. Wolff:

points in this deck. I’d guess not to try for
game but simply to bid one no-trump and I had the following unremarkable hand: ♠ 8-
await (hope for) further developments. I’m 6-2, ♥ J-9-4, ♦ K-Q-5, ♣ Q-10-9-6 and heard
guessing the opponents cannot make the auction (at favorable vulnerability) start
anything — I’d like to get a chance to double with a four-heart call from my partner and a
them. four-spade bid to my right. I tried five hearts
(would you have done so?), and now came
six spades to my left! What would you bid? If
Dear Mr. Wolff: you passed it out, what would you lead?
It occurred to me that when I am on the road — Saving Grace, Muncie, Ind.
a lot, I never seem to find a magazine on the
subject of bridge. I would enjoy reading
about different hands and how to play them ANSWER: I would surely pass this out and
as well as what is going on currently in the lead a heart, hoping my minor honors might
competitive world of bridge. Do you have be enough to take two tricks even if our side
any thoughts on this? has no heart tricks. Sacrificing is generally a
mug’s game.
— Finder’s Fee, Greenbrae, Calif.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

ANSWER: Bridge magazines come in all
shapes and sizes, but they are becoming Why is it at duplicate bridge, that if declarer
fewer and farther between as printing costs has honors, they do not get points for him as
rise. Bridge Magazine in the U.K. and Bridge they would in party bridge?
World in the U.S. are the two leading — Settled Out of Court, Union City, Tenn.
publications. Google these two names and
you will find plenty of material — and of
course the ACBL magazine has a lot of good
material too. ANSWER: In some tournaments they do —
but only those played for total points. I think
playing honors in duplicate would be fun —
but the rules of duplicate bridge generally
Dear Mr. Wolff: mean that everyone who has the same hand
What do you believe is the right approach to gets the honors. This is somewhat
responding when partner balances with a misguided, but we are not going to change
call of one no-trump after an opening bid is the minds of tournament organizers after
passed around to him? If you assume, as I such a long time.
currently do, that the range for this action
might be 11-15 points, then Stayman on its
own doesn’t seem to address the wide range
one might be facing.
— Checked Off, Grand Forks, N.D.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, April 1st, 2013
“Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.”
Dealer: South North

One of aspect of constructive bidding that frequently Vul: Neither ♠ 4
challenges beginners is the idea that when you have ♥ A 10 9 8 7
♦ K 10 8
shown extra shape in the auction, you are then not ♣6543
obligated to continue showing the same feature of your West East
♠98765 ♠J2
hand. Instead, as in today's deal, once you have shown
♥J532 ♥KQ64
spades and diamonds, as South, and partner has ♦65 ♦A32
suggested heart length and strength, why not try no- ♣92 ♣AJ87
South
trump? ♠ A K Q 10 3
♥—
As you can see, trying for nine tricks in no-trump might ♦QJ974
♣ K Q 10
have been the easiest way to bring home a game today,
but South elected to rebid diamonds at his third turn, and South West North East
soon found himself in the perfectly reasonable contract of 1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
five diamonds — doubled by East on general suspicion 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
rather than anything else. Against the suit game West
kicked off with the club nine. East took the ace and Opening Lead: ♣9
returned the suit, South’s queen winning. The main
danger to the contract now was the threat of a club ruff.
To sidestep the danger, declarer cashed the spade ace and ruffed a spade. The fall of
East’s jack simplified the play. Declarer threw the club king on the heart ace, then played
the diamond king. East took his ace and played a club. However, South simply ruffed high,
drew trump, and claimed.
Even if the spade jack had not fallen, declarer would have been decently placed by relying
on a 4-3 spade break.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a close decision. Should
South Holds: you lead the club queen, playing for ruffs or
♠974 to set up partner's suit, or a relatively
♥972 passive spade, looking not to give anything
♦AJ532 away? With a seven-count, you know your
♣Q8 side has half the deck, which argues for
going passive. You can always be a hero
South West North East tomorrow.
1♣ 1♥
Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
“There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies.”
Dealer: West North

In today's deal South was looking at a complex hand Vul: East- ♠A
when he heard his partner jump to two no-trump to show West ♥ 10
♦KQJ853
the minors. On the plus side for defense he had a void in ♣ 10 9 8 6 4
one of his partner's two suits, and additionally he had the West East
♠J96 ♠ K Q 10 8 5
ace and king of hearts in a suit where he knew his partner
♥QJ764 ♥52
was likely to be short. As against that, the vulnerability ♦A6 ♦2
was right to try to push the opponents around, and he did ♣KQ7 ♣AJ532
South
have a big fit for diamonds. That was enough to tempt him ♠7432
to jump all the way to game. West doubled, and found the ♥AK983
♦ 10 9 7 4
incisive lead of ace and another trump. (Had he not done ♣—
so, declarer would have developed the play on crossruff
lines and collected 12 tricks if he judged the play well.) South West North East
1♥ 2 NT 3♠
After the repeated trump leads, declarer has only 10 top 5♦ Dbl. All pass
tricks (two hearts, one spade and seven trumps) because

Opening Lead: ♦A
of the bad heart break. Can you see what declarer should
do to overcome this defense?
Declarer won the second trump on board and immediately passed the heart 10 around to
West’s jack. West tried the club king next, but declarer ruffed and cashed the heart ace
and king, throwing clubs from dummy.
Next came the heart nine for a ruffing finesse against West’s queen. West could cover, but
declarer’s remaining hearts in hand were good. Declarer had established the extra heart
winner for his 11th trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When partner responds one
South Holds: spade to one heart, you are encouraged to
♠J96 raise to two spades with three trumps and a
♥QJ764 ruffing value –so long as that call looks more
♦A6 appropriate than a one-no-trump rebid.
♣KQ7 Here, with useful stoppers in both minors
and with weak spades, the one-no-trump call
South West North East looks more descriptive. Interchange the
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass diamond ace and spade jack, and I'd raise
?
spades.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
“In married life three is company and two none.”

— Oscar Wilde
Dealer: East North

In today's deal North first showed a limit raise, then Vul: North- ♠KQ3
indirectly defined his hand by suggesting three no-trump South ♥A6
♦J962
as a final contract. Notwithstanding that, South felt he was ♣KJ83
worth a slam try of four clubs, and as soon as he found West East
♠J9842 ♠ 10 6
the heart control opposite, he drove to slam, assuming
♥QJ98 ♥532
that his partner must have a top spade for his no-trump ♦ A Q 10 7 ♦8543
call at his second turn. ♣— ♣ 10 9 7 6
South
♠A75
The small slam certainly looks like a fine spot, but the bad ♥ K 10 7 4
trump break complicated matters somewhat. However, ♦K
♣AQ542
South was equal to the task.
The opening lead of the heart queen was taken in dummy, Pass
and a low trump was led to South’s queen, disclosing the 1♣ 1♠ 2♠ Pass
bad split. 3♥ Pass 3 NT Pass
4♣ Pass 4♥ Pass
When West discarded, South led out the diamond king 6♣ All pass
and surrendered the trick to West’s ace. Back came a

Opening Lead: ♥Q
spade, which declarer won in dummy. He next ruffed a
diamond low, then had to take the risk of crossing to a second spade in dummy to ruff
another diamond. Now came the club ace and two more rounds of trump, extracting all of
East’s clubs. This produced a three-card ending, in which dummy had the spade three
and diamond jack, plus a small heart, while South discarded his spade ace to retain three
hearts. West could not discard his spade jack or diamond queen without setting up a
winner in dummy for a repeating squeeze on himself, so he pitched a heart. Declarer now
led to his heart king and cashed his two remaining hearts to bring home the slam.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Had you doubled in direct seat
South Holds: and heard partner respond one heart, you
♠A75 would surely have passed now. With the
♥ K 10 7 4 diamond king not pulling its full weight, you
♦K would be unwise to indicate you had real
♣KQ542 extras. But your partner could easily have up
to a 10-count and might do no more than bid
South West North East one heart when facing a balancing double.
1♦ Pass Pass So you should make a mild invitation to
Dbl. Pass 1♥ Pass
game by raising to two hearts.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, April 4th, 2013
“To laugh at men of sense is the privilege of fools.”

— Jean de La Bruyere
Dealer: North North

The world is full of stories of bridge deals where a Vul: East- ♠AKQJ4
ridiculous play succeeded, or the correct play failed. In West ♥QJ753
♦ 10 7 4
today's example West was not only a fine player, but also ♣—
a practical joker. Moreover, he was playing against two of West East
♠ 10 8 6 3 2 ♠95
his least favorite opponents, both of whom could be relied
♥A4 ♥K
on to bid accurately, but neither of whom possessed a ♦3 ♦AQJ862
detectable sense of humor. ♣98642 ♣ Q 10 5 3
South
♠7
A competitive auction saw North-South reach four hearts ♥ 10 9 8 6 2
after flirting with a slam-try. When West led his singleton ♦K95
♣AKJ7
diamond, he could see prospects of defeating the game
would hinge on whether his partner had both the ace and South West North East
king of diamonds. If so, the defenders could surely take 1♠ 2♦
two diamonds and two trump tricks. 2♥ Pass 4♣ Pass
4♥ All pass
Alas for West, when East won his diamond ace and
Opening Lead: ♦3
continued with the diamond queen, it was South who had
the diamond king. It was easy for the defenders to take three tricks, but where would the
fourth come from? East surely had no more than one trump.
Inspiration dawned! The defenders might prevail if East had the singleton heart king. West
ruffed the second diamond with his heart ace and led his small trump to his partner, giving
him the entry to cash the diamond jack for one down.
At the end of the deal West leant forward and apologized for accidentally wasting his heart
ace. “If I had ruffed low, would we have beaten them two tricks?” he asked, and was
rewarded when South started banging his head on the table.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this position, a double by you
South Holds: would be takeout, saying that you would
♠AKQJ4 pass if your partner had a penalty double of
♥QJ753 clubs. But would you? I think not. You'd
♦ 10 7 4 surely remove the double to two hearts. If
♣— that is what you would do, then you should
bid two hearts yourself immediately,
South West North East emphasizing your extra shape and lack of
1♠ 2♣ Pass Pass suitability for defense.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, April 5th, 2013
“He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it.”

— Ecclesiastes 10:8
Dealer: East North

Hands as strong as South's frequently pose a problem on Vul: Nil ♠K854
the rebid. In my opinion it is the smallest lie to jump to two ♥62
♦K973
no-trump here, because you can still often find your way ♣K75
back to spades when that is appropriate, while you have West East
♠J63 ♠ Q 10 9
simultaneously limited your hand and right-sided the play
♥A74 ♥ Q J 10 8 5 3
in no-trump. As you can see, three no-trump would have ♦ 10 2 ♦5
been a comfortable spot. ♣ Q J 10 6 3 ♣942
South
♠A72
But at the table South did not see it that way. He invented ♥K9
a call in a nonexistent club suit, and after that his ♦AQJ864
♣A8
partnership did quite well to stay out of the hopeless
diamond slam. South West North East
Pass
How should you plan the play for 11 tricks in diamonds 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
after the lead of the club queen? The point is that should 3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass
3♠ Pass 4♦ Pass
the heart ace be offside, the contract will almost certainly
4♥ Pass 5♦ All pass
be defeated — unless West can somehow be thrown in on
the third round of spades, with that suit breaking 3-3. But Opening Lead: ♣Q
you can do better than that. In fact the game can always
be made if either spades split or the heart ace is onside.
If spades break 3-3, a discard can be found for a losing heart by ducking the opening
lead. Then declarer wins the club ace, draws trump, and discards a spade on the club
king. He ruffs out the spades and can eventually re-enter dummy with a trump to cash the
long spade. If spades do not break, declarer falls back on the heart ace being onside.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This column may sometimes err
South Holds: too far toward the modernist approach of
♠K854 arguing that every double is for takeout, not
♥62 penalties. Today's deal will no doubt be a
♦K973 welcome exception to that approach. When
♣K75 your side has no fit and you have suggested
clubs and values, partner's double indicates
South West North East that the opponents have made a mistake.
1♣ 1♥ Pass Pass, and let's see who's right!
1 NT 2♣ Dbl. Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, April 6th, 2013
“There are no safe choices. Only other choices.”

— Libba Bray
Dealer: West North

Today's deal sees how modern bidding and the use of Vul: Both ♠ A K 10 7 4 2
conventions can occasionally solve what could be knotty ♥A
♦A743
problems in the auction. (Of course, as we shall see, it is ♣K3
all very well to bid to the best contract, but you also have West East
♠Q6 ♠J953
to make it!).
♥KQ965 ♥ 10 4 2
♦J9 ♦ Q 10 8 2
North described his powerhouse by bidding his long suits, ♣ 10 7 6 4 ♣85
then repeating his spades, in an auction that his South
♠8
partnership played as game-forcing. Over South’s rebid of ♥J873
three no-trump, North decided to commit the hand to ♦K65
♣AQJ92
slam, and his jump to five no-trump offered a choice of
slams, strongly suggesting his precise hand pattern. South West North East
South was delighted to propose playing in his chunky five- Pass 1♠ Pass
card suit, and North had no reason to mistrust his 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
2 NT Pass 3♠ Pass
partner’s judgment. 3 NT Pass 5 NT* Pass
6♣ All pass
Take a moment or two – or maybe more – to plan the play
*Pick a slam
in six clubs on the lead of a top heart. The normal route
seems to rely on ruffing out the spades (taking heart ruffs Opening Lead: ♥K
in dummy seems to set up trump winners for the
defenders). But the risk of overruffs or losing control is very real. So what plan is best?
The answer is to win the heart ace and immediately to duck a spade! The defenders can
achieve nothing by forcing dummy to ruff a heart – declarer unblocks the trump king, ruffs
a spade in hand, then draws trump and claims. Likewise, on a diamond return at trick
three, declarer wins the king, crosses to the club king, ruffs a spade, then can draw trump,
using the diamond ace as the entry for the spades.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: However tempting it might be to
South Holds: rebid your hearts here, that virtually
♠Q6 guarantees a six-card suit. If you had the
♥KQ965 heart 10 instead of the five, you might make
♦J9 that call because the suit would be quite
♣9764 playable facing a singleton; but here a rebid
of one no-trump is more descriptive of your
South West North East hand.
1♦ Pass
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, April 7th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on April 21st, 2013
ANSWER: You are absolutely right and he is

wrong. On the auction you quote, responder
Dear Mr. Wolff: sets up a game-forcing sequence by bidding
Recently you ran a problem where in fourth the fourth suit, two diamonds. In this auction
chair you heard one club on your left, one jumps by responder to three hearts or three
diamond from partner, and you held ♠ Q-10- spades or a raise to three clubs would invite
6-4, ♥ K-Q-8-5, ♦ Q-2, ♣ Q-10-4. The choice game.
you gave was between a call of one- or two-
no-trump. I wondered whether your
intermediates would make the hand worth a Dear Mr. Wolff:
two-no-trump call, since if partner’s overcall
was little more than six good diamonds and What I should have expected from my
the club king, there might be a play for the partner on the following auction? I held ♠ Q-
no-trump game. 9, ♥ J-4-3, ♦ Q-10-8-5-4, ♣ K-10-2 and when
my partner doubled one club and the next
— Cashing In, Torrance, Calif. player bid one spade, I tried two diamonds.
Now my partner bid two spades. What
should that be, other than confusing?
ANSWER: Yes, jumping in no-trump is — Fog of War, Mitchell, S.D.
reasonable on values – but I’d like just a little
more. Bear in mind that if partner bids on
over my no-trump call, I can act again. My
concern here is the absence of quick tricks. ANSWER: A good default agreement to
If we have only one club stopper, my major- have is that when a player doubles or opens
suit cards do not translate into quick tricks. two clubs and hears a suit on his left, his first
bid in that suit is natural, not artificial (unless
it is clear that with length he would pass – for
instance, because his partner had doubled).
Dear Mr. Wolff: So here I’d play two spades as spades, and
In a recent column in the paper, a Stayman raise to three spades.
sequence after a two-no-trump opening bid
saw opener deny a major. Then a call of
three spades by responder was footnoted, Dear Mr. Wolff:
saying it showed five hearts and four spades
plus a good hand. Can you explain further? I grew up believing that I could answer an
opening bid of one of a suit with as few as
— Mystery Bid, Edmonton, Alberta six points, if I replied at the one-level. But
does the same apply to making a negative
double, or acting at the two-level? A friend
ANSWER: This is a specific agreement says I need more points to respond in a new
called Smolen that operates like a transfer. suit, even at the one level. Where do you
In the same way that hands with both majors stand?
may want to transfer declarership to the — Bottom Line, Ketchikan, Alaska
strong hand, you can do the same over a
two-no-trump opening after Stayman. Visit
here.
ANSWER: This is a complex question, but
I'd say a free bid (acting in competition when
you could have passed) starts at a six-count
Dear Mr. Wolff: at the one-level, and this also applies to
I have always played that after an raises of partner. Negative doubles at the
uncontested auction by us started: one heart one-level also start at six points. At the two-
– one spade – two clubs, a jump to three level nine-plus is required. The higher the
spades by responder was invitational, not level you commit to, the more points you
forcing, but my partner on OK Bridge said it need.
was 100 percent forcing. I think he is wrong
— but maybe things have changed.
— The Force Be With You, Albuquerque,
N.M.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, April 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on April 22nd, 2013
“Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it.”

— Publilius Syrus
Dealer: North North

Some deals present problems for the expert that would Vul: East- ♠K5
not occur to a beginner or an intermediate. So if you do West ♥K63
♦A862
not find the winning line in today’s deal, you can console ♣ Q 10 9 5
yourself knowing that when an international player was West East
♠ Q 10 9 6 3 2 ♠8
presented with this slam, he went down like a stone. Thus
♥— ♥J8752
you may be able to put yourself in good company – or if ♦ Q J 10 7 ♦954
you succeed, you can claim your spot at the next world ♣A87 ♣6432
South
championship. ♠AJ74
♥ A Q 10 9 4
You must plan the play in six hearts after North’s support ♦K3
♣KJ
double has found an easy way for you to identify your fit
and to reach the heart slam. West hits on the lead of the South West North East
diamond queen. 1♣ Pass
1♥ 1♠ Dbl.* Pass
Which hand will you win the trick in – and what will you do 4 NT Pass 5♥** Pass
6♥ All pass
next? If West has jack-fourth of trumps, you would need to
guess that from the start and in practice you will never do *Three hearts
that. If East has J-x-x-x of trumps you can pick up the suit **Two of the five keycards (the four
aces and the trump king)
easily. But what if East has five trumps?
Opening Lead: ♠6
To preserve your entries, win your diamond king, play a
heart to dummy’s king, and discover the hostile break. Next take a heart finesse, then lead
a spade to the king and take another heart finesse. That allows you to draw trump and
knock out the club ace while you still have a diamond entry to reach dummy’s clubs.
If you start trumps by leading the ace, you will be unable to pick up the suit.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A diamond looks to be slightly
South Holds: safer than a heart lead, but when the
♠Q5 opponents have bid a suit, there is certainly
♥ J 10 5 2 a good case for looking elsewhere for your
♦ J 10 9 3 choice of opening lead. Yes, dummy could
♣983 be 4-4 in the majors with three diamonds,
but there are many more hands where a
South West North East heart lead is necessary to set up your side's
1♦ Pass 1♠ suit.
Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, April 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on April 23rd, 2013
“When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.”
— Jim Rohn
Dealer: South North

When this deal came up at the rubber-bridge table, where Vul: East- ♠84
the priority is to make your contract, not struggle for West ♥ J 10 4 2
♦QJ65
possibly irrelevant overtricks, declarer played too fast and ♣ J 10 3
suffered the consequences. West East
♠KQJ6 ♠ 10 9 7 5 2
♥— ♥AQ97
After a Stayman auction, North-South identified their heart
♦9843 ♦ 10 2
fit, and the opening lead was the spade king to the ace. ♣98642 ♣75
Declarer immediately won and led a diamond to the South
♠A3
queen to play a trump to the king. When this held, but ♥K8653
West showed out, declarer was doomed to lose three ♦AK7
♣AKQ
trump tricks and a spade, since East was left with the A-
Q-9 of trumps poised over dummy’s J-10 of hearts. South West North East
2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
The best policy on the deal is to focus on what you can 2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
afford to lose. The answer is that you do not mind losing 3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
two trump tricks, just so long as you do not lose three.
Opening Lead: ♠K
After the initial spade lead, the defenders are not
threatening a ruff, so you can afford to tackle trump safely.
Win the spade lead, then immediately lead a low heart at trick two toward the J-10. This
limits declarer’s losses to two trumps and a spade, no matter which defender has the four
trumps. The point is that once you discover who has the long trump, you can take the
appropriate evasive action to negotiate the hearts, and the defenders can score only their
two high trumps whatever they do.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Since you'd double with any
South Holds: strong balanced hand, any action you take in
♠ 10 9 7 5 2 a suit will be somewhat limited in high cards.
♥AQ95 A simple call of two spades (planning to
♦ 10 2 come again in hearts) would be sensible
♣75 enough. An alternative approach (if you trust
your partner to be on the same wavelength)
South West North East would be to cuebid two clubs to show both
1♣ Dbl. 1 NT majors and a limited hand.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, April 10th, 2013
“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating and mediocrity are easy. Stay
away from easy.”
— Scott Alexander
Dealer: North North

How will you give yourself the best chance in your no- Vul: Neither ♠ 9 5
trump game when West leads the spade king? You hold ♥K2
♦AK653
up the spade ace until the third round, leaving East with ♣K952
no spade to play. West East
♠KQJ83 ♠642
So far, so good. Now four diamond tricks will give you the ♥Q94 ♥ J 10 6 3
♦ Q 10 7 ♦J9
contract, but you need to duck a diamond trick into East, ♣86 ♣ Q J 10 7
the safe hand. Any ideas as to how to proceed? South
♠ A 10 7
♥A875
If you simply play ace, king and another diamond, you will ♦842
succeed only when East holds three of the five ♣A43
outstanding diamonds. A better idea is to lead twice
toward the dummy, planning to duck if the lowest missing 1♦ Pass
diamond (the seven) appears from West. So at trick two 1♥ 1♠ 2♣ Pass
you lead a low diamond from your hand. If West plays the 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
seven, you will duck in the dummy, knowing that East, the
Opening Lead: ♠K
nondanger hand, will have to overtake. It makes no
difference what East returns. When diamonds break 3-2, you will score four tricks in the
suit and claim the contract.
Suppose instead that West inserts the diamond 10 on the first round. You will win with
dummy’s ace and return to your hand with a club (or a heart) to lead another diamond.
This time, West has to play the seven, or you will make all five diamond tricks. You duck in
the dummy, and again East has to overtake with his remaining card. Once more, you have
nine tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES This is a close call between two actions. (Pass is
not on the agenda – you could easily be selling
South Holds: out when your side could make game or collect a
sizeable penalty.) You could double – the safest
♠ A 10 7 way into the auction, which preserves the chance
♥A875 of a penalty – or bid one no-trump. The latter
♦842 describes your values nicely, since the bid shows
♣A43 11-14 in balancing seat. It would be my choice.
South West North East ANSWER:

1♣ Pass Pass
?
“A man, a plan, a canal — Panama.”

— Leigh Mercer
Dealer: South North

I’m reluctant to impose sophisticated conventional calls on Vul: East- ♠AK8
my readers, but in today’s deal the North-South pair were West ♥KJ32
♦95
using an artificial series of calls after Stayman to ♣A853
distinguish between those balanced hands with slam West East
♠96542 ♠QJ7
interest that had four–card support for partner, and those
♥ 10 6 ♥985
that did not. Their agreement was to use a jump to four ♦ Q 10 6 4 2 ♦J8
no-trump after Stayman as quantitative, not Blackwood, ♣9 ♣ Q J 10 7 4
South
and to use four diamonds as agreeing partner’s major with ♠ 10 3
a balanced hand. ♥AQ74
♦AK73
♣K62
South heard his partner make a slam-try and decided his
extra shape and nice controls were enough to drive to South West North East
slam after Blackwood. Indeed, six hearts was a decent 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
contract, but required careful play. 2♥ Pass 4♦* Pass
4 NT Pass 5♣ Pass
6♥ All pass
When West led his singleton club, declarer could see he
had six tricks in the side suits. To come to 12 tricks, he *Balanced slam-try with four hearts
would need to score two ruffs in one hand or the other and Opening Lead: ♣9
draw trumps after that. Thus he needed to play for ruffs
before drawing trump.
He took the opening club lead with the ace and returned the suit. West showed out,
correctly discarding a spade rather than ruffing in. Declarer won his club king and now
took the top spades, ruffed a spade low, then gave up a club. East won and played a
fourth club, and declarer ruffed high and drew trumps, relying on the 3-2 break.
Notice that if declarer plays to take diamond ruffs in dummy with a low trump, then a high
trump, East can overruff early and defeat the slam.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's double is for
South Holds: takeout, not penalties. All low-level doubles
♠QJ7 of suit bids facing a passing partner are not
♥985 for penalties, so your partner rates to have a
♦J8 shape broadly similar to 1-3-3-6. If he
♣ Q J 10 7 4 happens to have four hearts and six
diamonds, he will correct your call of three
South West North East clubs to three diamonds — which you will
1♠ 2♦ Pass pass. But for the time being, simply bid your
Pass 2♠ Dbl. Pass clubs and take it from there.
?
“His conduct still right, with his argument wrong.”

— Oliver Goldsmith
Dealer: West North

The Rueful Rabbit, who had recently taken up two-over- Vul: Both ♠AQJ76
one game-forcing, was proud to show off his mastery of ♥AK3
♦972
the methods. His two-club response was forcing to game, ♣Q6
and he could rebid his clubs to show extras. When North West East
♠ K 10 9 8 4 3 2 ♠—
removed three no-trump to four clubs, it was incumbent
♥Q74 ♥ 10 9 6 2
upon the Rabbit to cuebid four diamonds, but when he ♦Q84 ♦ K J 10 6
simply raised to game, North had no choice but to pass. ♣— ♣98742
South
♠5
On the lead of the spade 10, North put down his dummy ♥J85
somewhat apprehensively and asked what contract they ♦A53
♣ A K J 10 5 3
should have been in. The Rabbit said “six,” and dummy
absentmindedly played the spade six! The stickler for the South West North East
rules in the East seat insisted on the six being played, and Pass 1♠ Pass
the Rabbit did not feel inclined to argue. 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass
3♣ Pass 3♥ Pass
3 NT Pass 4♣ Pass
Remarkably, though, from that point on the contract could
5♣ All pass
not be defeated – since even if East could work out to
discard and West shifts to a diamond, declarer simply Opening Lead: ♠10
wins and draws trumps, then crosses to the heart ace,
plays the spade ace followed by the queen, and pitches two diamonds on these tricks.
The loser-on-loser play gets rid of all of declarer’s diamonds.
However, if declarer takes the spade ace at the first trick, East will ruff and play on
diamonds to leave declarer without recourse. If declarer covers with the spade queen at
trick one, he will then have to read the position very well to come home with 11 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Facing a weak two-bid, at any
South Holds: vulnerability except unfavorable, you do not
♠AQJ73 have enough to drive to game. The simplest
♥AK3 way to show values and explore the most
♦972 practical games is to bid two spades. This is
♣Q6 natural and forcing for one round if not to
game and will give partner room to define
South West North East his hand further.
2♦ Pass
?
“You cannot get a quart into a pint pot.”

— English proverb
Dealer: North North

North-South used the fact that this was rubber bridge to Vul: East- ♠J98
justify their exuberant bidding to six spades. A favorable West ♥KJ854
♦ K Q 10
lead seemed to give declarer good chances, but the bad ♣Q5
heart break required South to play extremely well to justify West East
♠5432 ♠—
his optimism.
♥72 ♥ Q 10 9 6 3
♦8532 ♦9764
After winning the trump lead in hand, declarer cashed the ♣K97 ♣AJ64
heart ace, crossed to dummy with a trump, and ruffed a South
♠ A K Q 10 7 6
low heart. Then he went to dummy with another trump ♥A
and ruffed one more heart. ♦AJ
♣ 10 8 3 2
When West showed out, this appeared to put the final nail
in the coffin for South’s contract. But declarer was quick to 1♥ Pass
spot that he was still in business because East, who 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
guarded the hearts, might well have at least two of the 4 NT Pass 5♣ Pass
6♠ All pass
missing club honors. Declarer drew the last trump and
followed with three rounds of diamonds, ending in dummy. Opening Lead: ♠5
This left him with three clubs in hand, and dummy with the
king-jack of hearts and the club queen. Meanwhile East had to make a discard from the
Q-10 of hearts and the club A-J.
Since a heart or the club jack would be immediately fatal, East made a good try by
discarding his ace. But there was no joy — declarer followed with the club queen, pinning
East’s jack. If West won, he could only lead a club into South’s 10-8 tenace. If West
ducked, then the heart king would be South’s 12th trick. This is a fine example of the
squeeze known as a “winkle.”
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The important thing to do here is
South Holds: to suggest diamond support and values, with
♠— short spades. You might also want to
♥ Q 10 9 6 3 emphasize this feature of your hand before
♦9764 the auction gets out of control. (You expect
♣AJ64 to hear a lot of spades to your left on the
next round.) The choice is between a
South West North East splinter jump to three spades or a void-
1♠ 2♦ Dbl. showing call of four spades. I marginally
?
prefer the former.

How should I continue after I open with a I know that you have posted this information
pre-empt and partner bids a new suit? in the past, but could you send me details of
Specifically, with ♠ 9-5, ♥ 4, ♦ K-5-4, ♣ A-Q- where the bridge deals that you have written
9-7-4-3-2, how should I bid after I open three up each day appear on the net?
clubs and hear a three-heart bid from
partner? — Cloud Nine, Huntington, W. Va.
— Bad Fit, Memphis, Tenn.
ANSWER: You can access my column free
– albeit a few days late – together with a
ANSWER: Best is to bid three no-trump, bunch of other bridge-related material on
showing a diamond guard but not promising bridgeblogging.com.
a spade guard. You are highly unlikely to
have both a spade and diamond guard. If
you had a spade stopper, you could bid Dear Mr. Wolff:
three spades now – hence this sequence
suggests your actual hand type. I was more than a little a little confused as to
how to rebid with a strong hand when I found
a fit. Holding SPADES A-J-9, HEARTS A-4-
Dear Mr. Wolff: 3, DIAMONDS 8, CLUBS A-K-J-9-7-2, I
opened one club. My partner responded one
As an expert player you must often have to heart and I thought I had too much for three
decide whether your opponent has made a clubs. Would it have been terrible to jump to
good or bad play. How do you make that two spades? And if my partner had
decision? responded one spade, would a reverse to
two hearts have made sense?
— Sizing Them Up, Texarkana, Texas
— Where to Go Next, Pittsburgh, Pa.
ANSWER: When tested, I assume that if I

would not have found the play, I’d pay off to ANSWER: It looks clear to reverse to two
it more happily. After 50 years of serious hearts over a one-spade response. The
play, though, there are not many things that I point is that your partner will raise hearts
haven’t seen before – and I can usually form only if he has five spades. However, after a
an accurate picture quite fast of my one-heart response, it may be too
opponents’ level of play. dangerous to jump to two spades – partner
might raise spades with 4-4 in the majors.
Perhaps a three-club rebid is safest here,
Dear Mr. Wolff: though admittedly an underbid.
What is the right valuation of this hand: ♠ 9-
5, ♥ K-Q-10-7-4-3, ♦ Q-5, ♣ A-Q-2? You hear Dear Mr. Wolff:
three clubs on your left and three spades
from partner. Should you settle for game I don't play bridge, but I do read your
(and if so which one) or aim for more? column, especially your quotes. I was
wondering if you could devote just a single
— High Hopes, Selma, Ala. column to a basic explanation of the game?
For instance, I don't understand the suit
rankings, or why partners in the game (North
ANSWER: Maybe a quiet three no-trump is and South) would bid against each other. I
called for. That would be my choice, but I know there are many, many books on bridge,
frankly have no idea what is best. A simple and I think I may read one soon, but I just
raise to four spades might expose us to a thought I'd ask. I can't be the only nonbridge
bad trump break and lets the opponents lead player who sees your column.
clubs through my tenace, but it avoids the
problem in diamonds. Even a simple bid of — Scoutdog, North Little Rock, Ark.
four hearts could easily win out.
ANSWER: I will try to address your inquiry
later next year. Meanwhile, if you want a
very basic primer, try "Bridge for Dummies"
or the ACBL learning tools (ACBL — Learn
to Play Bridge Software).
“I let my golden chances pass me by.”

— Oscar Hammerstein
Dealer: West North

Today’s deal comes from a correspondent, more in sorrow Vul: Both ♠KJ74
than anger, who has asked me not to name him – or his ♥ J 10 9 6 5 3
♦ 10 6 4
errant partner. The opportunity for a “free finesse” seemed ♣—
too good to miss for South on this deal. He had been West East
♠2 ♠ Q 10 9 8 5
given a far better chance of making our game than he
♥8 ♥2
deserved! ♦Q932 ♦KJ5
♣ A Q J 10 9 7 5 ♣K862
When West opened three clubs and East raised to five South
♠A63
clubs, South should have doubled, after which North ♥AKQ74
would have bid five hearts and might have struggled after ♦A87
♣43
a club lead.
But instead of doubling, South made the undisciplined bid 3♣ Pass 5♣
of five hearts and everybody passed. West led the spade 5♥ All pass
two and, rather naively, declarer tried dummy’s jack. He
won East’s queen with the ace and drew trump; but there Opening Lead: ♠2
was no way for him to avoid the loss of a spade and two
diamonds when the spades broke badly.
As North subsequently indicated, West had surely not made an opening lead from queen-
third of spades. If you assume that the lead rates to be from shortage, the rest of the play
is easy. You play low from dummy, win with the ace, ruff the two losing clubs in dummy
while drawing trump, then get off lead with ace and another diamond. The defenders can
take their two diamond tricks, but if West is left on lead, he has to concede a ruff and
discard; and, if East wins the third diamond, he can do no better than lead a spade into
dummy’s tenace.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: While a heart lead is highly
South Holds: unlikely to be necessary, a case could be
♠A942 made for any of the other three suits. A club
♥ K 10 7 5 lead is the most passive, a spade lead the
♦KQ2 most active, while your diamond sequence
♣97 suggests it is the one lead that combines
aggression and safety. So I would lead a
South West North East diamond honor, probably the king, unless
1♥ our partnership defined that as promising
Pass 1♠ Pass 1 NT three of the five top honors.
All pass
“For my Vienna is as different from what they call Vienna now as the quick is from the
dead.”
— Erich von Stroheim
Dealer: South North

Ely Culbertson was credited with playing today's deal. Vul: Both ♠QJ64
Against his slam of six spades West cashed the heart ace, ♥3
♦ K 10 8 5
then shifted to the club 10. With 11 top tricks in view, ♣AJ32
Culbertson correctly decided that the diamond suit offered West East
♠3 ♠2
a better chance for the 12th than the straightforward club
♥ A Q J 10 9 7 ♥86542
finesse. So he rose with the club ace and played six ♦3 ♦J9762
rounds of trump, discarding two clubs from table. ♣ 10 9 8 6 5 ♣K7
South
♠ A K 10 9 8 7 5
Next came the diamond ace-queen. When East proved to ♥K
hold the diamond suit, declarer’s only hope was that East ♦AQ4
♣Q4
held the club king too. So Culbertson led out the spade
nine and threw the club jack from the table. East, who had South West North East
to discard from his diamond J-9 and the club king chose 1♠ 3♥ 4♥ 5♥
the latter. So Culbertson took the last two tricks with the 6♠ All pass
club queen and diamond king.

Opening Lead: ♥A
This is a perfect example of the Vienna Coup, where
declarer’s best play is to take the club ace early to avoid squeezing dummy on the run of
the spade winners.
It could be argued that West’s shift to a club was naïve, since it forced declarer into the
winning line. However, if West plays a trump at trick two, declarer might well ask why he
had not shifted to a club. Would he be more likely to do so with the club king or without it
Depending on just how good (or bad) a player West is, you might reasonably assume that
he would never shift to a club if he had the king.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Today’s problem is more about
South Holds: style than anything else. My philosophy is to
♠QJ64 get the majors in as quickly as possible,
♥3 especially with hands that are not forcing to
♦ K 10 8 5 game. So I’d respond one spade here –
♣AJ32 planning to raise a rebid of one no-trump to
two, to invite game. A one-diamond
South West North East response might lose spades – or force us to
1♣ Pass play game if I bid spades next over partner’s
? one no-trump rebid.
by Bobby Wolff on May 1st, 2013
“Protection is not a principle, but an expedient.”

— Benjamin Disraeli
Dealer: West North

Today’s problem poses a double challenge. Not only do Vul: Both ♠KQ6
you have to find the right defense, but you also have to try ♥A3
♦K4
to protect your partner from finding the wrong play – and ♣ A 10 9 5 3 2
bear in mind that it sometimes seems that most of the West East
♠— ♠ 10 9 8 7 4 2
players we associate with will find the wrong play even if
♥ K Q 10 8 5 4 ♥—
no reasonable possibility of error exists at all. ♦Q985 ♦A732
♣764 ♣KQ8
You are East, defending three no-trump, after partner, who South
♠AJ53
opened a weak two hearts, leads the heart king. Declarer ♥J9762
wins with dummy’s ace and you have to make your first ♦ J 10 6
♣J
decision as to what to discard. Let’s say you pitch a small
spade, and declarer now leads a low club from dummy. South West North East
What should you do, and why? 2♥ 3♣ Pass
3 NT All pass
The correct answer is that you should win the club queen
and shift to diamonds – but specifically, you should play Opening Lead: ♥K
ace and another diamond. No other suit has any realistic
chance of garnering the defenders enough tricks in time.
However, notice the effect of shifting to a low diamond initially, rather than playing the ace
and a second diamond. If you do that, your partner might well cover South’s jack with the
queen, setting up a second diamond stopper for declarer.
Since you need to find partner with the diamond queen, you might as well make sure that
nothing bad happens should the cards lie as you project. Playing the ace and another
diamond prevents partner from making a mistake, and thus saves you a few decades in
limbo.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Nothing is perfect, but this hand
South Holds: is somehow unsuitable for a rebid of either
♠KQ6 two or three clubs. The best call, and one
♥A3 that is only a fractional overbid, is a jump to
♦K4 two no-trump. Admittedly, this suggests 17-
♣ A 10 9 5 3 2 19 while you only have 16 points, but your
playing strength (coupled with the desire to
South West North East protect your diamond guard) makes this the
1♣ 1♦ 1♥ Pass practical call.
?
by Bobby Wolff on May 2nd, 2013
“She was worse than a blabber; she was a hinter. It gave her pleasure to rouse
speculation about dangerous things.”
— Robertson Davies
Dealer: North North

When the Open Teams of France and Portugal met in the Vul: East- ♠92
2010 European Championship, France squeaked home, West ♥A964
♦AQ5
but Portugal scored well on this board. In the Open Room, ♣K764
Herve Vinciguerra for France opened one club as dealer, West East
♠4 ♠K863
and Eric Eisenberg responded one spade. West doubled
♥KQJ5 ♥832
and East bid two diamonds. South's two spades closed ♦KJ2 ♦ 10 9 6
the auction, and declarer emerged safely enough with his ♣ A Q J 10 3 ♣982
South
partscore. ♠ A Q J 10 7 5
♥ 10 7
In the Closed Room, Portugal’s Juliano Barbosa opened ♦8743
♣5
one club, like his French counterpart. But here, Antonio
Palma speculatively jumped to four spades on his seven- South West North East
loser hand. West, Alain Levy, with the strongest hand at 1♣ Pass
the table, doubled, and East, Paul Chemla, let it ride. 4♠ Dbl. All pass
West led the heart king, which Palma won in dummy. He Opening Lead: ♥K
called for the spade nine and when this held, followed up
with dummy’s second trump to his 10, West showing out. On the club five, Levy rose with
his ace, then cashed a heart trick. Knowing from East’s carding that nothing more was
available in that suit, West switched to a tricky diamond jack. Unfazed, Palma called for
dummy’s queen, which held, then began his trump reduction by cashing the club king and
ruffing a club. A diamond to the ace and a heart ruff in hand completed his trump
reduction to bring him down to the same spade length as East.
Now Palma exited in diamonds, and regardless of the return, he was able to make both
his ace and queen of trumps for plus 590.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Just to set the record straight,
South Holds: after a one-diamond overcall over your
♠92 partner's one-club opening, a bid of one of a
♥A964 major by you shows four or more cards, not
♦AQ5 five cards. It is important to differentiate this
♣K764 case from the opponents' overcalling one
heart, when a one-spade call by you would
South West North East show five and a double would show four
1♣ 1♦ spades.
?
by Bobby Wolff on May 3rd, 2013
“Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.”
— Cicero
Dealer: South North

Nobody likes to do the wrong thing at the bridge table, but Vul: Both ♠53
West was curiously pleased with his activities in this deal. ♥ 10 9 7 6 5 4
♦J98
As he subsequently explained, he knew he wasn't ever ♣K5
going to achieve perfection, so he thought it was a good West East
♠KQ72 ♠986
idea to fit as many mistakes as possible into one single
♥8 ♥2
deal, to improve his chances of performing competently ♦ 10 7 5 4 2 ♦AKQ3
on the rest. ♣843 ♣AQ962
South
♠ A J 10 4
The auction gave West his first problem. East had ♥AKQJ3
competed with a double of two hearts (an unusual two-no- ♦6
♣ J 10 7
trump call was also a live possibility, given his honor
distribution) and now, over South’s jump to four hearts, South West North East
West might well have bid four spades and escaped with 1♥ Pass 2♥ Dbl.
the loss of 500 points. Five diamonds would have cost 4♥ All pass
only 200, but he chose to pass.

Opening Lead: ♠K
West then led the spade king, giving declarer some
chances, as East contributed the six. It looked to South as though the club ace was surely
wrong, so his contract would have to depend on finding West with the club queen. Just in
case the cards did not cooperate, declarer went for the cunning approach. He won with
the ace, drew trump, and followed with the spade four. West, caught unawares, played the
seven. Now East was forced to overtake and try to cash his top diamonds. South ruffed,
ran the spade jack, and now one of dummy’s clubs went away on the spades.
To set the game, West had to rise with his spade queen and find the club switch.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Normally in this situation I would
South Holds: advocate bidding the major (and indeed in a
♠KQ72 heavily competitive auction one spade might
♥8 work well). But if, as you expect, your LHO
♦ 10 7 5 4 2 will simply raise to two hearts, you might do
♣843 best to mention diamonds first, then bid two
spades over two hearts. This way you get
South West North East your suits in economically and bid your long
1♣ Dbl. 1♥ suit first.
?
by Bobby Wolff on May 4th, 2013
“When everyone is wrong, everyone is right.”

— Nivelle de la Chaussee
Dealer: South North

In today's deal from a recent knockout match, there were Vul: North- ♠KQ3
instructive points for both declarer and the defenders. South ♥AKQ82
♦5
♣ J 10 6 2
In both rooms West led his singleton heart against four West East
spades. In one room declarer won and played the king ♠J875 ♠ 10
♥3 ♥ 10 9 7 6 5
and ace of spades. When East showed out, declarer
♦AJ763 ♦ Q 10 9 2
started cashing hearts, but when West ruffed and exited ♣Q85 ♣K94
with a trump, declarer had nine tricks and no more. South
♠A9642
♥J4
In the other room, when East’s 10 appeared on the first ♦K84
round of trump, South could foresee that both major suits ♣A73
were likely to break badly. So, at trick three, he played a
diamond, ducking East’s nine. East gave his partner a 1♠ Pass 3♥ Pass
heart ruff, but that only worked to declarer’s advantage. If 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
West now played a trump, declarer had 10 tricks, so he
did the best he could by playing a diamond, but declarer Opening Lead: ♥3
discarded from dummy and made the rest of the tricks.
East should have worked out to continue with a second diamond rather than switch to a
heart. If he does, all declarer can do is ruff in dummy and play a heart, but West trumps
and plays the diamond ace. Again, declarer has only nine tricks. So can you see where
both declarers went wrong?
After the heart lead, declarer simply needs to play four rounds of trump, giving West his
trump trick. What can West do? A diamond is fatal, so he must play a club, covered by the
jack, king and ace. Declarer simply plays a second club to establish his 10th trick in that
suit.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Until you know the secret, it may
South Holds: perhaps be tempting to raise spades here.
♠KQ3 The best call, though, is to bid two clubs,
♥AKQ82 expecting to be able to raise spades at your
♦5 next turn. This will show extras with three
♣ J 10 6 2 spades. If over two clubs your partner
inquires with two diamonds, the fourth suit,
South West North East jump to three spades to show extras with
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass three-card support.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, April 21st, 2013

Playing Standard American, I held ♠ A-Q-6- I’m impressed by the occasional advice you
4, ♥ Q-10-4-3, ♦ 9-7-4, ♣ A-5. Would you give your readers about the conventions we
open with a bid other than one diamond at should consider playing. Perhaps you could
any vulnerability or position? head in the other direction and suggest a
gadget that we should NOT play – either
— Open Wide, Holland, Mich. because it is a bad idea or because it is
unnecessary.
ANSWER: I would never pass this hand, but — Junk in the Trunk, Winston-Salem, N.C.
in third seat I think it is reasonable to open a
major rather than diamonds. After all,
diamonds is the last lead you want. Whether ANSWER: Playing two diamonds as a
you open one heart or one spade is strong three-suiter misuses an opening bid
somewhat up to you, though. In fourth seat it by concentrating on a hand-type that almost
is a tossup as to what opening you choose, never comes up. A more common
but in first or second seat open one conventional usage is the Rosenkranz
diamond. The hand is too good to pass, redouble of an overcall after a negative
despite the pitiful diamond suit. double, showing a high honor in that suit. I
prefer to raise with support rather than allow
the opponents an extra round of bidding.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Please recommend a Web site or primer on Dear Mr. Wolff:
the best techniques for opening leads and
defensive leads. In a recent column you described a player as
having good instinct. Are the expert's
— Getting a Lead on Leads, San Antonio, instincts better than the beginner's? Is this
Texas any different from intuition? (Personally, I
suspect that the pros' instincts are far more
accurate because some functions have
ANSWER: Richard Pavlicek and Eddie become automatic/unconscious and have
Kantar have done great work in this area. not reached that point in the amateur.)
Pavlicek’s Bridge Basics offers some
excellent basic advice, while Kantar’s — Basic Instinct, Brandon, Miss.
website has some very helpful tips.
ANSWER: I think of instinct not as learned
Dear Mr. Wolff: but innate. However, one's instincts can be
honed by practice. No matter how good your
In second seat I passed, holding ♠ J-9, ♥ K- feel for the game, you can't succeed without
10-4-3, ♦ Q-8-4, ♣ A-9-8-6. When my partner experience, and making mistakes helps you
opened two no-trump, I used Stayman and learn better. Even so, there are many
received a three-spade response. How much positions where you have to follow your
is my hand worth now? nose; and some people have sharper noses'
— Growth Fund, White Plains, NY. than others.
ANSWER: While you might have a club

slam here, you seem to have no great fit,
and no more than 32 HCP. It may be
pessimistic, but I'd put on the brakes in three
no-trump rather than invite slam with a
quantitative call of four no-trump.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, April 22nd, 2013
“Anyone who uses the phrase 'As easy as taking candy from a baby' has never tried
taking candy from a baby.”
— Anon.
Dealer: East North

Today's contract of four hearts from the 2008 Yeh Vul: North- ♠QJ7
Tournament proved troublesome everywhere. Eric Kokish South ♥85
♦KJ9763
received a spade lead to the ace and a club shift. Kokish ♣73
decided it was not yet Christmas. He rose with the ace West East
♠ K 10 8 6 4 ♠A953
and impressed his partner with the result. When trumps
♥963 ♥QJ7
were 3-3, he had 620 and a 14-IMP gain when in the ♦ Q 10 8 5 ♦A4
other room North-South overreached to five hearts and ♣K ♣9654
South
went down 300. ♠2
♥ A K 10 4 2
By contrast, when Eddy Manoppo played four hearts, he ♦2
♣ A Q J 10 8 2
received a spade lead and spade continuation. He
discarded a diamond, and Doron Yadlin won and played a South West North East
third spade. With the lead in dummy, Eddy was not Pass
prepared to look this particular gift horse in the mouth. He 1♣ 1♠ Pass 2♣
2♥ 2♠ 2 NT 3♠
finessed in clubs and finished up, if not wiser, at least 4♥ All pass
better informed. That same successful defense was found
by Prabhakar-Tendari against John Carroll. Opening Lead: ♠6
Curiously, had the defenders shifted to diamonds at trick three, declarer would have put in
the jack and ruffed away the ace, then played three rounds of trump. Now the defenders
would legitimately have had to give dummy an entry, and South would have had no
reason to be suspicious.
The happiest declarer at the end of the deal was undoubtedly Hiroki Yokoi. As South, he
ended up in three no trump doubled after Geir Helgemo as East had opened one club.
The defenders cleared spades, leaving declarer with only one possible winning club
position, the singleton king offside. Today was his lucky day!
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: My philosophy on blind leads
South Holds: against no-trump is to lead from length of
♠Q42 more than five cards, but only lead from
♥753 four-card suits if they look safe – or nothing
♦ Q 10 7 2 else is attractive. Here a heart lead is
♣ K 10 4 plausible (I’d lead the seven rather than the
three or five), but I might lead from Q-10-7-2
South West North East if that were a major rather than a minor.
1 NT
Pass 3 NT All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013
“There are no second acts in American lives.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dealer: Both North

In today's deal from the Yeh Tournament held five years Vul: North ♠AJ642
ago, both tables reached five clubs, Fredrik Nystrom from ♥65
♦Q
the South seat after West had doubled a diamond call, ♣ Q J 10 7 4
Alfredo Versace from an uninformative auction from the West East
♠95 ♠ K Q 10 8 7
North seat. Versace received a heart lead and simply
♥ J 10 9 4 2 ♥Q73
played ace and another spade. Then he played a trump to ♦K9875 ♦J6
hand and the East won the ace and played another trump. ♣6 ♣A95
South
Versace ruffed a spade in dummy, and discovered he had ♠3
two spade losers now since he was out of trump and had ♥AK8
♦ A 10 4 3 2
nowhere to park them. Down one. ♣K832
Nystrom, part of the Swedish team that is currently holder South West North East
of the Olympiad title, received the lead of the heart jack. 1♠ Pass
He won in hand, played the ace, and ruffed a spade. Next 2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass
3♣ Pass 5♣ All pass
he took the heart king and ruffed a heart.
Opening Lead: ♥J
When East followed with the heart queen Nystrom drew
the sensible inference that West’s presumed length in the red-suits would leave him with
short spades. So Nystrom ruffed the next spade with the club king.
Had both opponents followed, he would have played on trumps to make 11 or 12 tricks.
As it was, when the bad spade break came to light, declarer ruffed a diamond to dummy,
then ruffed a spade with the club eight. His second chance came when West could not
overruff. Now declarer simply lost the long spade and the club ace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If you play New Minor Forcing,
South Holds: you have the option of checking back for a
♠ K Q 10 8 7 5-3 spade fit, but my instincts are simply to
♥Q73 raise directly to three no-trump, giving away
♦J6 less information to the opponents about your
♣A95 shape and not giving the opponents the
chance to double an artificial call.
1♦ Pass
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
?
“He has, indeed, done it very well; but it is a foolish thing well done.”
— Samuel Johnson
Dealer: East North

It has frequently been said that there are more ways to kill Vul: Both ♠32
a cat than by drowning it in a saucer of cream. In today's ♥AJ3
♦K9
deal, two Wests each found a different devious defense to ♣J87642
pose a problem for declarer in three no-trump. West East
♠Q54 ♠A98
♥ 10 7 6 ♥Q542
When Neville Eber held the West cards, his opening lead
♦ 10 7 5 3 2 ♦J864
was a diamond against the no-trump game. Geoff ♣ Q 10 ♣A5
Hampson put up dummy’s king, as Bosenberg followed South
♠ K J 10 7 6
with the eight, strongly suggesting four. Declarer now ♥K98
played a club to the king and Neville calmly dropped the ♦AQ
♣K93
queen under it. He knew declarer was 5-2 in spades and
diamonds, and whether he had three or four clubs, he South West North East
could be sure that the club queen was dead in the water. Pass
1 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
The play worked better than he could have hoped. 3♠ Pass 3 NT All pass
Declarer took the card at face value and elected to go
Opening Lead: ♦3
after spades (in other words needing both the spade and
heart finesse). He tried to cross to the heart jack and the roof fell in: down three.
But it is well known that there are more ways to kill a cat than by choking it with cream.
For example, Migry Campanile was on lead after one no-trump was raised directly to
three. She kicked off with a spade — none of this fourth-highest nonsense for her. Michael
Barel returned the suit, and now Campanile shifted to a diamond. Declarer ran the spades
now, and Campanile had to find two discards. She pitched a heart, then the club 10.
Declarer now elected to cross to the heart ace and lead a club to the nine. Oops!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You seem to be too good to
South Holds: pass, but you do not have enough to drive to
♠A98 game. Since new suits would be nonforcing,
♥Q542 the simple invitational choices are a two-no-
♦J864 trump call (right on values but potentially
♣A5 wrong-siding no-trump) or a raise to three
clubs, which might lead to an awkward 5-2
South West North East fit. A cuebid of two spades allows you to
1♣ 1♠ pass a three-club call and raise a two-no-
Dbl. Pass 2♣ Pass
trump rebid to three.
?
“You cannot make a revolution with silk gloves.”

— Josef Stalin
Dealer: South North

There are almost as many different ways to assign Vul: Both ♠73
conventional meanings to three-level responses to one ♥6
♦J8754
no-trump as there are calculations of the World's Top ♣AK942
Player. (Only kidding: everyone knows that he would be West East
♠Q952 ♠ 10 8 6
the world's top player if he could just find a competent
♥85432 ♥KJ9
partner.) ♦K2 ♦ A 10 6
♣J3 ♣ Q 10 6 5
In today’s deal North-South was using three-level calls to South
♠AKJ4
show both minors, in different ranges, with specific ♥ A Q 10 7
shortages, and thus reached a delicate game. For the ♦Q93
♣87
record, three diamonds would have been forcing with both
minors, three hearts and three spades would have shown South West North East
shortage in the other major, 5-4 in the minors. 1 NT Pass 3♣* Pass
3 NT All pass
On lead against three no-trump, Migry Campanile (West) *Minors, invitational
led a natural but unfortunate spade against three no
trump, and declarer’s trick count was now up to seven. Opening Lead: ♠2
South, Mark Bompis of France, then made the natural, if
potentially unsuccessful, play of the diamond queen from hand, trying to establish his
eight-card fit, and Campanile won the king. If she had routinely returned a heart or spade,
as was the case at many tables, declarer would then have had no problems both
establishing diamonds and returning to dummy to make use of them.
In fact, where the board was played between two world-class teams on Vugraph, one
West played a spade, the other played back a diamond. But Campanile returned a club to
disrupt the entries to dummy, and now declarer had no chance when neither minor
behaved.
That was a well-deserved 13 IMPs to the Israeli team.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's sequence shows
South Holds: four spades and the values for game, so you
♠AKJ4 should correct to four spades. If your partner
♥ A Q 10 7 did not have a major, he would have simply
♦Q93 raised to three no-trump. And since he
♣87 clearly does not have hearts, you are safe to
assume that you can work out which major
South West North East he has!
1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
2♥ Pass 3 NT Pass
?
“He has two chances, slim and none, and slim just left the building.”
— Chick Hearn
Dealer: South North

Antonio Sementa of Italy was the hero of today's deal. If Vul: Both ♠Q
you want to try it first as a single-dummy problem, then ♥J63
♦A986
cover the East and West hands and play five diamonds on ♣ A J 10 5 2
the friendly lead of West's singleton club. West East
♠ J 10 9 7 6 ♠AK543
♥K972 ♥Q5
Sementa won the club cheaply in dummy and rejected the
♦ 10 7 5 ♦J4
idea of drawing only two rounds of trump before playing ♣9 ♣Q863
clubs. Had he done so, West would have ruffed in and South
♠82
would now have defeated the hand by cashing his side’s ♥ A 10 8 4
spade winner and eventually collecting a heart trick. ♦KQ32
♣K74
Instead Sementa drew all the trumps, ending in dummy.
In a comparable position, a fine declarer had ruffed out 1♦ Pass 2♣ Pass
the clubs and led a low spade from hand. East won, and 3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass
could now have set the hand by playing back a spade. 3♥ Pass 3♠ Dbl.
Pass Pass 4♦ Pass
That would have allowed West to keep a spade winner at
the end, since both North and South were out of trumps.
Opening Lead: ♣9
Sementa instead made the key play of leading a heart
from dummy, relying on East (known to have four clubs and two diamonds, and
presumably only five spades, since East-West had not bid) to have a doubleton heart
honor.
When West took the heart king and played back a spade, East could lead a further spade,
forcing dummy to trump and denuding North of side entries. But Sementa ruffed out the
clubs, then played the heart ace, dropping the queen, and dummy was good.
Although this play might have led to extra undertricks, this was really the only legitimate
chance for the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Despite the fact that you have a
South Holds: 12-count, your side does not necessarily
♠82 have a game here. A pessimistic approach
♥ A 10 8 4 would be to invite game with two no-trump or
♦KQ32 to raise to three diamonds. A more
♣K74 aggressive approach is to bid three clubs, a
cuebid asking partner to show a club stopper
South West North East or to make a descriptive call. If you take that
1♠ 2♣ action and hear a three-diamond rebid, you
Dbl. Pass 2♦ Pass might elect to pass.
?
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same….”
— Rudyard Kipling
Dealer: South North

When this deal came up at the very end of a match Vul: Both ♠A732
between the two Italian teams in the Yeh Tournament of ♥ A 10 8 7 4
♦K2
2008, Italy Two had just enough of a lead over their ♣64
counterparts to be able to survive today's disaster. West East
♠KQ4 ♠ J 10 6
At one table East balanced with three hearts over South’s ♥3 ♥QJ652
♦AJ73 ♦—
three diamonds. West tried three no-trump and East ♣ K 10 9 8 2 ♣AJ753
corrected to four clubs, raised to five. With trumps 2-1, South
♠985
five clubs played like a dream for plus 600. ♥K9
♦ Q 10 9 8 6 5 4
This figured to be a nice pickup, since three diamonds ♣Q
doubled looked destined for down one. However, instead
of leading a top spade, Valerio Giubilo went for the brass 3♦ Pass Pass Dbl.
ring by leading his singleton heart, covered all around. All pass
Declarer, Agustin Madala, returned a heart, and West
pitched a spade rather than a club. Declarer took the Opening Lead: ♣9
heart ace and led the heart 10, discarding his club when
East, Alfredo Versace, covered. The spade jack was ducked all around, then came a
spade to the ace.
Declarer now led a winning heart to pitch his last spade, and West ruffed in. South ruffed
the next club and passed the diamond eight successfully, holding his trump losers to one
and making plus 470.
In the ending, West had to fly with the diamond ace on the first round and play a second
club to get his second trump trick since South is locked in dummy with the diamond king.
Whether South leads a heart or spade from dummy, West re-promotes his diamond jack
to the setting trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is an easy one. You are
South Holds: facing a passed hand. Which game do you
♠A732 think your side can make? It seems you
♥ A 10 8 7 4 have no decent fit in either major, but you do
♦K2 have a playable fit in diamonds. Therefore
♣64 you should try to stop as low as possible
since you have no values to spare. Pass two
South West North East diamonds, and hope partner can make it.
Pass Pass Pass
1♥ Pass 2♦ Pass
?

I held: ♠ K-9, ♥ K-Q-4-3, ♦ K-Q-10-5-4, ♣ 7-4. Recently you ran a problem where South
In first position, I opened one diamond and held ♠ 5, ♥ K-Q-J-3-2, ♦ K-J-5-4, ♣ A-7-3. His
my partner responded one spade. RHO bid partner opened one spade and, in response
two clubs. Should I n ow pass, bid two to two hearts, advanced to three diamonds.
diamonds, or bid two hearts? (After an In my opinion Blackwood is reasonable, as
overcall, is two hearts considered a North needs more than a minimum for his
reverse?) I couldn't double, because this forcing diamond bid. If he has two or more
would have been a support double. aces, there should be an excellent play for
slam. This may be a little aggressive, but
— Nowhere to Go, Montreal any other bid could leave you short of slam.
— No Guts No Glory, Palm Springs Calif.
ANSWER: You can play a double as support
(and if not support, then it would be for
penalties not negative). Two diamonds ANSWER: The unspoken subtext in my
shows six cards, and two hearts does indeed answer was that some play the three-
show a reverse (just as it would have done diamond call to promise extra shape, but not
without opposition bidding). So passing is necessarily additional high cards – that
correct here; you have no extras, no fit and would be most peoples’ view if playing two-
no convenient call. over-one. If (and only if) a call of four clubs
shows a good raise in diamonds here, then it
Incidentally, if partner doubles, you bid two may be better to do that and not take control.
hearts to show your approximate red-suit If, however, the three-diamond bid
pattern. guarantees real extras in high cards, driving
to slam facing two aces is certainly plausible.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
This board came up at our local duplicate Dear Mr. Wolff:
and I'm not looking to place blame. I just My partner and I had a discussion about the
would like to know how to handle it if it ever minimum values required for a response to
comes up again. (We got a zero for this an opening bid. I dealt and opened one club
deal.) After my partner opened one no- with 13 points and 4-3-3-3 distribution. My
trump, I heard two spades on my right and LHO passed and my partner had three
was looking at ♠ 9-3, ♥ 4, ♦ K-10-8-5-4-2, points — specifically the diamond jack and
♣ A-Q-J-2. I thought three diamonds would the heart queen with a 3-4-3-3 pattern. What
be forcing here so I bid it. I'm still waiting for would be your call: pass, one diamond or
my partner to bid! one heart?
— The Force Be With You, Little Rock, Ark. — Squeaker, Augusta, Ga.
ANSWER: Answering your question properly ANSWER: Passing is the indicated action,
might require adding a conventional but sometimes for strategic reasons one
agreement to your armory. See whether you keeps the bidding open – and sometimes
like it — it is called Lebensohl, and the way it one regrets it! Bidding one heart might well
works is that after the opponents overcall work better than inventing a diamond suit,
your side's no-trump opening, all two-level even though the chance of an inconvenient
actions are natural and weak. All three-level raise is somewhat lower.
suits are game-forcing, and double is
takeout. Use two no-trump as a transfer to
three clubs. It's a way to get out cheaply with
a long minor.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Have you ever played bridge on a cruise
ship? Would you ever consider teaching in
that environment?
— Shuffleboard Enthusiast, Panama City,
Fla.
ANSWER: I know that some of my friends

enjoy that sort of thing, but I’m not sure I’m
cut out for it myself. Larry Cohen has a
knack for that, though. Now if the BBC ever
brought back their televised competition –
which involved, among others, Zia Mahmood
and Bob Hamman – you might tempt me
back to the sea.
“God is in the details.”

— Gustave Flaubert
Dealer: South North

You'd expect today's contract of three no-trump to be Vul: East- ♠J95
reached at most tables. North's diamond suit offers West ♥7
♦K9652
enough prospects for development that he should raise ♣7654
the two-no-trump opening to game, relying on there to be West East
♠74 ♠K862
a decent chance that declarer has some length in
♥ K 10 8 4 3 ♥QJ52
diamonds. ♦J ♦ 10 7 4 3
♣ Q J 10 9 2 ♣K
West has a choice of attractive opening leads, a major South
♠ A Q 10 3
and a minor. West should opt without question for the ♥A96
solid sequence. You should only settle for a major in the ♦AQ8
♣A83
case of a tie, not true here.
After East overtakes the club lead, South wins the first 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
club (to avoid a heart switch) and imagines that he will be
able to cash out the diamonds. The 4-1 break is a rude Opening Lead: ♣Q
shock, but declarer will still be able to come to nine tricks
so long as he can take four spade winners. Can you see any possible snag?
If South runs dummy’s spade jack, which spade will he play from hand? If he drops the
10, then East can cover the spade nine on the second round and build a trick for his eight.
If South does not unblock his 10, then he must win the second spade in hand and can no
longer remain in dummy to play spades.
The solution is painless, though. Simply run the spade nine on the first round of the suit,
then lead the jack and underplay it with the 10, retaining the lead in North for the third
spade play from dummy.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner’s double is
South Holds: doubtless based on a club stack, and
♠KJ954 declarer surely has the missing spade
♥8642 honors. I’d lead a heart rather than the
♦K96 singleton club – the clubs can surely wait.
♣7 My choice would be the six — second
highest from four small is acceptable against
South West North East no-trump, though rarely elsewhere.
1♦
1♠ 2♣ 2♠ 2 NT
Pass 3♦ Pass 3 NT
Pass Pass Dbl. All pass
“The challenge is high. The stakes are important. I think it's manageable.”
— William H. Webster
Dealer: West North

This hand arose on the last round of the 2010 European Vul: Both ♠ A Q 10 9 7 2
Championships for the Open Teams. Poland, a contender ♥KJ2
♦9
for the gold medal, faced Germany, which was no longer ♣A73
in contention. West East
♠K85 ♠J43
♥Q ♥9863
North’s jump to four diamonds showed short diamonds
♦A7543 ♦ Q 10 8 6 2
and set hearts as trump, since three diamonds would ♣J862 ♣ 10
have been forcing. It got South, Michael Gromoller, to a South
♠6
delicate slam. ♥ A 10 7 5 4
♦KJ
The heart suit needed to be played for no losers, and ♣KQ954
even if clubs produced five tricks, one more trick would
still be needed – either from an accurate diamond guess Pass 1♠ Pass
or a diamond ruff. If all else failed, the last chance would 2♥ Pass 4♦ Pass
come from the spades. 4♠ Pass 5♣ Pass
5♥ Pass 5♠ Pass
West helped by leading ace then another diamond. A low 6♥ All pass
heart toward dummy garnered the queen – one more

Opening Lead: ♦A
problem solved. Declarer drew the rest of East’s trumps,
then started on clubs. Gromoller was careful to cash his king and queen first, in case
clubs failed to break. He had realized that he would then need to turn to spades and
would need to preserve the club ace as a late entry.
His care was rewarded when clubs failed to break. Now came a successful spade finesse,
then ace and another spade, ruffed. The 3-3 break saw the slam home.
If Gromoller had gone down, Poland would have taken the Gold Medal, rather than the
Silver. Israel failed in the slam against the eventual winner, Italy. Had they made the slam,
they would have been second, relegating Italy to the bronze position.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In situations of this sort, simple
South Holds: diamond raises are limited in high cards. So
♠K85 to show a good hand and short hearts, your
♥Q choice is two hearts (showing an invitation or
♦A7543 better) or three hearts, promising very short
♣J862 hearts and a good hand. This second call
should help partner judge how far to go on.
1♣ 1♦ 1♥
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, May 1st, 2013
“I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres.”
Dealer: North North

The natural play in four hearts here on the lead of the Vul: East- ♠K
diamond jack is to cover with dummy's queen. East will West ♥ K Q 10 5
♦AQ5
win with the king and return the diamond eight. Whether ♣ K 10 9 8 2
South covers or not, the defenders will establish their West East
♠ A Q 10 3 ♠87652
second diamond winner and be ready when in with the
♥984 ♥A6
trump ace to cash their diamond and spade winners. ♦ J 10 4 ♦K873
♣753 ♣J4
The winning approach features the concept of a frozen South
♠J94
suit — a somewhat arcane designation of a position ♥J732
where neither side can successfully attack a suit except at ♦962
♣AQ6
the cost of a trick.
If declarer accurately reads the opening lead as coming 1♣ Pass
from J-10-x of diamonds, then he can rise with the 1♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
diamond ace and simply knock out the trump ace. With
the cards lying the way that he had hoped, neither Opening Lead: ♦J
defender can successfully play on diamonds without
establishing the third-round winner for declarer. Of course, declarer cannot play on
diamonds himself without creating two winners for the defenders — but he doesn’t need
to. Since he has five club winners, four trump tricks and the diamond ace, he can come to
10 tricks whatever the defenders choose to do.
This concept of a frozen suit would apply equally well if the East-West holdings were
identical but the diamonds were Q-5-2 in dummy facing A-9-6. Again, declarer would have
to work out that West had the J-10, then duck the opening lead to prevent the defenders
from continuing the suit effectively.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner has shown extra
South Holds: values and good clubs – probably 17 or
♠J94 more HCP since he could have bid three
♥J732 clubs directly with a decent overcall. With an
♦962 eight-count, you surely have enough to get
♣AQ6 to game, but which? Cuebid three diamonds,
hoping partner can bid three no-trump, or
South West North East make some other descriptive call.
2♦ Dbl. Pass
2♥ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
“Aye, you're neither one thing nor yet quite t'other. Pity, but there 'tis.”
— Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Dealer: East North

Today's deal comes from a head-to-head match, where Vul: East- ♠ Q 10 9 5
both declarers faced the identical lead in their game West ♥K
♦AQJ75
contract of four spades, after West had produced a ♣K98
vulnerable two-level overcall. West East
♠3 ♠762
♥AQJ962 ♥7543
The unsuccessful declarer thought he saw the danger of
♦ K 10 8 2 ♦—
this hand coming from the possibility that the defenders ♣Q6 ♣ J 10 7 4 3 2
might get diamond ruffs — and he was right, but not in the South
♠AKJ84
way he had predicted. He imagined he was playing safely ♥ 10 8
by rising with the diamond ace to protect against West’s ♦9643
♣A5
having a singleton. He discovered his mistake when East
ruffed away the diamond ace and led a heart to his South West North East
partner for West to cash the diamond king and give East a Pass
second diamond ruff, for down one. 1♠ 2♥ 3♥ Pass
4♠ All pass
The second declarer knew that West was a heavy favorite
Opening Lead: ♦2
to hold the heart ace, so he was not worried about East’s
giving his partner two diamond ruffs. So he put in the diamond jack at the first trick. This
turned out to be equally disastrous when East ruffed, crossed to the heart ace, and saw
West play back the diamond king. Dummy had to cover, and East ruffed again, leaving
West with the diamond 10-8 and a sure diamond winner. Down one again!
Declarer could have made all but certain of his contract by playing low from dummy at
trick one. All he is relying on is that West has the heart ace. If that is so, then no matter
how the diamonds lie, the defenders can take only three tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With such soft cards – you have
South Holds: only one ace and two kings – you should
♠ Q 10 9 5 pass two hearts and hope partner can make
♥K it. If your partner had a full invitation, he
♦AQJ75 could have jumped to three hearts, so you
♣K98 should assume game is very unlikely to
make.
1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass
1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 3rd, 2013
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.”
Dealer: East North

Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes finished at a somewhat Vul: East- ♠9
disappointing 11th place in the 2012 Cavendish Pairs. West ♥ K 10 7 2
♦654
Fantoni, however, produced the best-played hand of the ♣ 10 9 8 6 3
tournament. West East
♠ 10 6 5 4 2 ♠K873
♥J643 ♥—
Against the heart slam West led the club queen. After
♦9 ♦QJ832
East’s double at the three-level, vulnerable, facing a ♣QJ4 ♣K752
passed hand, Fantoni correctly placed him with a void in South
♠AQJ
hearts, the black kings and some combination of the ♥AQ985
diamond honors. Even at double-dummy it’s not easy to ♦ A K 10 7
♣A
see how the hand should be played.
However, after a long pause (so long that he ran into time Pass
penalties on the deal!), Fantoni made the spectacular play 1♥* Pass 3♥** Dbl.
of a small heart to the seven in dummy. As expected, East 3♠ Pass 4♥ Pass
4♠ Pass 6♥ All pass
showed out, pitching the diamond two. Declarer
proceeded with the club 10, discarding a diamond when *Forcing
East played small. West won the club jack and continued **Weak
with a heart to dummy’s 10. Now came the club nine, Opening Lead: ♣Q
covered by the king and ruffed with the heart queen. The
rest was relatively straightforward: the heart ace, a heart to the king, the two established
clubs for the discard of another diamond and a spade, and a claim on the spade finesse.
(East had already been squeezed, but that did not matter.)
Not surprisingly, Fantoni was the only player in the star-studded field to fulfill the six-heart
contract. The first-round heart finesse may seem unnecessary, but if declarer starts with
the heart ace and follows with the heart five, West can ruin his plans by inserting the heart
jack, killing a vital entry to dummy.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Partner has four hearts and five
South Holds: or six diamonds in a good hand. How high
♠9 should you go? I don’t think you have
♥ K 10 7 2 enough to bid three hearts – I might do that
♦654 with either red queen in addition to what I
♣ 10 9 8 6 3 have. My plan is to bid two hearts, then
compete to three diamonds if necessary.
1♣ 1♦ Pass
Pass Dbl. 1♥ 1♠
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, May 4th, 2013
“Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with
diligence.”
— Abigail Adams
Dealer: North North

Today's deal arose in the Mixed Pairs in Biarritz, France, a Vul: Neither ♠ 10 2
few years ago when George Awad was tested as declarer ♥KQ
♦AJ7
in a tricky heart slam. ♣A97642
West East
South’s rebid of four hearts would normally have ended ♠J9853 ♠KQ64
the auction, but North, Marie Awad, decided that her ♥2 ♥J97
♦ K 10 6 3 2 ♦Q94
strong hearts and minor-suit aces justified a slam ♣Q3 ♣ 10 8 5
invitation. Her five-diamond call was a cue-bid implying South
♠A7
heart support, and South’s bid of six clubs suggested a ♥ A 10 8 6 5 4 3
club slam. With weak clubs and strong hearts, North ♦85
♣KJ
reverted to hearts.
The opening diamond lead attacked a vital entry to 1♣ Pass
dummy, and made Awad’s task vastly more difficult. But 1♥ Pass 2♣ Pass
he found an ingenious plan that would succeed against a 4♥ Pass 5♦ Pass
6♣ Pass 6♥ All pass
normal 3-2 club split, with the trumps divided no worse
than 3-1. After winning the diamond ace, he cashed the Opening Lead: ♦3
club king and ace, then ruffed a club with the heart ace,
establishing the suit while avoiding the risk of an overruff. He next crossed to the heart
queen, led a winning club, and discarded his diamond loser. East ruffed in with the jack,
but South was now safe. Whatever that player returned, South could reach the dummy
with the heart king to discard his spade loser on a club winner. He emerged with seven
trump tricks, three club tricks and two aces.
Awad’s safety play did not entirely rule out the chance of an overtrick. If West’s singleton
trump had been the jack, South would have been able to overruff with the 10 on the fourth
round of clubs without running any risk.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It would be nice if two diamonds
South Holds: were natural and to play. However, most
♠J9853 people, myself included, play New Minor
♥2 Forcing, where this call is artificial with at
♦ K 10 6 3 2 least invitational values. So your choice
♣Q3 must be to pass or rebid two spades. I’d
guess to pass – my side-suit may be more
South West North East useful in no-trump than in spades.
1♣ Pass
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, May 5th, 2013

I was dealt ♠ J-8-7, ♥ J-9-4, ♦ K-Q-3, ♣ A-5- Quite recently you ran an auction where a
4-2 and passed, as did my LHO. When my player who had passed in first seat
partner opened one diamond and the next responded one heart to his partner's opening
player overcalled one heart, I could not find of one diamond. His partner now passed and
a sensible call. I guessed to raise to two his RHO balanced with one spade. I thought
diamonds –but can you do better? South's response was "one-round forcing,"
even if he had passed originally. South might
— Lucy Locket, Pueblo, Colo. have had up to 11, so even if game was
unlikely, North's pass might leave South in
hot-water, playing in a 4-2 trump fit with four
ANSWER: Put a gun to my head and I will poor trumps. What am I missing?
respond one no-trump; the weakness of the
heart stop somehow cancels the slight — Stranded, Palm Springs, Calif.
underbid in terms of high cards. Raising a
third-in-hand minor opening on three is also
reasonable, though. ANSWER: North's pass of one heart simply
suggests typically three trumps and a
minimum opening, such that one no-trump
Dear Mr. Wolff: might appear a less comfortable spot. He
might hold a minimum hand with four
Can you clarify for me what the meaning of a trumps. Incidentally, there is no such thing as
double in fourth seat should be when a pre- a passed hand's simple response being a
empt has been bid and raised around an one-round force. (You might argue that a fit-
overcall by your partner? Specifically, My jump is forcing if you play that, but how can
RHO opened two spades, I overcalled three responder want to force if he doesn't have
diamonds, and my LHO raised to four enough to open?)
spades, doubled by my partner. Is that
takeout, optional or penalties — and would
your answer be different if I had doubled Dear Mr. Wolff:
instead of overcalling?
When should opener raise responder's major
— Man in the Middle, St. Paul, Minn. with only three-card support and a six-card
suit of his own? I recently opened one
diamond and raised a one-heart response to
ANSWER: In either case the double is two with ♠ Q-4, ♥ Q-5-2, ♦ A-K-8-7-6-3, ♣ Q-
optional, suggesting moderate values and 3. My partner thought this was taking an
being prepared to defend facing a hand with extreme position.
no real extra shape. It should not be based
purely on trump tricks and an otherwise poor — Weak Support System, Anchorage,
hand. With that hand you should pass and Alaska
hope partner can reopen with a double. The
double should be based on 'transferable
values, cards that will play well on defense ANSWER: I tend to agree with your choice. I
or offense. would consider raising with three trumps on
most hands, unless the three-card support is
very weak and the six-card suit very good,
Dear Mr. Wolff: when a rebid of the long suit seems in order.
You could definitely persuade me to repeat
I held ♠ A-10-8-2, ♥ K-4, ♦ 10-7-3, ♣ 9-8-5-4 diamonds with three small hearts and A-K-
in fourth chair and heard my partner double sixth of diamonds.
one diamond. I responded one spade, which
was passed around to my RHO, who
reopened two diamonds. What should be my
thoughts here?
— Ray of Sunshine, Honolulu, Hawaii
ANSWER: Bid two spades. When your

partner doubles one diamond, he promises a
sufficiently suitable shape for you to be able
to compete to the two-level with moderate
values and respectable shape. Note that
even a 4-3 fit will play fine, since you rate to
be able to ruff diamonds in the short hand.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, May 6th, 2013
“Impossible shall be our hope;

And Love shall only have his scope
To join with Fancy now and then.”
— Sir John Suckling
Dealer: West North

While you cannot make a grand slam missing the ace of Vul: North- ♠QJ863
trumps, I have taken 13 tricks (admittedly in game) on a South ♥—
♦J4
hand where somebody revoked before taking their trump ♣ A K Q J 10 9
ace. However, making a slam while missing the ace and West East
♠K ♠A4
king of trumps is rare, but not unheard of.
♥ Q J 10 8 7 4 2 ♥K65
♦63 ♦ Q 10 9 8 7 2
In today’s six spades, if dummy’s trumps were weaker ♣865 ♣42
(with the queen but without the jack), South could lead the South
♠ 10 9 7 5 2
queen in the hope that East would naively cover when ♥A93
holding a doubleton king. That would achieve the desired ♦AK5
♣73
honor crash. But no East would consider covering with the
king when dummy has a Q-J combination. South West North East
3♥ 4♥ 6♥
When this deal came up at the table, Ken Barbour of 6♠ All pass
Arizona found himself as declarer in what seemed a
hopeless slam after his opponents had effectively Opening Lead: ♥Q
crowded the bidding and forced him to guess at the six-
level.
Barbour spotted a chance, however, when he ruffed the opening heart lead in dummy and
led club winners, trying to look like a man with diamond losers to discard. When he led the
third round of clubs, East obligingly ruffed with the spade four. South overruffed and led a
trump, bringing about a satisfying clang as the ace and king of trumps fell together.
East should have seen through this. It was virtually inconceivable that South held a losing
singleton diamond, the only position in which an immediate low ruff would be essential.
But it cost South nothing to try, and he was rewarded for his effort.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no reason to lead
South Holds: anything but hearts here. It feels right to lead
♠K8 the eight (suggesting a weak suit) to avoid
♥8654 any accident if declarer has a singleton heart
♦A972 honor. Incidentally, if looking for a swing, you
♣Q32 might have doubled here – you’d hope to
score two or three tricks in your hand and
South West North East partner should come through with
1♣ something.
Pass 1♦ 1♥ 1♠
2♥ 2♠ 4♥ 4♠
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
“New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but
because they are not already common.”
— John Locke
Dealer: North North

In today's deal the three little pigs all found their way to a Vul: East- ♠A
six-heart slam on a top spade lead from West. The pig West ♥8654
♦A2
who made his house out of straw won in dummy, cashed ♣AK8632
the heart ace, then went to the diamond ace and took a West East
♠KQJ975 ♠42
heart finesse. West won his heart queen to play back a
♥ Q 10 3 ♥97
spade, forcing declarer to ruff in dummy. Now, with clubs ♦QJ7 ♦ 10 9 8 6 3
not breaking, declarer could no longer bring home 12 ♣5 ♣ J 10 9 7
South
tricks whether he drew the last trump or not. ♠ 10 8 6 3
♥AKJ2
By contrast, the little pig who made his house out of wood ♦K54
♣Q4
cashed the ace and king of hearts, and when they split, he
snorted smugly to himself and turned his attention to South West North East
clubs. Even though West could ruff away one of his 1♣ Pass
winners, he was safe. 1♥ 1♠ 3♠ Pass
4♦ Pass 4♥ Pass
4 NT Pass 5♣ Pass
In the post-mortem the pigs were arguing about whose
line was best. The third little pig who made his house out
of stone, pointed out that he had found a line that guarded Opening Lead: ♠K
against either a 4-1 break in hearts or clubs (or both) and
lost only if West had the singleton heart queen. He had won the opening lead and taken
an immediate trump finesse.
When it lost, he ruffed the spade return, drew trumps, and set up the clubs with the
diamond ace as an entry. Had the heart jack held, the heart ace and king would have
followed, and then he could have played on clubs, with two side-entries to dummy
available had he needed them.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Facing a two-level overcall one
South Holds: should play new suits by unpassed hands as
♠A forcing for one round. With a hand surely too
♥8654 good for a simple three- club rebid, the
♦A2 choices are to bid no-trump, introduce the
♣AK8632 hearts, or cuebid. Since the latter sounds
like better spade tolerance, I'll settle
South West North East unhappily for the two-no-trump call and hope
1♦ to be able to muddle back to hearts one way
2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass
or another.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on May 22nd, 2013
“If ever two were one, then surely we.”

— Anne Bradstreet
Dealer: South North

In today's deal the perfect contract at either pairs or teams Vul: Neither ♠ K J 7
will protect the diamond tenace and play six no-trump ♥QJ6
♦AQJ6
from the North seat. Since this was a little difficult for ♣KJ4
North to work out at the table, he concluded the auction West East
♠842 ♠95
with a somewhat exuberant jump to six spades, assuming
♥ 10 9 5 4 ♥A872
that his partner had a suitable hand to cuebid at his third ♦9542 ♦ K 10 8
turn, whereas South simply felt that he held a maximum ♣Q2 ♣9763
South
for what he had shown so far. ♠ A Q 10 6 3
♥K3
East might have considered a Lightner double of six ♦73
♣ A 10 8 5
spades (calling for dummy’s first bid suit), but when he did
not, West had no reason to find the killing lead. He kicked South West North East
off with a heart, and East won the heart ace and continued 1♠ Pass 2♦ Pass
with another heart. How should you play as declarer now? 2 NT Pass 3♠ Pass
4♣ Pass 6♠ All pass
With 10 tricks on top, there are two chances for an extra
Opening Lead: ♥10
two: clubs or diamonds. As usual in this type of position, it
is best for declarer to combine his chances, so he should try to test one suit, then fall back
on the other. Take the ace and king of spades, then the king and ace of clubs before
cashing the third trump to leave yourself an extra entry to hand. If the queen falls, draw
the last trump and discard your diamond on the hearts. If it doesn’t, take the diamond
finesse and come to hand while drawing the last trump to repeat the diamond finesse.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's double of a bid-
South Holds: and-agreed suit is takeout, suggesting
♠ A Q 10 6 3 perhaps the balance of power on the deal
♥K3 but with no clear direction. While clubs might
♦73 easily be your best fit, I'd be a little unhappy
♣ A 10 8 5 about introducing the suit at the three-level,
which only leaves rebidding the spades. So
South West North East I'd rebid two spades.
1♣ Pass 1♦
1♠ 2♦ Dbl. Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on May 23rd, 2013
“Here is the reasoning that convinces me

So feelingly, each argument beside
Seems blunt and forceless in comparison.”
— Dante Alighieri
Dealer: South North

Against four spades West led the club king, then the Vul: North- ♠ J 10 6
queen. Declarer ruffed, then simply played trumps from South ♥A76
♦9542
the top. When they did not behave, he eventually cashed ♣J83
the diamond ace and used dummy's heart entry to play a West East
♠5 ♠Q74
diamond toward the queen. With the diamonds lying the
♥9852 ♥ J 10 3
way they did, there was no way to avoid two losers in the ♦K86 ♦ J 10 7
suit, and declarer finished up with just nine tricks. ♣ A K Q 10 9 ♣7654
South
♠AK9832
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with declarer’s play of ♥KQ4
the trump suit — the 2-2 break is more likely than a 3-1 ♦AQ3
♣2
break, and the overcall does not materially alter the odds
in spades, though East has fewer clubs and thus more South West North East
vacant spaces in his hand for trumps than does West. But 1♠ 2♣ 2♠ Pass
the possibilities of an endplay are very real, and the 4♠ All pass
winning line is one that you might fall into at the table.
Opening Lead: ♣K
After ruffing the second club, remember that since East
did not raise clubs, West is likely to have the top club honors and thus be ripe for an
endplay. Cash one top trump, then three hearts ending in dummy. If West can ruff in, you
may be reduced to taking the diamond finesse; if not, run the spade jack on the second
round of trumps.
As the cards lie, the finesse succeeds, but had trumps been 2-2, West would have won
and could have done no better than play the third top club. You pitch your diamond loser
and leave him endplayed for a ruff-sluff.
An alternative line after three rounds of hearts might be to run the club jack and discard a
diamond on the trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your hand is hard to judge, but
South Holds: you surely want to drive to four hearts and
♠2 help your partner work out what to do if your
♥ J 10 9 3 opponents bid on to four spades. However, a
♦K76 bid of three spades simply shows a sound
♣Q7654 raise to four hearts. And a jump to four clubs
should promise a fit, with much better clubs
South West North East than this. Thus, the jump to game is all that
1♦ is left. Sometimes simplest is best.
Pass 1♠ 2♥ 2♠
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 10th, 2013
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

— Socrates
Dealer: North North

The women's match between Europe and the United Vul: North- ♠ A J 10 9 7
States at the IOC Championships in Lausanne, South ♥87
♦K98
Switzerland, a decade ago, saw a win for the European ♣972
team — a squad from four different countries, by a West East
♠K852 ♠Q3
substantial 68 IMPs.
♥Q2 ♥ 10 6 4 3
♦J7652 ♦ Q 10
Sabine Auken, who is a German player living in Denmark, ♣65 ♣ K Q J 10 8
has been one of the world’s best women players for South
♠64
several years. Sitting South, she showed her skill on the ♥AKJ95
diagramed deal from that match. Using a strong club, she ♦A43
♣A43
and her partner climbed to a slightly optimistic three-no-
trump contract. South West North East
Pass Pass
While a club lead would have defeated the game, West 1♣* Pass 1♠ Pass
had no reason to know that, and after the normal diamond 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
lead, South had plenty of chances. She captured East’s
diamond queen with the ace and finessed the spade jack, *Strong, 16-plus
losing to the queen. Opening Lead: ♦5
Although South might not have enjoyed a club shift, East returned the diamond 10, and
only when this was permitted to win, did she shift to the club king.
Auken held up the ace for one round, then took another spade finesse. When it held, she
continued spades, and West won the king and led a third diamond. Dummy’s king won,
and when the winning spade was led from dummy in the three-card ending, East had to
throw a heart to keep her master club. Now Auken could play off the ace and king of
hearts, certain that the remaining hearts were 2-2.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: After transferring to spades, what
South Holds: should you do next? A pessimist would
♠ A J 10 9 7 pass, or only invite game – while in my
♥87 opinion a more accurate if somewhat
♦K98 aggressive valuation of the hand would be to
♣972 drive to three no-trump and offer partner a
choice of games. Consider that even if
South West North East partner has three bare aces, a king, and two
1 NT Pass small spades, you are still the favorite to
2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass make nine tricks in no-trump.
?
“Habit, noun: a shackle for the free.”

— Ambrose Bierce
Dealer: South North

North has an awkward bid after the one-spade overcall, Vul: Neither ♠ 9 8 6 4
but two diamonds seems as good a bid as any. When ♥QJ
♦A832
South raises to three diamonds (a splinter jump to three ♣KQ5
spades would also be a sensible option), North is still on West East
♠AKQJ5 ♠732
the spot, with a constructive but not forcing call of three
♥ 10 6 3 2 ♥85
hearts looking like the least of evils. An alternative would ♦94 ♦ K 10 7
be to probe with three spades, after which reaching four ♣87 ♣ J 10 9 6 3
South
hearts with confidence might be harder. ♠ 10
♥AK974
At pairs four hearts looks the best spot, while at teams ♦QJ65
♣A42
five diamonds might have extra chances. But after two
rounds of spades South has to tread very carefully, since South West North East
the risk of getting forced is a real one. 1♥ 1♠ 2♦ Pass
3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
With five heart and three club tricks, South needs only two 4♥ All pass
diamond tricks to make his game. To guard against a 4-2
Opening Lead: ♠K
trump break with the diamond king offside, declarer
should discard a diamond (or a club) on the second spade lead. When West leads a third
round of spades, South trumps, draws four rounds of hearts (using a club as a re-entry to
hand), then finesses the diamond into East. Since that player has no more spades, he
must lead back a club or a diamond. If East began with the diamond king and four spades,
the contract could never be made against a 4-2 trump split. But as the cards lie,
discarding on the second spade is critical to retaining control of the hand.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With a complex hand (one where
South Holds: spades, diamonds or no-trump could be
♠ 10 9 6 4 right), start by doubling. This is a responsive
♥K7 double, responding to a takeout double from
♦A832 your partner. Your plan is to convert a heart
♣K54 advance to spades, suggesting a better
hand than if you had simply bid spades
South West North East directly.
1♣ Dbl. 2♣
?
ANSWER: There are two relatively common

positions where you might double with three
Dear Mr. Wolff: cards in the unbid major. The first is at a low
How would you deal with the following level without a stopper in the opponent's suit
problem (one I found almost insuperable)? but with four or five cards in the other minor,
You hold ♠ A-J-7-6-2, ♥ 9, ♦ Q-3, ♣ J-9-7-5-4. three in partner's minor and about a nine-
When you respond one spade to partner's count. The second is when the opponents
one-heart opening, he naturally rebids two pre-empt and you have a strong hand with
diamonds. What do you do now? no clear direction. In each case you can
double and hope partner does have extra
— Dilemma's Horns, Jackson, Miss. shape or can bid no-trump.
ANSWER: You could bid two hearts, giving Dear Mr. Wolff:
false preference, or repeat your spades —
either of which could backfire badly. A I found myself in third seat with ♠ K-8-7-3-2,
reasonable option is to pass, while the most ♥ J-9-4, ♦ A-K, ♣ A-J-3. My partner passed
aggressive call of all is two no-trump, an and my RHO opened one heart.. Would you
overbid by about a queen. I have sneaking overcall one spade, or double?
admiration for a pass to limit the damage, — Ready for Action, Hartford, Conn.
but give me the spade nine instead of the
two, and I'd repeat the spades.
ANSWER: I would bid one spade. It used to
be the case that overcalls had an upper limit
Dear Mr. Wolff: of an opening bid, and that one always
Recently I had to interpret a double by my doubled first with good hands. No longer;
partner. I heard one diamond on my left, and overcalls can go up to a hand this good,
two diamonds (forcing) on my right. Now my while doubling, then bidding a suit, would
LHO bid two hearts, suggesting length and a show a better hand, and a better suit, than
stopper, and my partner doubled. Was this this.
takeout for the black suits or did it show
hearts?
Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Tea-Leaf Reader, Ames, Iowa
I was just wondering if you utilize Eastern or
Western cue-bids. As I understand it, the
ANSWER: This is definitely and former tends to promise something, the latter
unambiguously hearts. Your partner did not tends to ask for help. My partner and I use
overcall, but he might easily have four or five the Western Cue-bid, and it seems to work
chunky hearts in an otherwise featureless for us.
hand. — East Meets West, Troy, N.Y.
With the black suits he must bid initially or
introduce a suit (or bid the unusual no-
trump) over two hearts. ANSWER: When the target appears to be to
get to three no-trump, but there is a danger
suit, then you bid no-trump when you can do
Dear Mr. Wolff: so sensibly, and cue-bid the suit with
something but with less than a full stop. Only
Is it ever acceptable to make a negative rarely do you cue-bid with a positional stop
double of an overcall without four cards in where no-trump will play better from
the unbid major? If so, when would that be? partner's hand. With nothing at all in the
— Model Citizen, North Bay, Ontario danger suit, you are often better off waiting
for partner to bid no-trump or asking you for
help, when you will deny it.
“Even victors are by victories undone.”

— John Dryden
Dealer: West North

All this week's deals come from recent Cavendish Vul: Both ♠842
tournaments. Going into the final match of the 1999 ♥ 10 9 5
♦J6
Cavendish Teams, there were three squads with realistic ♣KQJ63
chances of taking the title. Lou Ann O'Rourke was in the West East
♠KQ95 ♠ A J 10 7 6 3
lead, but that team lost heavily to Peter Boyd, the team in
♥6 ♥J
third place that switched places with them. This meant ♦ A K 10 9 7 2 ♦8
that the Chip Martel team, in second spot, could take the ♣ 10 9 ♣A8742
South
title if they could win their encounter with Gabriel Chagas ♠—
(playing with Zia) by more than 10 IMPs. They were 1 IMP ♥AKQ87432
♦Q543
down with just today's deal to score up. ♣5
In the auction shown, Chagas as East passed his South West North East
partner’s five-spade bid, and Howard Weinstein as South 1♦ Pass 1♠
sacrificed in six hearts, doubled by Zia. This figured to be 4♥ 4♠ 5♥ 5♠
Pass Pass 6♥ Pass
a reasonable enough result for North-South. Better still, Pass Dbl. All pass
after a top diamond lead, Zia erred by shifting to the
spade king, thus collecting only 500. Opening Lead: ♦K
When Chagas’ teammates bid as far as six hearts with the North-South cards, Chip Martel
as East tried six spades and North sacrificed in seven hearts. After the lead of the two top
diamonds, Martel pitched a discouraging spade, so Stansby played a third diamond,
collecting an overruff and the club ace for 1100, and 12 IMPs to his side. That meant
Martel’s team won the event by the smallest possible margin.
Incidentally, at another table, when Fred Gitelman as East defended six hearts doubled on
this deal, he thoughtfully threw the spade ace away at trick two to ensure that his partner
played a third diamond!
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Although you have a choice
South Holds: between the majors, there are clues
♠ K 10 7 4 2 suggesting that a spade might be better. The
♥93 primary one is that partner did not double
♦543 the two-heart cuebid. The second is that
♣Q76 East did not make a negative double, and
West did not bid two spades at his second
South West North East turn. All of that makes it likely partner has
1♦ 1♥ 2♦ three or more spades. Does that mean a
Pass 2♥ Pass 3 NT
spade must be right? No, but I'd still lead
one.
All pass
“God knows what he knows,

And what his wits infer from what he sees
And feels and hears.”
— Edwin Arlington Robinson
Dealer: East North

In today's deal from the Cavendish teams of 1999 North- Vul: East- ♠J53
South look destined to reach three no-trump whether East West ♥AJ87
♦ 10 9 7
pre-empts or not. The attractive alternative would be if ♣Q75
they can stop off to double their opponents should they go West East
♠ Q 10 9 8 7 6
overboard in diamonds. Having said that, though, when ♠—
2
♥K932
the defense to three no-trump starts with West setting up ♥54
♦KQJ6432
the diamonds, nine tricks seem a long way off. ♦8
♣K9
♣ J 10 6
Nonetheless, in the match between the teams captained South
by Wayne Chu and Gerald Sosler, both tables reached the ♠AK4
♥ Q 10 6
no-trump game and did remarkably well. ♦A5
♣A8432
When Craig Gower as South was declarer, Kay Schulle
led a top diamond. Gower took the second diamond, then South West North East
2♠
led the heart queen, covered by the king and ace, and
next played off the top spades to try to exert a little
pressure on West. When Schulle pitched two diamonds, Opening Lead: ♦K
declarer worked out why.
Gower determined that West had to be preserving a heart guard, so he cashed the 10 of
hearts, then took the heart finesse. Next he played off the last heart winner and threw
West in with a diamond. She could cash her diamond winners, but would eventually have
to lead clubs, setting up the queen for declarer and conceding the ninth trick.
Remarkably, this nice play simply minimized Gower’s losses on the deal, since in the
other room David Berkowitz had made exactly the same play in three no-trump doubled,
landing nine tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's cue-bid asks you
South Holds: primarily for a spade stopper. If you do not
♠J53 have one, you should describe your hand as
♥AJ87 effectively as possible. Here, with only half a
♦ 10 9 7 spade stopper, you should bid three
♣Q75 diamonds, waiting to see where partner
wants to go next. Passing is an equally
South West North East sensible approach if you consider your
1♦ 1♠ trump support unsatisfactory.
Dbl. Pass 2♠ Dbl.
?
“Respect was mingled with surprise,

And the stern joy which warriors feel
In foemen worthy of their steel.”
— Sir Walter Scott
Dealer: East North

The Cavendish Pairs has traditionally been run as a five- Vul: North- ♠Q
session event in which every pair plays each of the other South ♥J742
♦K42
pairs. But the 1999 Cavendish featured the experiment of ♣AKQ53
dividing the pool into a final event and consolation event West East
♠J643 ♠ 10
after the first two days, followed by a one-day final. Three
♥K83 ♥A96
pairs were fighting it out for the big prize with a couple of ♦6 ♦ Q J 10 9 8 5
rounds to go, and one of those three was Billy Cohen and ♣ J 10 8 4 2 ♣976
South
Ron Smith. However, with a couple of rounds to go, Smith ♠AK98752
and Cohen dropped out of contention — and this board ♥ Q 10 5
♦A73
cost them blood. ♣
Kerri and Steve Sanborn play a hyperaggressive style of South West North East
pre-empting, hence Steve’s choice of opening. Cohen 3♦
might have contented himself with a call of three spades, 4♠ Pass 5♣ Pass
5♦ Pass 5♠ All pass
but when he jumped to four spades, that persuaded his
partner to look for slam. The two cue-bids did not drive the Opening Lead: You decide!
partnership completely overboard, but it did get them to a
dangerous spot.
The success of the contract would hinge on the opening lead, and there is scarcely a
more attractive lead than a singleton in partner’s suit, but Kerri had been listening to the
auction, and — more importantly — she knew her spade trick would not run away. She
unerringly led a heart, and the defense cashed their two heart tricks and had an inevitable
trump winner to come to defeat the contract and hand their opponents a crushing blow.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: How will you stop the opponents
South Holds: from bidding their game or slam in spades?
♠ 10 The baby psyche of three spades might well
♥A96 work; even a three-no-trump call might
♦ Q J 10 9 8 5 silence the opponents. The simple raise to
♣976 four hearts might persuade them to stop in
four spades. You can take your pick – and
South West North East remember to be suspicious of your
3♥ Pass opponents in this position if you have the
? strong hand in fourth chair!
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
— Henry Ford
Dealer: East North

The auction for the 1999 Cavendish Pairs generated Vul: North- ♠ K 10 9
comfortably over a million dollars, so everyone knew that South ♥A653
♦K752
good play would be rewarded in more ways than one. And ♣K2
today's deal was just such an example. West East
♠AQ3
♠7654
♥9
At one table where Neil Chambers and John Schirmer ♥Q872
♦84
were South and North respectively, they managed to ♦J
♣ A Q 10 8 6 5
♣J973
silence their opponents here; when East opened one club 4
South
Chambers overcalled one diamond, and Schirmer simply ♠J82
jumped to three no-trump, making nine tricks in comfort. ♥ K J 10 4
♦ A Q 10 9 6 3
But reaching the 4-4 heart fit was not easy when East- ♣—
West could bid and raise clubs — and of course, the five-
club sacrifice is relatively cheap. South West North East
2♣*
However, on our featured auction Fred Gitelman finished 2♦ 4♣ 5♦ All pass
in five diamonds and when West led a helpful heart, *Clubs, 10-15 points
Gitelman won in hand, crossed to dummy with a trump to
Opening Lead: ♥2
ruff a club, then drew a second trump.
Next he cashed the heart ace to get the bad news, and now he found the neat maneuver
of leading the club king to pitch a low spade. East won his ace (ducking does not beat the
hand as declarer would subsequently set up a spade) and could not safely give a ruff-
sluff.
In fact, East chose to play the spade ace and lead another spade, hoping that his partner
had the jack, and now Gitelman had a home for his heart loser. But there was a resource
available; after winning the club ace: East had to underlead his spade ace-queen to beat
the hand. Would you have thought of it?
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: By partnership agreement the
South Holds: jump to three hearts was a splinter. In other
♠ K 10 9 words, your partner has primary diamond
♥A653 support — five or more cards – with game-
♦K752 forcing values and a singleton heart. Since
♣K2 you want to steer clear of no-trump and you
have certainly not given up on slam, you
South West North East should bid three spades, planning to cue-bid
1♦ 1♥ 3♥ Pass the heart ace at your next turn.
?
“Don't, sir, accustom yourself to use big words for little matters.”
— Samuel Johnson
Dealer: South North

This week's deals all come from the Cavendish Vul: East- ♠ J 10
tournament and feature points of technical interest in the West ♥3
♦54
play. ♣AQJ97654
West East
This deal might look like a simple defensive problem ♠K87 ♠AQ2
♥J765 ♥ Q 10 9 8 2
against three no-trump — just the five tricks hinge on the
♦AKJ32 ♦876
play to trick two! For example, at one table Zia Mahmood ♣3 ♣82
reached three no-trump against the Sanborns, having bid South
♠96543
spades twice. Steve Sanborn led the diamond king ♥AK4
(showing three of the top four honors in the suit, and ♦ Q 10 9
♣ K 10
requesting an unblock or a count signal). Kerri Sanborn
showed an odd number of diamonds, helping her partner South West North East
know that declarer had the guarded diamond queen left. 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass
Still, West did not know whether to shift to spades or 3 NT All pass
hearts to put his partner on lead for the diamond through.
Opening Lead: ♦K
After much thought he shifted to hearts and declarer
claimed his 10 tricks.
By contrast, Larry Cohen was on lead after a slightly different auction in which South had
opened one spade and had rebid two no-trump. Although he had the option of leading the
diamond king for an unblock, he decided that South was bound to have the guarded
diamond queen. Therefore he led the diamond ace (which asked for attitude and was not
an unblock request).
Now David Berkowitz’s diamond eight was suit preference for a spade — a great hand for
his methods. Cohen shifted to a spade, East went back to diamonds, and the defenders
cashed out the spades for down four.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: At matchpoint pairs, it would be
South Holds: reasonable to pass, hoping that your side
♠AQ2 could not make game and that spades would
♥ Q 10 9 8 2 outscore diamonds (or no-trump). At teams,
♦876 it feels right to bid two diamonds, keeping
♣82 the auction open and hoping to find a way
back to a higher-scoring strain, if
South West North East appropriate.
1♦ Pass
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on June 1st, 2013
“Hairbreadth missings of happiness look like the insults of Fortune.”

— Henry Fielding
Dealer: West North

Today's deal comes from the Cavendish Teams of a Vul: East- ♠Q94
decade or so ago, and it features the use of suit West ♥Q8
♦ Q J 10 7 6
preference on defense. ♣K42
West East
It is bad enough to stay low and miss a cold game, but ♠KJ3 ♠ 10 8 7 2
♥73 ♥9542
when your opponents beat you in the safe partscore you
♦K5 ♦A832
have reached, it hurts even more. After Peter Weichsel’s ♣AJ8763 ♣5
natural but limited opening of two clubs, Paul Chemla did South
♠A65
not have enough to overcall in diamonds, and when ♥ A K J 10 6
Christian Mari reopened with two hearts rather than a ♦94
♣ Q 10 9
double, Chemla decided not to explore for three no-trump,
but to take the safe positive … not so fast! South West North East
2♣* Pass Pass
Weichsel led the club ace, an incisive shot, then carefully 2♥ All pass
played the club seven for Alan Sontag to ruff. Sontag now *Clubs, 10-15 points
found the fine move of underleading the diamond ace
(Peter’s middle club clearly indicated that he had no Opening Lead: ♣A
preference between the pointed suits; hence he was likely
to have the king of both suits). Weichsel won his king, then gave Sontag a ruff with a high
club. At this point, Sontag led the spade two to ensure one down, setting up the defense’s
spade trick before declarer could establish the diamonds for discards.
At the other table West’s opening bid of one club let North overcall one diamond and
South could show hearts, then raise his partner’s call of one no-trump to game. Declarer
found the club jack and had no problem in making nine tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your soft 10-count might have
South Holds: been better suited to a one-no-trump call on
♠Q94 the previous round. However, once you bid
♥Q8 two diamonds – which is forcing but does
♦ Q J 10 7 6 not guarantee a second call and can’t tempt
♣K42 partner to a second call, what game can
your side possibly make? Your partner must
South West North East have a minimum hand with at least two
1♥ 1♠ spades, and without a diamond fit; pass two
2♦ 2♠ Pass Pass spades and hope to beat it.
?
by Bobby Wolff on June 2nd, 2013

I had to decide at pairs how to respond to a Can you help me out? My hand was ♠ J-9-8-
strong no-trump with ♠ 8-7-3, ♥ K-Q-J-7-4, 2, ♥ K-Q-8-3, ♦ J, ♣ K-10-7-3; I responded
♦ Q-10-3, ♣ 8-4. I elected to transfer to one heart to one diamond and heard a rebid
hearts and pass the response. My partner of one no-trump. How do I explore for a
took nine tricks, but since he had 17 HCP possible fit without the auction spiraling out
with the doubleton heart ace, half the field of control?
made the no-trump game. Should I have bid
two no-trump over his two-heart call? I didn’t — Going Places, Harrisburg, Pa.
think I was quite strong enough.
— Stop, or Go? Montreal ANSWER: You should pass one no-trump
and let well enough alone. You know your
side does not have a spade or heart fit, and
ANSWER: This is truly tough, and I think since partner has bid your shortage, stay low
you took the right pairs action. You would and hope that you can make one no-trump.
only have reached game facing a maximum Why does playing in a suit seem more
hand with heart fit when partner breaks the attractive than no-trump?
transfer. When he doesn’t have a fit, game
can only be 25 percent at best – so by trying
for game you risk turning a plus into a minus Dear Mr. Wolff:
maybe half of the time. At pairs your call was
right and you were unlucky, I think. Holding ♠ A-K-7-3, ♥ K-9-8-4, ♦ K-J, ♣ Q-J-5,
I opened one no-trump. My partner
responded three spades, which we
Dear Mr. Wolff: conventionally play as both minors and short
spades, game-forcing but not necessarily
My partner and I have been discussing how slam interest. I bid three no-trump, and there
often a double of a no-trump contract has we rested with partner's 0-3-5-5 13-count
Lightner implications. Is that the exception or leaving us cold for six clubs. Who should
the rule? have done more? Should the three-spade
bid be limited in strength?
— Lightner in a Bottle, Portland, Ore.
— Crocodile Tears, Sioux Falls, S.D.
ANSWER: When the opponents have had

an unopposed sequence to a no-trump ANSWER: There is no reason for any HCP
contract, a double by the hand not on lead limitation on the three-spade bidder, except
normally suggests a sound holding in that opener does not necessarily assume
dummy's suit. It does not necessarily slam interest opposite and responder should
demand that that suit be led, but that is the bid on with real extras. So dummy underbid
normal implication. It is far less clear when his hand by at least a trick. The right call
the defenders have bid one suit or more. over three no-trump is to move on (maybe
with a call of four spades, which sounds like
this pattern). By contrast, a bid of four hearts
Dear Mr. Wolff: would emphasize the quality of the three-
card heart suit, and four of a minor would
Would you agree with my decision to open pinpoint the five-card suit.
♠ 9, ♥ 9-6-4-2, ♦ K-J-9-8-4-3, ♣ K-4 with a
weak two diamonds? Does vulnerability
matter here? Be that as it may, I did open
and partner responded two spades. What
would you advise now?
— Shaky Ground, Greenville, S.C.
ANSWER: Best is to bid two no-trump now.

Unless you have a specific agreement to the
contrary, new suits are forcing in response to
a weak-two bid, so you must bid again.
Since repeating diamonds with your feeble
suit appears unattractive, and introducing
hearts seems excessively forward, you
should mark time with a call of two no-trump
and hope your partner can now bid a red
suit.
by Bobby Wolff on June 3rd, 2013
“What mischief cleaves to unsubdued regret,

How fancy sickens by vague hopes beset;
How baffled projects on the spirit prey,
And fruitless wishes eat the heart away.”
— William Wordsworth
Dealer: North North

In today's deal from the Dyspeptics Club, South had been Vul: North- ♠K953
tempted to pass North's takeout double of two diamonds, South ♥AK32
♦—
but in the end preferred to bid his chunky four-card heart ♣AKQ93
suit. How would you plan the play in four hearts on a West East
♠ J 10 2 ♠AQ84
diamond lead?
♥864 ♥ 10 9
♦QJ5 ♦K9743
At the table declarer ruffed the diamond lead in dummy, ♣ 10 7 6 2 ♣J4
drew trump. played the three top clubs, and ruffed a club. South
♠76
He next played a spade to the jack, king and ace, and ♥QJ75
eventually had to go one down. ♦ A 10 8 6 2
♣85
Feeling unusually contrite, South asked his partner if he
might have done better. North consoled him, telling him 1♣ 1♦
that there was a double-dummy way he might have gone Pass 2♦ Dbl. Pass
down two! 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
4♥ All pass
South should have seen that if hearts broke, he would
Opening Lead: ♦Q
have five trump tricks, three clubs and the diamond ace,
so four club tricks would suffice. Instead of taking dummy’s entry out prematurely by
ruffing the diamond, he should have won the opening lead with his ace, pitching a spade
from dummy, drawn trump, and now played his clubs. If they had broken 3-3. he would
have made an overtrick; as it was, he would ruff out the clubs and lead a spade to the king
to try for an overtrick.
Even after ruffing the opening lead, he had an easy road to recovery. After drawing trump
ending in hand, he should simply have ducked a club to East. He could then have won the
return and cashed the four club tricks needed.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If ever there was a hand where
South Holds: underleading an ace made sense, this is it.
♠AJ84 Dummy rates to have decent clubs while
♥ Q 10 7 neither red suit looks safe, and a trump is
♦K9 impossible. Particularly as partner did not
♣A743 raise clubs, you won't lose your ace by
underleading it.
1♣ Dbl. Pass 1♠
Pass 1 NT Pass 2♠
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on June 4th, 2013
“For some cry 'Quick' and some cry 'Slow'.”

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Dealer: South North

North-South were playing control responses to a two-club Vul: North- ♠A7532
opening and that allowed South to identify his partner's South ♥A2
♦742
two aces at once and drive to the grand slam in diamonds ♣432
— a contract that was somewhat easier to bid than play. West East
♠Q8 ♠ 10 9 4
♥QJ8754 ♥ K 10 9 6 3
After a heart lead, South was faced with a variety of
♦863 ♦5
chances involving his potential loser in spades or clubs. It ♣75 ♣ J 10 9 8
looks simple to take the heart ace; but what do you South
♠KJ6
discard from hand? ♥—
♦ A K Q J 10 9
By ruffing the opening heart lead and delaying his ♣AKQ6
decision whether to discard a club or a spade on the heart
ace, South maintained all of his chances for the contract. 2♣ Pass 2 NT* Pass
After trumps failed to break 2-2 (preventing the 7♦ All pass
straightforward approach of ruffing the club loser in *Two aces or one ace and two kings
dummy), declarer decided to set up a squeeze before
resorting to the spade finesse. Opening Lead: ♥Q
Accordingly, South ran all his trump, as both opponents released hearts at every turn.
Then declarer cashed the three top clubs, disclosing that East had started with four clubs.
Now in the four-card ending, South led a spade to dummy’s ace and cashed the heart
ace. When East discarded a spade (holding his club guard), South discarded his club and
knew to lead a spade to his king, dropping West’s queen – it could not be correct to take a
spade finesse, as East’s last card was known to be a club.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand is more about
South Holds: methods than judgment. If you play simple
♠Q8 transfers, you should transfer into hearts,
♥QJ8754 then bid game. If you play Jacoby and Texas
♦863 transfers (whereby you can reach four
♣75 hearts in two ways), then the transfer and
raise is a mild slam-try (this hand, but with
South West North East the heart ace). Four diamonds is a transfer
2 NT Pass with no slam interest.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
“The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve;

Lovers, to bed; ’tis almost fairy time.”
Dealer: South North

In today's deal South started low, then felt obliged to make Vul: East- ♠ J 10 9 4
one exploratory call above game, getting him to the West ♥KQ54
♦543
Goldilocks level: not too low, not too high, just right for a ♣76
newspaper article! North's four-spade bid simply West East
♠— ♠87532
suggested a minimum with four trumps, while his five-
♥ 10 8 7 6 2 ♥J9
heart bid showed the ace or king, while denying a ♦ J 10 8 6 ♦AK92
diamond control. ♣ Q J 10 9 ♣43
South
♠AKQ6
Against five spades West was not challenged to lead the ♥A3
diamond jack. The defenders cashed two rounds of the ♦Q7
♣AK852
suit and led a third, and declarer made the natural play of
ruffing high, protecting against a possible overruff and South West North East
prepared to claim his 11 tricks. However, when he led a 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass
top trump from hand and found the 5-0 trump break, a 2♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
5♣ Pass 5♥ Pass
reassessment was required 5♠ All pass
South found the solution when he cashed the two top Opening Lead: ♦J
clubs, then played the heart ace and king to put the lead
in dummy in a five-card ending where dummy had the J-10-9 of spades and a high and
low heart, while declarer had the trump Q-6 and three low clubs.
At this point declarer led the low heart from dummy, giving East a problem to which there
was no solution. If he ruffed high, declarer would overruff and draw trump, taking trick 13
with the master heart. If he ruffed low or discarded, declarer would score his small trump
and take the last four tricks with a high crossruff.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This was the problem South
South Holds: faced today, and he opted to open one club
♠AKQ6 and jump in spades rather than open two
♥A3 clubs. I wholeheartedly agree. The
♦Q7 alternative of a two-club opening pre-empts
♣AK852 your own side – wouldn’t you rather get both
suits into the auction and set up a game-
South West North East force at the two-level than not bid either of
? your suits till the three-level?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
“I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and
my enemies for their good intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his
enemies.”
— Oscar Wilde
Dealer: South North

A fine bidding sequence propelled South into seven Vul: North- ♠KQJ
spades here, against which West led the club king. South ♥ K 10 7 3 2
♦A87
Declarer could count 12 tricks: six trumps, three ♣AJ
diamonds, two hearts and a club. There are three West East
♠ 10 9 7 ♠4
possibilities for the 13th trick. One is setting up the heart
♥J5 ♥Q984
suit, or East could hold a singleton heart honor, so that ♦J942 ♦ 10 6 5 3
West can be finessed for the other. Finally there might be ♣ K Q 10 9 ♣7642
South
a squeeze on West. For the squeeze to operate, West ♠A86532
needed to hold the club queen – likely given the lead – ♥A6
♦KQ
plus both the heart queen and jack. South decided to play ♣853
for the more likely chance of hearts breaking no worse
than 4-2. South West North East
1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
As the only way to reach the long heart, should that suit 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
4♦ Pass 4 NT Pass
break 4-2, is with a trump, trump needed to break no 5♥ Pass 7♠ All pass
worse than 3-1. But care had to be taken in setting up the
hearts, in case they lay as they did, with West being able Opening Lead: ♣K
to overruff South.
After capturing the club-king lead in dummy, declarer cashed the diamond king and queen
and the heart ace — no heart honor appearing from East. Next came a trump to dummy,
then the diamond ace, on which South discarded the heart six. Then a low heart was
ruffed low in hand, and another trump to dummy allowed a second heart ruff – this time
with the ace.
A spade to dummy, collecting West’s last trump in the process, was followed by the heart
king and 10, on which South’s two losing clubs departed.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's double is takeout,
South Holds: but a pass by you here might suggest that
♠4 you were happy with defending. You cannot
♥Q984 risk that; bid two diamonds rather than two
♦ 10 6 5 3 hearts because you know RHO has heart
♣7642 length and because partner might have bid a
major suit rather than doubling at his second
South West North East turn.
1♣ 1♠ Dbl.
Pass 2♣ Dbl. Rdbl.
?
“It is a folly to expect men to do all that they may reasonably be expected to do.”
— Archbishop Whately
Dealer: East North

The 2010 Richard Freeman Junior Deal of the Year prize Vul: Both ♠Q86
went to Carole Puillet of France for today's deal, played ♥Q52
♦J84
during the European Junior Pairs in Opatija, Croatia, and ♣A865
originally written up by Brian Senior of England. West East
♠A32 ♠ K 10 9 4
♥86 ♥K43
The defense to two hearts began with three rounds of
♦AK9752 ♦63
diamonds, which saw East ruff low and South overruff. A ♣Q4 ♣ J 10 7 2
low club to dummy’s ace allowed Carole to play the heart South
♠J75
queen, and when that held, a second heart drew trump. ♥ A J 10 9 7
♦ Q 10
Carole now knew that West had started with eight red ♣K93
cards. If clubs broke 3-3, then declarer could play king
and another club. The defense would now either have to Pass
broach spades, giving declarer a winner in that suit, or 1♥ 2♦ 2♥ All pass
give a ruff and discard. However, if clubs were 4-2 or
worse, then East, the likely length holder, would return the Opening Lead: ♦K
suit and declarer would probably have three spade losers.
There was a small extra chance, which Carole spotted. Hoping that one player had started
with precisely the doubleton club queen, she exited with the club nine. That was West’s
holding; so at the next trick she had no option but to play a spade, hoping that East held
the king and jack. No joy there.
Note that had clubs broken 3-3, then on winning the club nine, the defense could have
returned a club to the king. But under these circumstances, West could only have held two
spades; therefore leading toward the spade queen would have held declarer’s spade
losers to two.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you first learn the game,
South Holds: you are taught that you redouble in this
♠J75 auction with a good hand. True, that is an
♥ A J 10 9 7 option, but you should not redouble if you
♦ Q 10 have a strong one-suited hand. Simply bid
♣K93 the suit and ignore the opponents'
intervention. Your call of one heart as an
South West North East unpassed hand is just as forcing as if the
1♦ Dbl. opponents had not bid at all.
?
“Seek not out the things that are too hard for thee,
Neither search the things that are above thy strength.”
— Eclesiastes 3:21
Dealer: West North

Today’s deal is a curiosity – I’m not sure whether the play Vul: Neither ♠ A Q J 4
could ever go as indicated at the end of the article – but I ♥5432
♦K6
would take my hat off to anyone who found the winning ♣632
move. West East
♠953 ♠ K 10 8 7
Let’s look at what happened at the table: South reached ♥97 ♥ J 10 8 6
♦ A 10 9 8 7 3 ♦J4
three no-trump after West had opened with a weak two ♣Q7 ♣K94
diamonds. After South showed a strong no-trump, North South
♠62
used Stayman to check back for a 4-4 major-suit fit and ♥AKQ
settled for three no-trump when South denied a major. ♦Q52
♣ A J 10 8 5
West guessed to lead diamonds, and declarer was forced
to hop up with the king from dummy. East followed with 2♦ Pass Pass
the jack in to unblock, preparing for a later finesse. 2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
Declarer now had to go after clubs. He led low from the 3 NT All pass
dummy and put in the jack from hand. West won and
Opening Lead: ♦8
shifted to a spade.
Reading the position perfectly, declarer won the ace and ran the club nine. When the
clubs came in, declarer had one trick each in spades and diamonds, four clubs and three
hearts for nine tricks.
It looks as if declarer had timed the play perfectly, and so he had. So what is the point of
the deal? Remarkably, the defenders do have a riposte: if West ducks the club queen,
declarer can no longer set up the clubs without letting East on lead in one of the black
suits, and that will be fatal to declarer.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In my regular partnerships I
South Holds: believe this double should be played as
♠ K 10 8 7 penalty, suggesting a spade stack. Looking
♥ J 10 8 6 at my hand, though, I know that this cannot
♦J4 be the case. Partner must have a light
♣K76 takeout double, and it must therefore be
right to remove to two hearts.
1♠ Pass 1 NT
Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
?

Holding ♠ A-Q-4-3, ♥ A-J-6-4-3-2, ♦ 5, ♣ J-4, What are the issues I should consider when
I heard the auction start with one club by my deciding what to open with ♠ A-Q, ♥ 9-7-5-4,
LHO, raised pre-emptively to three clubs on ♦ K-Q-J-8-3, ♣ A-5?
my right. Should I pass, double, or bid?
— Pondering Pete, Park City, Utah
— Silent Treatment, Manning, S.C.
ANSWER: You should open one no-trump.

ANSWER: I am sure it is right to act. The Your point-count is right for that opening bid
problem with doubling is that if partner bids and you are not strong enough to reverse by
three diamonds and you correct to three opening one diamond and then bidding two
hearts, it shows a better hand. Still, I'd want hearts. With high cards in your short suits,
to get both majors into the act, so I'd double opening one no-trump with this shape is
and keep my fingers firmly crossed — below acceptable – if not entirely desirable. Switch
the table. the majors and I think it is very close as to
what to do.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
I try to track your columns down when I am
in my home state, but I often travel and I recently purchased a book called "Winning
would like to catch up with the columns on No-Trump Leads" by Bird and Anthias. This
my return. Any ideas? seems to argue strongly for passive as
opposed to active leads, and for major leads
— Sideshow Bob, East Brunswick, N.J. as opposed to minors. How does this apply
when you or your partner has overcalled or
opened, and the opponents still play no-
ANSWER: The bridgeblogging.com site runs trump?
the column 14 days late. If you go to my
page there and run down the columns, it — Take Me to Your Leader, Newport News,
should be in the "older" segment. Va.
Dear Mr. Wolff: ANSWER: I don't think the book you

mention deals so much with the competitive
I held ♠ A-Q, ♥ J-7-4-3-2, ♦ Q-J-3, ♣ K-5-3 as opposed to noncompetitive auctions. It is
and heard one diamond on my left and one more about what to lead from majors or
spade on my right. What are the merits of minors or what to lead from length or honors
passing, doubling, and bidding two hearts? if you have no external clues. Once your
— Entry Charge, San Antonio, Texas side has bid, don't follow those arguments so
much as deciding whether to trust partner or
to pursue an equally attractive alternative.
ANSWER: I hate to pass, but would certainly
do that rather than bid two hearts. Two-level
overcalls promise a decent hand or a good
suit. Here you have neither, and bidding
might lead to a heavy penalty, or persuade
partner to attack the wrong suit against
West's final contract. Double is acceptable,
but you should really have four clubs or
better values to make that call.
“The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price,

safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
— Theodore Roosevelt
Dealer: East North

In today’s deal the contract of four spades looks to be very Vul: Both ♠K96
straightforward on a heart lead. But beware, there are ♥A764
♦AK73
breakers ahead! It looks natural enough to win the first ♣Q4
trick and cash the diamond ace and king – which is West East
♠ 10 5 3 2 ♠—
indeed the essential start to the play. But next declarer
♥2 ♥ K Q J 10 8
must ruff a diamond to hand to try to score his small ♦J985 ♦ Q 10 6 4
trumps in hand as safely as possible in case of bad ♣J652 ♣ A K 10 9
South
breaks. ♠AQJ874
♥953
Now the next thing to insure is taking the club ruff in ♦2
♣873
dummy. Declarer leads a club, and East wins cheaply,
cashes the heart king, and leads the heart queen. South West North East
Declarer must ruff high as West pitches a diamond and a 1♥
club. Now comes a second club. East wins and plays the 2♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
diamond queen. Declarer is again forced to ruff high, and

Opening Lead: ♥2
when West discards, declarer knows West started with
five red-suit cards. When he leads a third club from hand, West is down to just his four
trumps. He ruffs low and declarer overruffs, leads dummy’s remaining heart, and ruffs with
his remaining high trump. He then leads to dummy’s spade K-9 and takes the “sure”
finesse.
The key move was to ruff a diamond at trick four. If he doesn’t, declarer will never be able
to score his small trumps safely. If West is allowed to discard two diamonds early on in the
play, the defenders cannot be prevented from arranging a trump promotion.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With four unattractive suits to
South Holds: lead from, you might as well lead the unbid
♠Q4 suit in an attempt to get something going for
♥ Q 10 6 3 2 your side. It is something of a truism that
♦764 leading the fourth suit (especially when the
♣Q93 opponents have not tried to get to no-trump)
is the best option. Here it is maybe the least
South West North East worst.
1♦
Pass 1♥ Pass 1♠
Pass 2♠ All pass
“I don't look to jump over seven-foot bars; I look around for one-foot bars that I can step
over.”
— Warren Buffett
Dealer: South North

We are taught in our cradles that "Second Hand Plays Vul: East- ♠A74
Low" and "Third Hand Plays High," but all rules are made West ♥J87
♦ Q 10 4
to be broken. Today's deal demonstrates a situation that ♣A982
arises quite frequently where it is right for 'Second Hand West East
♠Q963 ♠852
to Play High'. It might have been better for North to raise
♥K3 ♥Q96
two no-trump to three, given his balanced hand and ♦9862 ♦AJ5
honors in all the outside suits. However, then South would ♣ Q 10 4 ♣J765
South
not have been put to the test in four hearts. ♠ K J 10
♥ A 10 5 4 2
West led the diamond eight, and declarer correctly ♦K73
♣K3
deduced that both the ace and jack would be with East.
The reflex action would have been to play low on the South West North East
diamond, but our South decided to make life difficult for 1♥ Pass 2♣ Pass
East by rising with dummy’s queen. In with the ace, East 2 NT Pass 3♥ Pass
4♥ All pass
had to decide what suit to switch to. In the event, he
chose a trump, saving declarer a guess that he would Opening Lead: ♦9
probably have got wrong. West won his heart king and, for
want of anything better to do, continued with a second trump to the queen and ace.
All declarer now needed was to find the spade queen, but again he gave the opponents
every chance to find it for him. He drew the last trump, West discarding a diamond, and
exited with king and another diamond. With little to guide him, East was in the hot seat yet
again, and this time he chose to exit with a spade, ending declarer’s problems.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The conundrum this deal
South Holds: presents if you are not playing Drury is an
♠A74 almost insoluble one. Do you jump to three
♥J87 hearts and find yourself too high for no
♦ Q 10 4 reason, or raise to two hearts and miss a
♣A982 game? Fifty years ago Doug Drury
suggested that a two-club response by a
South West North East passed hand shows fit and a maximum
Pass Pass 1♥ Pass pass. What you lose in the ability to bid
? clubs, you gain in much more accurate
passed-hand bidding.
“What you don't know would make a great book.”

— Sydney Smith
Dealer: South North

I believe that one can survive pretty well without most of Vul: Neither ♠ Q 7
the gadgets that adorn the convention card of today's ♥AKQ65
♦87
expert. But I'll grudgingly make an exception for the Smith ♣ J 10 8 7
Echo, an idea that has been around for 50 years. The West East
♠9652 ♠ A 10 4 3
idea is that at no-trump after the opening trick is won by
♥82 ♥ J 10 9 4 3
declarer, the defenders' first signal (in a suit where giving ♦ A K 10 2 ♦543
count is irrelevant) signals attitude with regard to the initial ♣642 ♣A
South
suit. The most effective approach is to use the echo by the ♠KJ8
opening leader as a positive request for third hand to shift, ♥7
♦QJ96
but by third hand it indicates extras in the led suit. ♣KQ953
In this deal from a national Board-a-Match Teams, three South West North East
no-trump made 90 percent of the time it was attempted by 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass
South. Declarer’s best practical play on the spade-six lead 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass
is to hop up with dummy’s queen. Then the defense is
likely to continue attacking spades when they get in. But Opening Lead: ♠6
declarer made what in practice, if not in theory, was a
slight slip, when he played low from dummy at trick one and East put in the spade 10 to
force the jack.
Now declarer led a club to the ace, and West signaled with the club six — Reverse Smith
— asking for the shift that in context had to be to diamonds. East obediently led the
diamond five to the queen and king, and West went back to spades. East took the spade
ace and reverted to diamonds — hey, presto, down one!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There are some people who
South Holds: would encourage you to rebid one no-trump,
♠Q7 using that call to show a minimum balanced
♥AKQ65 hand, (A call of two clubs would promise
♦87 extra shape or high cards, or both.) Do not
♣ J 10 8 7 listen to them; the natural and correct way to
develop this hand is to bid two clubs,
South West North East showing your shape, but not guaranteeing
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass any extras.
?
“Falsehood, tricked in virtue's attributes,

Long sanctified all deeds of vice and woe.”
— Percy Bysshe Shelley
Dealer: East- North

Larry Cohen and David Berkowitz, representing the West
U.S,A. in Maastricht in 2000 as members of the George Vul: North ♠ A 10 8 7 5 2
♥A54
Jacobs team, found themselves on defense against four ♦ K J 10
hearts in this deal. ♣7
West East
After a club lead, declarer has a tricky play problem. ♠J96 ♠KQ3
♥2 ♥ 10 9 8 6
Perhaps the right thing is to ruff a club at once and lead ♦876 ♦AQ2
the diamond 10 from dummy. Even if the defenders take ♣ Q J 10 9 6 5 ♣K83
South
two diamonds and a ruff, declarer can ruff his last club in ♠4
dummy and come to 10 tricks. However, declarer actually ♥KQJ73
♦9543
took a diamond finesse at once. If Cohen wins the ♣A42
diamond queen to play a trump, declarer can arrange to
ruff a club and play a second diamond to set up the suit, South West North East
1♠ Pass
coming to five hearts, two diamonds, two aces and a club
2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
ruff for 10 tricks. 4♥ All pass
But when declarer led a diamond to the 10 at trick two, Opening Lead: ♣Q
Cohen won with the ace! He then shifted to the heart
eight, and declarer won the ace in dummy, played the spade ace, ruffed a spade, ruffed a
club on which Cohen unblocked the king, ruffed a spade, and played two more rounds of
trump.
In the ending, declarer had eight tricks, and even though Cohen still had a trump, there
were chances for the contract. East confidently repeated the diamond finesse. Disaster!
Cohen won the queen and played a club to Berkowitz’s hand. Another club allowed Cohen
to pitch his low diamond, for down two.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner should have four
South Holds: spades but also real clubs – he would have
♠4 surely rebid one no-trump with a balanced
♥KQJ73 hand here. So one choice is to repeat the
♦9543 hearts; if so, a call of two hearts would
♣A42 surely be enough. The alternative would be
to try a stopperless call of one no-trump, or
South West North East to raise clubs — either a simple raise or a
1♣ 1♦ jump raise. None of these thrill me; I’ll go for
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass the two-club call.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, May 31st, 2013
“"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
— Andy Warhol
Dealer: North North

When you are in doubt, the natural defense is to lead Vul: Neither ♠ A K J 8 2
partner's suit. That is generally a good idea, but one can ♥K94
♦ 10
take a good thing too far. Today's deal is just such an ♣Q964
example. The contract was a tricky three no-trump, and West East
♠ 10 9 7 6 4 ♠Q
West led the heart eight, guided by his partner's overcall.
♥83 ♥QJ752
South rightly put up dummy's king to protect his vital entry, ♦K42 ♦J6
and East played a discouraging two, since his suit was ♣KJ2 ♣ A 10 7 5 3
South
weak and he could see that the best chance for the ♠53
defense might lie in the club suit. ♥ A 10 6
♦AQ98753
♣8
The diamond 10 was led from dummy, covered with the
jack, queen and king. Incidentally, if East had played low, South West North East
South would still have played the queen, since he could 1♠ 2♥
not afford a holdup by West, leaving the lead in the 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass
3 NT All pass
dummy.
Opening Lead: ♥8
The moment of truth had arrived, and West solved the
problem when he trusted his partner’s signals and drew the only logical conclusion. Not
only did he shift to clubs, but he led the jack, a play that would serve to defeat the contract
whenever South held a small singleton or doubleton. As it was, the queen was played
from dummy. East took the ace and returned the five, allowing West to win the king and
return the two. Thanks to the seven in East’s hand, the contract had to go down two. But
note that if West had shifted initially to the club two instead of the jack, the suit would have
been blocked, and declarer would have made his game.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Without the double, you would
South Holds: have rebid three diamonds. But now you
♠53 have a choice between emphasizing
♥ A 10 6 diamonds again and passing, thus letting
♦AQ98753 partner make the next move. With seven
♣8 diamonds, it seems to me you have enough
reason to repeat your suit. Although four
South West North East hearts may be your side’s best game, you
1♦ 1♠ Dbl. Pass should not introduce hearts – but you can
2♦ Pass 2♠ Dbl. raise them.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, June 1st, 2013
“Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what the heck you're doing.”
— Peyton Manning
Dealer: East North

Against Franck Multon's six-heart contract in last Vul: East- ♠ A 10 8
summer's European championships, West found the best West ♥Q7
♦AK85
lead — the club seven to East's queen. After a trump shift, ♣A652
how do you fancy your chances? West East
♠J96542 ♠KQ3
♥J ♥842
Multon drew trumps, West pitching spades, then played a
♦ Q 10 7 2 ♦J963
fourth heart, and East had to discard either a spade or a ♣74 ♣ K Q 10
diamond. He chose a spade. Declarer now cashed the South
♠7
club ace, then played the spade ace and ruffed a spade. ♥ A K 10 9 6 5 3
The last two hearts now squeezed West. On the final ♦4
♣J983
heart, to keep his spade guard, West had to come down
to two diamonds. Dummy’s spade 10 went away, and now South West North East
East was squeezed in the minors. If he keeps the club Pass
guard, the diamond eight makes the last trick. 4♥ Pass 4 NT Pass
5♥* Pass 6♥ All pass
If East had thrown a diamond on the fourth heart, it would *Two of the five key cards, counting
the trump king as a key card
have obliged West, for the time being, to keep all four
diamonds. On the fifth heart West throws a club and Opening Lead: ♣7
dummy a spade. East can pitch a spade now, but declarer
continues with a club to the ace (West pitching a spade), and follows with three rounds of
diamonds, ruffing in hand. Now the last heart is cashed and West must come down to a
singleton spade to keep his diamond guard. Away goes dummy’s diamond, and now East
is caught in a black-suit squeeze.
Yes, if East switches to either a spade or a diamond at trick two, careful defense thereafter
defeats the slam, but that does not detract from South’s play.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This may not be a popular view,
South Holds: but I'm very tempted to respond two
♠ A 10 8 diamonds rather than two clubs. The logic is
♥Q7 that spades are our likely best trump fit for
♦AK85 game, but at the slam level we might be
♣A652 much keener to find a 4-4 diamond fit than a
4-4 club fit. With a weak club fit we might
South West North East find we had located the only slam we cannot
1♠ Pass make.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, June 2nd, 2013
ANSWER: A convention called Blackout is in

common use here by tournament players.
Dear Mr. Wolff: This says that the cheaper of fourth suit (two
Can you tell me what my options are with the spades here) or two no-trump is
following hand: ♠ K, ♥ A-3, ♦ A-Q-10-5-4, conventionally consistent with a weak hand;
♣ K-Q-7-3-2? I opened one diamond, and meanwhile, raising partner directly is game-
over my partner's one-spade response, I forcing. Rebidding your own suit shows five
rebid two clubs. Now he bid two no-trump, or more cards and is forcing for one round.
suggesting invitational values, and I was not So here I'd bid two spades and hope to raise
sure if I had to give up on slam altogether clubs in nonforcing fashion at my next turn.
and just bid three no-trump, or if I should
force with three clubs?
Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Still Hoping, Salinas, Calif.
Should one play a change of suit as forcing
when partner overcalls over a weak two- or
ANSWER: Beware! Rebidding your second three-level pre-empt? What happens if you
suit would show this pattern, but would be are a passed hand (or have passed over the
weak and nonforcing. Three no-trump now is pre-empt at your first turn to speak)?
reasonable; four no-trump is natural, — Pre-emptive Strike, Kenosha, Wis.
quantitative, and optimistic. The advance to
three hearts is the only other sensible option.
It should suggest real extras, including heart
length, though in the days that I played on ANSWER: A new suit is forcing here, though
the Aces team, we used the sequence for a not necessarily to game. But as a passed
strong 5-5 pattern. Maybe the simple way to hand, a new suit should be played as
have gotten your extras across was to bid nonforcing but constructive. Having said
three clubs at your previous turn. that, since an overcall of a pre-empt
guarantees a good hand, many would play a
new suit at the three-level as forcing to suit
agreement. That certainly makes sense.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Although I now live in the United States, I
was born in Asia. Do you think there will ever Dear Mr. Wolff:
be a world-championship winning team from
that continent? Playing pairs, I opened one diamond, my
LHO bid four clubs, and my partner doubled,
— Here's Hoping, Sunbury, Pa. leaving me to decide if I should act again
with ♠ 10-4, ♥ A-J-7-3, ♦ K-Q-8-5-4, ♣ Q-3. I
passed and hoped that my bits and pieces
ANSWER: For the record, both the Chinese would be enough to set four clubs. In fact we
women and Japanese seniors have won did beat it a trick, and my partner did have
world titles, and the Indonesian men and only three hearts, but five diamonds would
women have both reached the finals of have made comfortably enough.
world-championship events. The Chinese — Fading in the Stretch, Charlottesville, Va.
men probably offer the best current chance
of a title — though I would be somewhat
surprised if they make it in the next decade.
ANSWER: You are supposed to take out
your partner's takeout doubles if you can. So
with shape, and especially when you do not
Dear Mr. Wolff: have trump tricks, strain to remove partner's
When opener reverses, what should double, in this case to four hearts. If partner
responder do? How do you distinguish doesn't have hearts, he should know what to
between good and bad hands with support? do.
Specifically, I held ♠ Q-4, ♥ 10-8-7-4, ♦ Q-10-
5, ♣ Q-7-3-2 and responded one heart to my
partner's one-club opening. What should I
have rebid when he reversed to two
diamonds?
— Braking Hard, Helena, Mont.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, June 3rd, 2013
“Applying fears to hopes, and hopes to fears,

Still losing when I saw myself to win!”
Dealer: North North

Consider just the North and South hands today. You are Vul: East- ♠K
declaring three no-trump, West leads the spade jack, and West ♥J85
♦AJ6
dummy's king wins the trick. How do you plan to make ♣ K Q 10 7 5 4
nine tricks? West East
♠ J 10 9 8 6 ♠742
You should call for the club five from dummy at trick two, ♥ A Q 10 3 ♥72
♦42 ♦ Q 10 8 7 5
intending to play the nine from hand. This is a plan that ♣63 ♣AJ8
succeeds against all 3-2 club breaks as well as 4-1 South
♠AQ53
divisions so long as the singleton is either the ace or the ♥K964
jack — and may do even better if the defenders slip. ♦K93
♣92
Suppose the full deal is as shown in the diagram.
When the club five is led at trick two East can do no better 1♣ Pass
than play the club jack and return a spade. A second club 1♥ Pass 2♣ Pass
is led to dummy’s king and East is fixed. The best he can 3 NT All pass
do is to take his club ace and shift to a heart, holding
Opening Lead: ♠J
declarer to nine tricks.
There are two traps to avoid. The first is coming to hand with a diamond to run the club
eight. East will win the club jack and exit with a heart on the above lay-out. In this
variation, West would win and shift to his remaining diamond, and the contract would
collapse around your ears. The second trap to avoid is that you must not lead the club
king at trick two. On this layout, East allows the king to hold, and you would never be able
to establish any more tricks in the club suit.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Dummy rates to be close to
South Holds: entryless. Which of the four suit-leads will
♠Q743 give declarer a finesse he cannot take for
♥ 10 5 himself? This is very close, but I'll go with
♦Q2 the diamond lead because of the slim
♣Q9652 chance that repeated diamond leads might
promote my heart 10 into an additional
South West North East trump trick.
1♦ Dbl.
1♠ Pass 2♦ 2♥
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, June 4th, 2013
“Exit, pursued by a bear.”

Dealer: South North

Goldilocks heard the sounds of the bears arguing as they Vul: East- ♠A96
came back from the local duplicate, and as usual Papa West ♥ 10 7 4 2
♦J543
Bear was defending himself against his wife's criticism. ♣Q6
West East
While Goldilocks put the porridge on the table, she asked ♠ Q 10 5 4 3 ♠K82
♥Q98 ♥653
what was the cause of the fight, and the following hand
♦87 ♦ 10 6
was produced. ♣A83 ♣ 10 9 7 5 4
South
Three no-trump was the popular contract, and West led ♠J7
♥AKJ
the fourth highest spade at every table. Where Papa Bear ♦AKQ92
was declarer, he ducked the first spade in dummy. East ♣KJ2
won the king and returned the eight to the jack and queen.
He ducked in dummy again and West carefully continued 2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
with the five, concealing the three. Now Papa Bear threw 3♦ Pass 3 NT All pass
a club from hand and ran the diamonds, West pitching two
clubs and a heart while East threw three clubs. Papa next Opening Lead: ♠4
played a club, and West cashed out for down one.
Mama Bear correctly remarked that East’s return of the spade eight made it highly likely
that spades were originally 5-3, so that it would have been better to take the heart finesse
instead of playing on clubs, while Papa insisted that this would simply have led to two
down.
Goldilocks caught Baby Bear’s eye, and asked him how he had declared the hand.
He proudly responded: ‘I ran the diamonds, discarding a club from hand. When West
pitched a heart, I cashed both hearts and would have shifted to clubs if no queen had
appeared. That makes the contract unless West has the club ace and East the guarded
heart queen.’
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Don't panic and pass. Your
South Holds: partner cannot convert a takeout double into
♠K82 penalties on an auction like this. His second
♥653 double shows extras, but is still geared to
♦ 10 6 takeout. Since you are unsuitable for
♣ 10 9 7 5 4 defense and have nothing but a fifth club to
show, just rebid three clubs. Incidentally, if
South West North East your clubs were headed by the ace, you
1♦ Dbl. Pass would have enough to drive to game,
2♣ 2♦ Dbl. Pass perhaps with a cue-bid of three diamonds.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, June 5th, 2013
“I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with
typewriters.”
— Solomon Short
Dealer: West North

Professional courtesy among journalists (some would call Vul: East- ♠643
it honor among thieves) prevents me from specifying West ♥75
♦AJ532
which of my colleagues ran this deal in one of his books. ♣A87
West East
The author suggested that in four spades, declarer should ♠A ♠ 10 9 8 2
find the winning line of ducking the first spade after ♥ K Q 10 4 2 ♥J8
♦ 10 8 ♦964
winning the club lead in dummy. That holds the trump ♣KQJ95 ♣6432
losers to one and is certainly a successful line — though it South
♠KQJ75
would fail against 3-2 trumps, since the defenders can ♥A963
switch to hearts and promote East’s third trump! ♦KQ7
♣ 10
The writer also goes a step too far when he says that this
line is essential if you want to make the contract. Let’s 1♥ Pass Pass
revisit the play on a club lead to dummy’s ace. Declarer 1♠ 2♣ 2♠ Pass
leads a trump to the king and ace, and the defenders now 3♥ Pass 4♠ All pass
have a choice. On a heart shift, declarer ducks, then wins
Opening Lead: ♣K
the next heart to play the spade queen, jack and a third
trump, then claims the rest. If West switches back to clubs after the first heart holds,
declarer ruffs and plays ace and another heart, ruffing in dummy. East does best to
discard, but declarer comes to hand with a diamond and ruffs the fourth heart. All the
defenders score is their trump trick.
It looks better for the defenders to lead a top club at trick three. Declarer ruffs, and only
now does he lead a low trump! East wins and plays another club; declarer discards a
heart from hand and ruffs the next club in dummy, comes to hand with a diamond, draws
trump and claims.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This auction suggests partner
South Holds: has real clubs as well as four hearts. (With a
♠643 balanced hand, partner would rebid one no-
♥75 trump; our sequence strongly suggests we
♦AJ532 have no major if we have less than
♣A87 invitational values.) Nonetheless, my choice
is to rebid one no-trump here, despite
South West North East possibly wrong-siding our spade stop. We
1♣ Pass can always get back to clubs if partner is
1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass minimum and shapely.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, June 6th, 2013
“Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.”

— Terry Pratchett
Dealer: West North

The humiliation of losing to a machine would never befall Vul: East- ♠A3
a top-class bridge player, would it? Playing bridge had West ♥76
♦Q874
previously seemed to be an insurmountable task for ♣AKQ63
artificial intelligence. Until a decade ago, no program had West East
♠ J 10 9 7 5 ♠K864
proved capable of offering more than mediocre opposition
♥J932 ♥ 10
to a decent player. But things may be about to change. ♦— ♦J965
Onno Eskes of the Netherlands has written in IMP ♣J984 ♣ 10 7 5 2
South
magazine about how in the right circumstances computers ♠Q2
can defeat humans. Over the next few months, I will be ♥AKQ854
♦ A K 10 3 2
running some deals that reflect their strengths. ♣—
In seven diamonds (reached after West had shown the South West North East
majors and a weak hand), two expert Dutch declarers 2♣* Dbl. 3♠
went wrong. They won the spade lead and led a diamond 4♠ Pass 4 NT Pass
to the ace, West discarding a spade. With hearts not
*Weak, both majors
breaking, declarer could not take advantage of the
favorable lie of the clubs and went one down — for a flat Opening Lead: ♠J
board.
Eskes decided to present the hand to GIB, a bridge program developed by Matt Ginsberg,
which can process the information about West’s hand plus the opening lead.
After 30 seconds it produced the spade ace, then, after a pause, it played the club ace.
The computer discarded the spade queen and ruffed a small club in hand. Next came the
diamond ace (discovering the bad trump split), a diamond to the queen, the two top clubs
and the master club six. East ruffed, South overruffed, and he could now draw the last
trump and ruff his last heart in dummy.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You are worth a second call, but
South Holds: the danger of bidding three clubs is obvious;
♠A3 no one likes playing in a 5-1 fit. The way to
♥76 get spades into play would be to double. By
♦Q874 contrast, a call of two no-trump is not natural
♣AKQ63 but shows minors, with longer clubs of
course. Your sequence suggests this precise
South West North East pattern, plus extras.
1♥
2♣ 2♥ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, June 7th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on June 21st, 2013
“She's loveliest of the festal throng

In delicate form and Grecian face —
A beautiful, incarnate song,
A marvel of harmonious grace….”
— Paul Hayne
Dealer: East North

Today's deal comes from one of the major tournaments Vul: North- ♠ K 10 5 4
earlier this year in Australia. It features the need for South ♥—
♦AJ432
careful play in a delicate contract of five diamonds. You ♣K763
must establish winners in the black suits, but to do so, you West East
♠AQJ872 ♠93
need to come to hand in trumps, thus reducing your ability
♥96 ♥ A K J 10 8 2
to make your trumps separately via a crossruff. ♦8 ♦76
♣A842 ♣ Q 10 9
Against five diamonds the heart nine is led and ruffed. South
♠6
Declarer needs to play a diamond to hand to lead a spade ♥Q7543
to dummy. Suppose West wins the spade ace, as he ♦ K Q 10 9 5
♣J5
surely will (East suggesting a doubleton spade), and plays
his remaining heart — thereby marking him with only one South West North East
trump, as he would have surely led a second trump if he 2♥
had one. Pass 3♥ Dbl. Pass
5♦ All pass
You ruff the second heart and must throw a heart on
Opening Lead: ♥9
dummy’s spade king, then ruff a spade to hand as East
pitches a club. Now comes a club — let us say West wins the ace. If West now leads a
fourth spade, East cannot discard a club, or declarer will draw the last trump and will have
two club winners. If he discards anything else, declarer will cash his club winner and will
crossruff.
So West does best to duck the first club, and dummy’s king wins. Now dummy’s last
spade is led, and, when East does not ruff, declarer throws his club jack. West no longer
has an entry to East for the second trump play, so declarer makes the last five tricks on a
crossruff.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Minimum as you are in high-card
South Holds: points, you cannot do less than bid four
♠ K 10 5 4 hearts to emphasize heart shortage with a
♥— club raise. Admittedly, some of the time your
♦AJ432 partner might be able to infer this from his
♣K763 own heart length, but you owe it to him to
describe your hand at one go and let him
South West North East proceed from here.
1♦ 1♥ 2♣ 3♥
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, June 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on June 22nd, 2013
“If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”
— Douglas Adams
Dealer: South North

On today's deal, Brian Glubok won the best-played-hand Vul: Both ♠ Q 10 6 4
award at the 1995 Cavendish Pairs, an auction event with ♥J96
♦QJ7
a $100,000 first prize. ♣843
West East
Glubok (South) showed his two suits to finish up in four ♠K8753 ♠AJ92
♥732 ♥ 10
hearts, and that helped West find an intelligent low-trump
♦ 10 ♦K98432
lead to protect his club tenace. Glubok won the opening ♣KQ92 ♣75
lead in hand and next led an imaginative low diamond to South
♠—
the jack and king. Not surprisingly, East could not work out ♥AKQ854
that he needed to give his partner a diamond ruff. Instead, ♦A65
♣ A J 10 6
he tried to take his partner off a subsequent endplay by
shifting to the club seven, which went to the 10 and South West North East
queen. A second trump was won in dummy, and a spade 1♥ Pass 1 NT Pass
was ruffed in hand. Now Glubok had a shrewd idea of how 3♣ Pass 3♥ Pass
the clubs were lying. He cashed two more trumps and the
diamond ace, then led his low diamond to the queen. Opening Lead: ♥2
In the four-card ending, West, who was holding two spades and three clubs, was caught
in a trump squeeze, forced to let go of a spade. This is a card that looks immaterial — and
so it was, in a sense. However, at this point Glubok ruffed a spade back to hand with his
last trump and exited with the club 10, unblocking the club eight from dummy. In the two-
card ending, West was reduced to two clubs and had to lead from the 9-2 into declarer’s
A-6 tenace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It looks simple enough to bid
South Holds: three spades now, but is that enough? If
♠ Q 10 6 4 partner has what you expect (five or six
♥J96 diamonds and four spades in a strong hand),
♦QJ7 you are offering him four useful cards, two in
♣843 each of his suits. It may be putting undue
trust in him, but I'd drive to four spades and
South West North East expect it to be at worst on a finesse.
1♣ 1♦ 1♥
2♦ 2♥ 2♠ 3♥
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, June 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on June 23rd, 2013

What is the range for responding one no- Should I consider raising partner after his
trump to a simple overcall in a major? opening bid is doubled via some artificial
Should it be forcing, showing 6-12 points responses? Is this necessary, or sensible —
(like the response to an opening major-suit and if so, what should I bid?
bid), or is it more tightly defined?
— Artificial Sweetener, Woodland Hills, Calif.
— Closing In, Dover, Del.
ANSWER: When your partner’s major-suit

ANSWER: The call is traditionally played as opening is doubled, a response of two no-
nonforcing but mildly constructive; say 8-12 trump should show a limit raise or better in
points without a fit. Overcaller will generally partner’s suit, while a jump to three of
correct to his suit with six and will invite partner’s suit is more pre-emptive than
game with a decent 14 and up in high cards. strong. This convention has no downside –
New suits by opener are natural, jumps are so long as you remember it! When you are
invitational, and a cue-bid is forcing for one happy with that, you might go one step
round. further: play a two-club response as artificial
(7-9 with three trumps) and a direct raise as
4-6. Think of it as mini-Drury!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Where do you stand on leading aggressively Dear Mr. Wolff:
from four or five cards to one honor, as
opposed to passively from weaker or shorter I was playing with a relatively new partner
holdings when faced with a blind auction, and held ♠ K-Q, ♥ Q-6, ♦ A-K-J-9-7-4, ♣ A-8-
such as one heart – three hearts – four 4. My partner opened one diamond and I
hearts? produced an inverted raise. She passed the
first hurdle by not passing, but over her two-
— Marking Time, Naples, Fla. no-trump call, what should I have done next?
— Poor Little Rich Girl, Little Rock, Ark.
ANSWER: Assuming that you have decided
not to play for ruffs, I always start out by
looking for a sequence to lead from. When in ANSWER: When partner has shown a
doubt, I will generally lead from honors minimum balanced hand, then after the
unless I know dummy is weak and declarer inverted raise, I like to play that responder
strong. On the given auction, there is a case can sign off in three of the trump suit, show
for going passive, leading from three or four shortage in a major by bidding it, or make an
small cards if you had no obvious artificial call of the other minor to show slam
alternative, but I'm aggressive by instinct. interest, even facing 12-14 balanced. Now if
partner signs off in three no-trump, I'd make
one more effort with a quantitative call of four
Dear Mr. Wolff: no-trump. Frankly, though, this hand is
nearly worth a drive to slam facing a one-
I know about New Minor Forcing in response diamond opening.
to a rebid of one no-trump as a way to
discover our partnership's degree of major-
suit fit. Can something similar be used after
a jump rebid of two no-trump, or in two-over-
one auctions?
— Digging for Treasure, Phoenix, Ariz.
ANSWER: The two auctions you mention

cannot be considered in parallel. In a two-
over-one sequence everything is natural. But
many experts these days play that
responder's rebid of the new minor after
opener's jump to two no-trump can indeed
be used artificially. It searches for a fit in the
unbid major or for three-card support for the
bid major. You can find out more on Richard
Pavlicek's website here.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, June 10th, 2013
“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.”
— John Kenneth Galbraith
Dealer: South North

Today's deal is a defensive problem for East, but it Vul: Both ♠K6
features a convention my readers often ask me about. ♥A754
♦J3
Although I am not a great fan of Bergen raises, this is a ♣QJ832
good opportunity to explain them. West East
♠J432 ♠ A 10 9 8 5
♥J ♥ K 10 8
Marty Bergen, one of the biggest innovators in Standard
♦ K Q 10 9 7 ♦65
American, was responsible for the idea that when holding ♣965 ♣ 10 7 4
four-card support for partner’s major and less than an South
♠Q7
opening bid, your hand could be immediately and ♥Q9632
accurately described in one of three ways. A double-jump ♦A842
♣AK
is pre-emptive (say 2-5 HCP), while a jump to three clubs
shows a mixed raise, with 6-9 HCP. And a jump to three South West North East
diamonds, as here, shows a limit raise with 10-11 HCP. 1♥ Pass 3♦* Pass
4♥ All pass
The underlying logic is that whenever you have four- *Bergen: four trumps in a limit raise
trumps, you are prepared to compete to the three-level
sooner or later, and acting at once makes your opponents’ Opening Lead: ♦K
life far harder.
Against four hearts, West led the diamond king, won by declarer’s ace. South now played
a heart to his ace and another heart. As East, you win the heart king, but what do you do
next?
If you play a second diamond, partner might not realize that you want a diamond overruff.
He might play you for the ace-queen of spades and shift to a spade — after all, that is how
you would defend if this were the case. Help him to do the right thing by cashing your
spade ace before leading a second diamond; then there will be nothing else for him to try
but a third diamond.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It would be nice to shuffle your
South Holds: cards and pick one at random — nothing
♠A53 looks attractive. I'll opt for the most passive
♥ Q 10 6 4 lead I can find, the club eight, but since I
♦J975 hate all the options, I am not convinced I'm
♣82 doing the right thing.

1♥ Pass 2♦
Pass 3♣ Pass 3 NT
All pass
“For men improve with the years;

And yet, and yet,
Is this my dream, or the truth?”
— W.B. Yeats
Dealer: South North

Against five spades West leads the club ace followed by Vul: North- ♠AJ87542
the king, which you ruff. How do you plan to make 11 South ♥—
♦843
tricks when it is West who has the outstanding trump? ♣ J 10 8
West East
Can you do better than taking the diamond finesse? ♠9 ♠—
♥QJ632 ♥ A 10 8 5
A solution that wins whenever West has the heart ace is ♦K6 ♦ J 10 9 7 2
♣AK753 ♣Q964
to crossruff hearts and clubs, coming back to hand with South
trumps as required. At trick nine, lead the heart king to ♠ K Q 10 6 3
♥K974
West’s ace, discarding a diamond from table. West has to ♦AQ5
concede an extra trick no matter what he plays. If he plays ♣2
a diamond, then you have two diamond tricks, and if he
plays a club or a heart, you will throw a diamond from the 1♠ 2♠* 4♠ 5♥
table and ruff in hand with your last trump. After cashing Dbl. Pass 5♠ All pass
the diamond ace, dummy’s two remaining trumps will be *Michaels, promising hearts and a
high. minor.
However, as you expect West to have 10 cards in hearts Opening Lead: ♣K

and clubs, and thus at most two diamonds, the play that
wins against any distribution is to ruff a heart, draw the trump in hand, ruff a heart, ruff
dummy’s last club, ruff a third heart, cash the diamond ace, and ruff the fourth heart.
Next comes a diamond, and you put up the queen when East follows low. Here, West
takes your queen with his king but has no safe exit card. Whether he exits with a club or a
heart, you ruff in hand and discard dummy’s last diamond.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is reasonable to double to get
South Holds: both majors into play, but my choice would
♠ K Q 10 6 3 be to overcall one spade, planning to double
♥K974 or bid hearts at my next turn — if there is
♦AQ5 one — to get both my suits in, in the correct
♣2 order. The problem with doubling is that if
the opponents raise clubs, we might have to
South West North East overbid considerably at our next turn to
1♣ compete efficiently.
?
“Double your pleasure, double your fun.”

— Wrigley’s Doublemint commercial
Dealer: West North

If it is satisfying to make a contract on an endplay, then Vul: North- ♠ J 10 3 2
declarer on this deal from nearly 50 years ago must have South ♥AJ2
♦Q93
really enjoyed himself. ♣972
West East
South reached three no-trump after a weak two-spade ♠KQ8764 ♠—
♥5 ♥ Q 10 9 8 6 4
opening from West, who did well on lead, in a sense, to
♦ J 10 5 2 ♦K6
avoid opening up the spades. Unfortunately for him, his ♣K4 ♣ Q 10 8 6 5
choice of a low diamond was even less successful. South
♠A95
Declarer was able to duck in dummy, and when East put ♥K73
up the king, it lost to the ace. Declarer played back a ♦A874
♣AJ3
diamond, to the 10 and queen, and a third diamond went
to West’s jack. Now West switched to his singleton heart, South West North East
and South won the ace and played a club to the jack and 2♠ Pass Pass
king. West exited with a club, and declarer took his ace 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
and played off his master diamond to reach a six-card

Opening Lead: ♦2
ending in which West was known to be down to his six
spades.
When declarer led a low spade from his hand, West was forced to win and exit with a low
spade, the first endplay. South cashed both his spade winners, to produce a three-card
ending in which East was compelled to retain two hearts and thus the bare club queen.
At this point declarer returned the favor to East, exiting with a club to endplay him. He was
compelled to lead a heart and concede the last two tricks when declarer ran the lead
around to dummy’s jack.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In just the same way that
South Holds: everyone uses a response of two no-trump
♠KQ8764 to a weak-two as an inquiry with at least
♥5 game interest, so here the two-no-trump call
♦ J 10 5 2 is looking for game. I think bidding a feature
♣K4 makes sense here, so I would bid three
clubs, but I could understand using the
South West North East inquiry as asking for a singleton. In that case
1♣ you would bid three hearts now.
2♠ Pass 2 NT Pass
?
“Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live
bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of
competence.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Dealer: North North

If you asked the top players in the world how much their Vul: East- ♠ 10 2
success was due to competence, how much to brilliance, I West ♥AKJ6
♦QJ943
suspect most would say that simply mastering the act of ♣43
drawing trump, taking finesses and cashing winners would West East
♠J963 ♠8
suffice to succeed at all but the very highest levels of the
♥54 ♥ Q 10 9 8 3
game. ♦872 ♦K5
♣ 10 8 7 6 ♣AKQJ9
Still, sometimes one needs imagination, or flair, to bring South
♠AKQ754
home the impossible contract or to defeat the laydown ♥72
game. Today’s deal decided the qualifiers for the 1991 ♦ A 10 6
♣52
Venice Cup (the Ladies’ World Championships). Had
Great Britain not gained a game swing on this deal, they South West North East
would not have qualified. 1♦ 2 NT
Dbl. 3♣ Pass Pass
The Spanish ladies had played in five diamonds from the 4♠ All pass
North seat, and the defense did their best by leading three
Opening Lead: ♣6
rounds of clubs. To succeed, declarer must draw only two
trumps before testing the spades. When they do not split, she can ruff out the spades and
cross back to dummy by drawing the last trump. The Spanish declarer failed to get it right
and went one down.
Pat Davies of Great Britain declared four spades from the South seat, after East had
shown a two-suiter in hearts and clubs. The defense also led three rounds of clubs, giving
declarer an easy plus 420. But how would declarer have played if the Spanish defender
had cashed two clubs and deviously switched to a low diamond? If you believe East is 2-
5-1-5, you might easily rise with the diamond ace and rely on the spades to behave.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I would not necessarily advocate
South Holds: opening this hand in first or second seat
♠ 10 2 because of the uncomfortable rebid over a
♥AKJ6 response of one spade. In third seat,
♦QJ943 passing is not an option, although whether
♣43 you open one heart for the lead or one
diamond is a matter for your partnership —
South West North East or your conscience. Put me down as a one-
Pass Pass heart bidder.
?
“Thou wast the inspirer of a nobler life,

When I with error waged unequal strife,
And from its coils thy teaching set me free.”
— Amos Alcott
Dealer: East North

South did two bad things on this deal. The first need not Vul: North- ♠2
have been too expensive; the second proved very costly. South ♥KQ743
♦6432
♣AQJ
When East opened three no-trump, conventionally West East
showing a four level pre-empt in a minor with a broken ♠98
♠76543
♥A5
suit, South doubled and West retreated to four clubs. ♥ J 10 9 8
♦Q
North doubled — right he was, since the contract can be ♦ J 10 8 7
♣ K 10 9 8 7 6
♣—
set four tricks — but South was concerned that the double 53
South
was cards not for blood, and that any penalty might not ♠ A K Q J 10
compensate for a vulnerable game. ♥62
♦AK95
♣42
Accordingly he bid four spades, and West led the heart
jack against this contract. East won the ace and returned South West North East
the club three for his partner to ruff. Now West switched to 3 NT*
the diamond seven, and South won in hand and drew Dbl. 4♣ Dbl. Pass
4♠ All pass
trump, throwing two diamonds and a heart from dummy.
*Four-level pre-empt in a broken
minor
South now knew that East had started with eight clubs,
two spades, and had shown up with one card in each red Opening Lead: ♥J
suit. If his missing card was a diamond, an extra trick
could be established there. However, when declarer tried the suit, East showed out, and
the contract failed.
South should have known that had East begun with a singleton heart, he would surely
have returned the club 10, suit preference at trick two. So instead of testing diamonds,
South could have played a heart to dummy and ruffed a heart. That would have left East
with only clubs. Now comes a losing finesse of the club queen; on the forced club return,
West is squeezed in hearts and diamonds.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I'm sure there is an argument for
South Holds: passing one no-trump, rather than
♠2 introducing a suit as weak as your
♥KQ743 diamonds, but with a singleton spade I don't
♦6432 think it is right to pass. You should bid two
♣AQJ diamonds and apologize if your seven- or
eight-card fit plays worse than no-trump for
South West North East you.
1♥ 1♠ 1 NT Pass
?
“When a person cannot deceive himself, the chances are against his being able to
deceive other people.”
— Mark Twain
Dealer: West North

In today's deal the situation in three no-trump is Vul: Neither ♠ A Q 8
complicated by South's desire to keep West off lead. ♥K953
♦A64
Declarer will have seven top tricks once he has knocked ♣AJ5
out the heart ace, so must find two more tricks from West East
♠J5 ♠ K 10 9 4 3
somewhere. Fortunately, there are lots of extra chances:
♥ A 10 7 2 ♥84
the spade finesse, an additional heart trick, and an extra ♦J9753 ♦ Q 10
club winner or more. The key, though, is for South to ♣ 10 6 ♣Q842
South
combine his chances in the right order. ♠762
♥QJ6
Duck the opening lead (East playing the queen) and win ♦K82
♣K973
the diamond continuation with dummy’s ace. Now play a
heart to your queen — all things being equal, it is best to South West North East
knock out the opponents’ sure winners first. West takes Pass 1♣ Pass
his ace and continues with diamonds, East showing out. 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
Since you cannot afford to lose the lead to West, next play Opening Lead: ♦5
a small club to dummy’s jack. East wins the queen and
returns a club. When West’s club 10 appears, you now have eight tricks on top: one
spade, two hearts, two diamonds and three clubs. It looks as though you still need
something nice to happen in one of the major suits. Not so. Provided that East does not
have five hearts, you now have a sure line of play for your extra trick.
Take your clubs, cash the heart jack, then play a heart to dummy’s nine. If this holds, the
heart king will be your ninth trick. If it loses, East will have nothing left but spades and will
have to lead a spade into dummy’s ace-queen.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Since with 12-14 you would pass
South Holds: here, a free bid of two no-trump shows a
♠AQ8 balanced 18-19 now. So it is the right way to
♥K953 describe this hand, unless you play support
♦A64 doubles. If you do, start by doubling to show
♣AJ5 three-card support, planning to bid on in no-
trump over a sign-off from your partner to
South West North East describe your extra values.
1♣ Pass 1♠ 2♦
?
ANSWER: The modern approach is that,

particularly in competitive auctions, jump
Dear Mr. Wolff: raises tend toward distributional rather than
Recently I sat in third chair with ♠ J-9-3, ♥ J- high-card values — though many take a
8-7, ♦ K-J-9-4, ♣ A-5-4 and heard two good thing too far. Undeniably, though, you
spades from partner and three clubs on my need to be able to show a good hand. The
right. I raised to three spades, the call I key is to start with a cue-bid, which promises
would have made without the opponents limit values or better and support.
having intervened, and my partner said he
would have passed with my hand and let
well enough alone. Both three-level- Dear Mr. Wolff:
contracts would have gone down a trick.
Last night my partner passed in second chair
— Sadder but Wiser, Charleston, S.C. over one heart. Subsequently, though, he
balanced with a double at his second turn
after a raise to two hearts. I held an
ANSWER: Your decision to compete was uninspiring collection: ♠ J-3-2, ♥ 10-4, ♦ A-Q-
right on all fronts. The main reason for 5-4-3, ♣ 10-7-2. I gambled by biddingtwo
bidding is to take space from the opponents. spades, trying to keep the auction low, and
Why shouldn't they find their heart fit if you played in a 3-3 fit with a nine-card diamond
leave them space? fit available. Was I wrong to expect at least
four spades from my partner?
— Sadly Lacking, Corpus Christi, Texas
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner asked me if I played "Unusual
versus Unusual" and I had no idea what he ANSWER: This is an auction where partner
meant. Could you help me out please? might even balance into a four-card spade
suit if he had one, so finding him with only
— Unusual Suspect, Nashville, Tenn. three spades is not entirely surprising. When
I am asked to bid a suit and hold a five-
carder, I bid it and let the chips fall where
ANSWER: When the opponents overcall they may — whether it is a minor or a major.
with a two-suiter like Michaels, Ghestem, or
the unusual no-trump, this gives responder
at least one clear cue-bid. If RHO has shown Dear Mr. Wolff:
a specific two-suiter, a cue-bid of the lower
suit can be used to show the fourth suit with I got some grief from my partner when I held
a decent hand, while the cue-bid of the this hand: ♠ J-4, ♥ 7-4, ♦ K-J-9-5-4, ♣ Q-J-7-
higher suit shows a limit raise in partner's 2. My partner opened one spade, and my
suit. Consequently, raising partner or bidding RHO bid one no-trump. I chose to try two
the fourth suit is purely competitive. If there diamonds – was this unreasonable?
is only one known suit, or one cue-bid below — Indecently Exposed, Chicago, Ill.
three of partner's suit, use that cue-bid as
the limit-raise.
ANSWER: Acting in this position typically
shows a six-card suit (though a decent five-
Dear Mr. Wolff: carder will suffice in a pinch) and a hand in
I'm out of touch with the way players in your the range of six to nine points, since with
column seem to bid all the time. Why are more you would probably double the
jump raises of partner weak, not strong, and opponents in one no-trump. On this occasion
how do you ever get to show a good hand? two diamonds was somewhat aggressive,
but far from absurd. With the diamond 10
— Nostalgic, Orlando, Fla. instead of the four, I admit I would surely
have done the same.
by Bobby Wolff on July 1st, 2013
“Every time you get out of bed in the morning, you take a risk. To survive is to know you're
taking that risk and to not get out of bed clutching illusions of safety.”
— Maria V. Snyder
Dealer: South North

A word about today's auction: After a reverse, a raise by Vul: Neither ♠ A Q 6 5 2
responder of either of opener's suits is best played as ♥ K J 10 6
♦K
forcing. However, at his second turn North simply asked ♣J53
for keycards with hearts as trump, and then for the trump West East
♠9 ♠ K J 10 8 7 4
queen. South's answer showed the heart queen and the
♥54 ♥832
club king. North might now have bid the grand slam, but ♦ Q 10 9 7 5 ♦63
the partnership settled in six hearts. West led the spade ♣Q9762 ♣ 10 8
South
nine taken by dummy's ace as East followed with an ♠3
encouraging signal. Thirteen tricks might be available on a ♥AQ97
♦AJ842
crossruff, but that is irrelevant. Assuming that neither ♣AK4
defender has a singleton in a minor suit, what is the safest
line to make 12 tricks? South West North East
1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
After winning the first trick with dummy’s spade ace, lead 2♥ Pass 4 NT Pass
5♣ Pass 5♦* Pass
a club to your ace, followed by a diamond to the king and 6♣ Pass 6♦ Pass
a second club from dummy. Once the club king holds, 6♥ All pass
throw the club jack on the diamond ace. *Trump-queen ask
Now comes the fun part. You have five tricks already, and Opening Lead: ♠9
you make sure of the next six tricks by conducting a high
crossruff. At trick 12 you will ruff the minor-suit card left in your hand with dummy’s heart
six. Either that will win the trick or East will be able to overruff it with the heart eight. In that
case, your heart seven will be high and will take the last trick. You will make a spade,
seven trump tricks and four tricks in the minors.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The double calls for dummy's
South Holds: first-bid suit. Geniuses might lead a low
♠J964 diamond, hoping partner will work out that
♥J652 he can win the lead and put you back in, but
♦J4 that is for geniuses only! The rest of the
♣843 world leads the jack and apologizes later if it
does not work out perfectly.
1♦ Pass 1♥
Pass 2♣ Pass 2 NT
Pass 3 NT Dbl. All pass
by Bobby Wolff on July 2nd, 2013
“Master of human destinies am I!

Fame, love, and fortune on my footsteps wait.”
— John Ingalls
Dealer: South North

These days Ely Culbertson is regarded with a somewhat Vul: Both ♠A87
jaundiced eye. Players remember the tales of his ♥ 10 9
♦ K J 10 9 6
histrionics, but forget that he was both a trailblazer in the ♣AKQ
theory of the game and a fine card-player at a time when West East
♠ K Q J 10 5 ♠964
there were no textbooks to teach you technique. He was
♥K87 ♥J65432
credited with defending today's deal. ♦2 ♦4
♣ J 10 9 5 ♣843
The bidding may look strange to a modern eye, but the South
♠32
call of four no-trump showed rather than asked, while the ♥AQ
response of five no-trump promised two aces. ♦AQ8753
♣762
The partnership had nonetheless reached a slam that
appeared to hinge on the heart finesse, and the auction 1♦ 1♠ 3♦ Pass
had made this somewhat unlikely to succeed. Against six 4♦ Pass 4 NT Pass
diamonds, Ely (West) led the spade king. Declarer took 5 NT Pass 6♦ All pass
this with dummy’s ace, then ran six rounds of trump,
Opening Lead: ♠K
throwing a heart from the table. Next came the three top
clubs. Culbertson is credited with discarding the heart eight, spade 10, his four clubs, then
finally the spade queen and jack. Meanwhile East discarded his club first, then two hearts
and next the spade six.
Accordingly, when declarer led the spade eight from his hand at trick 11, Culbertson was
able to follow low. East could win the spade nine and exit with a heart through declarer,
insuring that Culbertson scored his heart king at the end.
If Culbertson had not unblocked all of his spades when discarding, he would have been
thrown in to win the second spade and thus have been forced to lead from his heart king
into declarer’s heart tenace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is the sort of sequence
South Holds: where it is important to bid four spades with
♠ K Q J 10 5 confidence, leaving it to the opponents to
♥K87 work out if you are bidding to make or are
♦2 sacrificing. Yes, there are lies of the cards
♣ J 10 9 5 where you can beat four hearts if you get a
diamond ruff. But against that, you rate to
South West North East escape for no worse than two down in four
1♥ spades. So unless the vulnerability is
1♠ 2♥ 3♠ 4♥
against you, take the save.
?
by Bobby Wolff on July 3rd, 2013
“He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression;
for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.”
— Thomas Paine
Dealer: South North

In today's six-spade contract, there are two potential Vul: East- ♠Q762
problems that declarer might be faced with. The first is a West ♥75
♦86532
bad trump break; the second is a bad diamond break. ♣ J 10
With considerable shortage of entries to dummy, against West East
♠— ♠ J 10 4 3
which of these problems should you protect — or can you
♥J632 ♥ Q 10 8 4
guard against both of them? ♦ 10 7 4 ♦J
♣A98642 ♣K753
When West began with two top clubs South ruffed with the South
♠AK985
nine and saw the only dangers for the contract were the 4- ♥AK9
0 break in either trumps or diamonds. She could not play ♦AKQ9
♣Q
either suit without loss if West had four cards there.
Entries were such that she could only manage to pick up South West North East
diamonds by drawing trumps first. However, that risked 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
failing when East had four trumps. 2♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
6♠ All pass
Finally she came to the right conclusion when she
Opening Lead: ♣A
decided to focus her attention on trumps and led the
spade eight to the queen. When West showed out, she led a trump from dummy to the 10
and ace. She returned to dummy with a heart ruff, finessed against East’s spade jack,
then drew East’s last trump with her king. When all followed to the diamond ace, she had
12 tricks.
Note that had spades broken 2-2, her careful play at tricks two and three would have left
her two entries to dummy to take two diamond finesses. Had she ruffed the club low, there
would have been only one trump entry to dummy, and thus no way to protect against 4-0
diamonds after leading a spade to the queen at trick three.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A raise to four clubs is simple
South Holds: and straightforward, and you have no reason
♠ J 10 4 3 to assume either that three no-trump will
♥ Q 10 8 4 score better than a minor-suit contract, or
♦J indeed that three no-trump will be cold
♣K753 facing extreme shortage in one major or the
other. A jump to five clubs would be
South West North East premature without five trumps.
1♦ Pass
1♥ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on July 4th, 2013
“It shouldn't be easy to be amazing. Then everything would be. It's the things you fight for
and struggle with before earning that have the greatest worth.”
— Sarah Dessen
Dealer: West North

Against three no-trump West leads the spade queen, and, Vul: Both ♠964
as expected, East has to discard; he chooses a heart. Is ♥A62
♦A84
there any way to make nine tricks against the best ♣8643
defense? West East
♠ A Q J 10 7 2 ♠—
You need East to have begun with three clubs headed by ♥Q9 ♥ J 10 8 5 4
♦93 ♦ J 10 7 6 2
the king and jack. At trick two, you should cash the club ♣ 10 9 2 ♣KJ7
ace. East’s best defense is to unblock the king. You then South
♠K853
cross to dummy with a diamond to the ace to lead a club. ♥K73
If East plays the jack, you will play low from hand. After ♦KQ5
♣AQ5
winning the red-suit return in hand, you will cash the club
queen and claim nine tricks: a spade, two hearts, three South West North East
diamonds and three clubs. 2♠ Pass Pass
You should note that it would not have been a good idea
to cross to dummy at trick two to lead a club. East would Opening Lead: ♠Q
play the jack, forcing you to play the queen. Now, when
you played the club ace, he would drop the king, and you could not set up your third club
trick without letting West on lead.
Incidentally, on the club-10 lead, you would have set about clearing the club suit at once.
Then you would have cashed three diamonds and two hearts, hoping to exhaust West of
red-suit cards. Finally, you would have ducked a spade to West, forcing him to give you a
ninth trick in spades.
Finally, did you spot the winning defense? West begins with the spade ace and queen,
allowing East to unblock the club king and jack!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: My instinct is to pass, though I
South Holds: admit that since a call by partner of three
♠964 clubs at his second turn would have been
♥A62 game-forcing, partner could easily have up
♦A84 to a 16-count. There is something to be said
♣8643 for giving false preference to two diamonds,
but surely a 4-4 club fit will play much better
South West North East than a 5-3 diamond fit, since you may be
1♦ Pass able to discard losers from either major on
1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass diamonds.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, June 21st, 2013
“Shadow by shadow, stripped for fight,

The lean black cruisers search the sea.
Night-long their level shafts of light
Revolve, and find no enemy.”
— Alfred Noyes
Dealer: West North

Against four spades West begins with the diamond king, Vul: North- ♠ Q 10 6 5 2
then shifts to the heart five. Is there any chance of making South ♥A764
♦ 10 9 5 2
10 tricks? ♣—
West East
The first question that you should ask is “Why didn’t West ♠— ♠A43
♥ Q 10 5 ♥KJ82
shift to a trump at trick two?” and the obvious answer is
♦AKJ74 ♦Q83
that he doesn’t have one. You have to suppose the full ♣KJ542 ♣Q86
deal is similar to the diagramed one. South
♠KJ987
♥93
You should win the heart ace and lead the diamond 10. If ♦6
East plays low, throw your remaining heart in an attempt ♣ A 10 9 7 3
to cut the defenders’ communications. West will win the
trick and, with no trump to lead, can do no better than play 1♦ Pass 1♥
the heart queen. After ruffing this, you will play off the club 1♠ 2♣ 4♠ Dbl.
ace and crossruff the hand. The best that East can do is All pass
to overruff the fourth round of clubs at trick 10 and return a
Opening Lead: ♦K
trump, which you will win for your eighth trick. You will
then make the last two tricks on a high crossruff to give you your contract.
If at trick three East covers the diamond 10 with the queen, you will ruff this, then cash the
club ace and ruff a club, so that you can lead the diamond nine from the board. When
East follows with the eight, you will discard your heart nine. The play then develops along
the same lines as described above, and you will make the same 10 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Just because East promises four
South Holds: spades doesn't mean you should be afraid of
♠KJ987 introducing a suit of this quality. Your plan
♥93 will be to bid your clubs over a call of one
♦6 no-trump (whoever bids it!) or to raise hearts
♣ A 10 9 7 3 at your next turn. This may be a slight
overbid, but if they have a fit, your side does
South West North East too.
1♦ 1♥ Dbl.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, June 22nd, 2013
“Children are remarkable for their intelligence and ardor, for their curiosity and intolerance
of shams, the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.”
— Aldous Huxley
Dealer: North North

Certain players seem to cause curious happenings at the Vul: Neither ♠ 10 3
bridge table. The incomparable Zia is the first name that ♥64
♦ A Q 10 8 7 5
springs to mind. The late John Collings is another. And a ♣532
third is Michael Courtney of Australia. This hand won the West East
♠A98652 ♠J7
2010 International Bridge Press Association's Rose Cliff
♥ J 10 7 ♥AK853
Declarer Play of the Year Award, and the winning ♦3 ♦K64
journalist was the prolific author Ron Klinger. ♣Q76 ♣ J 10 4
South
♠KQ4
The deal arose at rubber bridge and Michael Courtney ♥Q92
came up with an ingenious deception that claimed East as ♦J92
♣AK98
its victim. When North opened three diamonds, Courtney
bid three no-trump and West led the spade six to the 10, South West North East
jack and king. Now Courtney took the losing diamond 3♦ Pass
finesse, leaving East on lead. Keen to show where his 3 NT All pass
values lay, East cashed the heart king. West, keener for
Opening Lead: ♠6
East to revert to spades, followed with the heart jack,
denying the queen. Courtney knew that the initial spade lead was from at most a six-card
suit since he could see the four and three. Thus East held at least one more spade and
the contract was hopeless. Accordingly, when East followed up with the heart ace,
Courtney contributed the queen! Naturally, West continued his unblocking in hearts,
playing the 10, since East clearly had the rest of the hearts.
Now, having read West for an initial holding of J-10-9-7 of hearts with South holding the
doubleton heart queen, East continued with a third heart – and Courtney produced the
master nine and took his nine winners.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is an auction where partner
South Holds: could have easily raised hearts or cue-bid in
♠J7 support of hearts by bidding two diamonds.
♥AK853 Given that he did not overcall in spades at
♦K64 his first turn, this double has to be penalties,
♣ J 10 4 not takeout. Is that possible? It is surely
unlikely, but possible, if your RHO has a 4-4-
South West North East 5-0 pattern. And why shouldn't he?
1♣ Pass 1♦
1♥ 2♣ Dbl. Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, June 23rd, 2013

How do you know what to signal when One of the problems I have at pairs is when
partner leads against no-trump and dummy to compete again with extra high-cards, but
wins the queen or king from a doubleton uninspiring trumps. Recently with both sides
holding? If you cannot beat dummy, should vulnerable I sat in third seat with: ♠ J-7-4,
you signal count or attitude? ♥ Q-9-5, ♦ K-9-6-5-4, ♣ A-2. My partner
opened one spade, and after a two-club
— Semaphore Sam, Edmonton, Alberta overcall, I raised to two spades. Now my
LHO bid three clubs, and I felt obliged to
double when this came back to me. We
ANSWER: If dummy wins the king you could have set it a trick, but declarer made it
should signal attitude — your partner will for a cold top.
need to know if you have a minor honor. If
dummy wins the queen, the position is far — Last Mistake, Roanoke, Va.
more complex. Sometimes partner needs
count (when declarer has a doubleton
honor); sometimes he needs to know ANSWER: When your partner did not
attitude (Do you possess the jack?) You compete to three spades himself, he was
need to guess well — and to try to make quite likely to have only five spades.
your play in tempo! Doubling to show extra defense is an
excellent gamble at pairs – partner can
always retreat if totally unsuitable. I am sure
Dear Mr. Wolff: letting through three clubs would still have
scored badly, so I think you made the right
What is the best way to use double pairs play, assuming you were going to
negatives after a two-club opening? I know defend correctly!
that some people use the first step; others
use the lower minor or two no-trump.
— Ain't Got No Clue, Grand Junction, Colo. Dear Mr. Wolff:
Am I right in saying that when the opponents
bid and raise a suit, sandwiched around my
ANSWER: After a negative or waiting two- partner's double, my double in fourth chair
diamond call (methods I prefer to an would now be responsive, for takeout. If so,
immediate two-heart double negative), it do responsive doubles apply after the
makes most sense for responder to use opponents pre-empt and raise that suit?
three clubs as the second negative when
opener rebids a major. This typically shows — Warts and All, Philadelphia, Pa.
0-4 points. Similarly, three diamonds by
responder is a second negative over three
clubs. This way, no-trump tends to be ANSWER: You are right in that responsive
declared the right way up. doubles do apply after an opening bid at any
level is doubled and then raised. Your double
should be takeout at low levels but optional
Dear Mr. Wolff: at the four-level or higher. One other
thought: When they bid and raise hearts
At pairs, vulnerable, what is the best first call after partner has doubled, you normally bid
with ♠ K-4, ♥ Q-10-8-7-6-4, ♦ 5, ♣ Q-7-3-2 spades if you can. So here a double might
after my partner opened one diamond in deny biddable spades.
second seat and the next hand overcalled
one spade? Should I double, bid hearts, or
pass and come in later?
— Overbidders Anonymous, West Palm
Beach, Fla.
ANSWER: Passing is rather feeble here –

you do have some nice shape after all, if you
can find a fit. If you want to act, doubling
gets both unbid suits into play. You plan to
correct partner’s next bid of two diamonds or
one no-trump to two hearts to show this sort
of hand. A direct bid of two hearts would be
an overbid (though you might do this as a
passed hand) and it might also lose the
clubs altogether — particularly if the
opponents raise or repeat spades.
“One should never make one's debut with a scandal. One should reserve that to give an
interest to one's old age.”
— Oscar Wilde
Dealer: North North

With the European open tournament taking place right Vul: Neither ♠ K 9 5
now in Ostend, Belgium, this week's deals all come from ♥Q84
♦KJ872
the most recent European Championships, which were ♣74
held in Dublin, Ireland, and resulted in a win for Monaco. West East
♠Q864 ♠ 10 7 3
(Yes, you read that right.)
♥AJ73 ♥ K 10 6 2
♦65 ♦A3
Today’s deal came from the very first match of the event. ♣965 ♣KQJ2
While the other members of the Norwegian Seniors Team South
♠AJ2
had played for Norway before, this was the first ♥95
international appearance for Johnny Holmbakken. He ♦ Q 10 9 4
♣ A 10 8 3
rapidly placed himself in the hot seat against Italy, and on
the very first board of the match too. I would not South West North East
recommend his decision to overcall here, but that’s what Pass 1♣
he did, ending up in three diamonds. 1♦ Dbl. 3♦ All pass
Holmbakken won East’s club jack with the ace and ran the Opening Lead: ♣5
diamond nine to East’s ace. East cashed a club and
exited with a diamond to the jack. A heart to the nine and jack was followed by the heart
ace and another heart, which declarer ruffed. A club was ruffed in dummy, and a diamond
put declarer in hand with the queen. Holmbakken was sure that West held the spade
queen and played accordingly, putting the jack on the table! South covered, and dummy’s
king won. Now came the trumps.
The last diamond squeezed East in the black suits, and declarer made the contract via
two spade tricks when East kept his club. A menace transfer and squeeze – what a nice
debut!
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The suit partner is most likely to
South Holds: hold is spades, but of course he had the
♠K62 opportunity to overcall and did not. With a
♥Q843 safe club sequence to lead from, it is pretty
♦K85 much a toss-up as to which lead you make.
♣ J 10 3 My vote, narrowly, is for a top club, but I can
see both sides of the argument. Give me a
South West North East better small spade spot, and I would be
Pass convinced it was right to lead this suit.
Pass 1♥ Pass 1 NT
All pass
“One hope is too like despair

For prudence to smother,
And pity from thee more dear
Than that from another.”
— Percy Shelley
Dealer: East North

On today's deal from the European Open Series, played Vul: East- ♠A5
in Dublin last year, England's David Bakhshi opened one West ♥ 10 9 7 6 2
♦543
no-trump and played in two hearts after a transfer ♣K85
response from his partner, Tom Townsend. West East
♠87 ♠ J 10 9 3
♥A3 ♥J54
Austria’s Gunther Purkarthofer led the spade eight,, and
♦ Q 10 9 8 7 6 ♦KJ
Bakhshi won dummy’s ace, then led to the king, and ♣Q93 ♣ A J 10 7
continued with the queen, ruffed and overruffed. Bakhshi South
♠KQ642
exited dummy with a diamond, winning the ace when Jan ♥KQ8
Fucik put in the king. A fourth spade was ruffed, West ♦A2
♣642
pitching a diamond, and declarer continued with a second
diamond. West overtook his partner’s jack to play another South West North East
diamond, ruffed by declarer’s eight. Now Bakhshi played Pass
the heart king to West’s ace, and Purkarthofer switched to 1 NT Pass 2♦ Pass
2♥ All pass
the club three. The winning play is to duck, but quite
reasonably Bakhshi went up with dummy’s king, losing to Opening Lead: ♠8
the ace, and East, Jan Fucik, returned the jack.
At this point, to defeat the contract, West had to overtake and allow East to win the third
club, then lead his low heart to South’s bare queen. When West failed to do so, he had to
win the third club himself — and now he had no choice but to lead a diamond at trick 12.
When dummy ruffed with the nine, East had lost his trump trick whether he overruffed or
not. Granted, the defense could have done better, but Bakhshi had pulled off that rarity, a
smother play, to make his contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: What is this double? It may be a
South Holds: matter for each individual partnership, but I
♠A5 believe after the response of one no-trump
♥ 10 9 7 6 2 to a major, opener's double of intervention
♦543 should be takeout, responder's double
♣K85 should be cards. If you agree, then you
should jump to four hearts, even if the
South West North East double does not promise extras. Even a 12-
1♠ Pass count with a singleton diamond may leave
1 NT 2♦ Dbl. Pass your side with good play for game.
?
“It is not really difficult to construct a series of inferences, each dependent upon its
predecessor and each simple in itself. If, after doing so, one simply knocks out all the
central inferences and presents one's audience with the starting-point and the conclusion,
one may produce a startling, though perhaps a meretricious, effect.”
— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Dealer: South North

In today's deal from the 2012 European Open series, both Vul: East- ♠ A K Q 10
Souths opened a strong no-trump and declared six no- West ♥ K 10 4
♦ A 10 7 5
trump on a spade lead. For Poland, Cezary Balicki ♣J6
received the lead of the spade seven. He won in dummy, West East
♠74 ♠J9863
cashed the top diamonds and top spades, then tried to
♥AQ32 ♥975
split the clubs. Though the missing heart honors were ♦86 ♦J943
both onside, it was too late to attempt to establish a heart ♣ 10 8 7 4 2 ♣9
South
trick since West had a club to cash when in with the heart ♠52
ace — down one. ♥J86
♦KQ2
♣AKQ53
For England, David Gold received the lead of the spade
four, conventionally low from an even number. He won the South West North East
ace and played the club jack, followed by a second club, 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
seeing East discard a discouraging heart. Obviously, the 2♦ Pass 6 NT All pass
signal did not have to be honest, but the heart discard

Opening Lead: ♠4
seemed relatively unlikely to be from the queen, so Gold’s
next play was a heart to the 10. When that won, Gold played the diamond ace and a
diamond to the king, to see if the jack would fall. When it did not, he cashed the two club
winners, throwing both hearts from dummy. East threw a spade and his last heart, and
Gold now read the ending accurately.
He cashed the diamond queen, crossed to the spade king, and exited with the diamond
10 to East’s jack, endplaying him to lead into the spade Q-10 at the end. The no-trump
slam was made just nine times out of the 42 times it was bid.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It may look simple to bid three
South Holds: clubs, but that call is nowadays played as a
♠74 second negative — responder's rebid of the
♥AQ32 lower minor should be played as 0-4 HCP. If
♦86 you play that way, as I do, then you have to
♣ 10 8 7 4 2 bid two no-trump with this hand, since any
other call is even more distorted.
2♣ Pass
2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass
?
“It's better to look at the sky than live there.”

— Truman Capote
Dealer: South North

The Scandinavian journalist who first wrote up this deal Vul: Both ♠ A 10 9 5 4 3
commented that according to Norse mythology, stormy ♥93
♦85
weather and thunder are caused by Thor and his hammer ♣J97
Mjolnir, and he was sure that Tor Helness' parents had West East
♠KQ ♠J6
this in mind when he was given his name.
♥K54 ♥ A J 10 8 7
♦J974 ♦ Q 10 6
Tor was actually playing for Monaco, though, having ♣ Q 10 6 3 ♣852
managed to transfer his bridge nationality to play for the South
♠872
team led and sponsored by Pierre Zimmermann. And at ♥Q62
the bridge tables in Dublin, Tor proved that every day was ♦AK32
♣AK4
Thursday — literally Thor’s day in Norwegian — since
Monaco duly won the main teams event. Today’s deal is South West North East
from the match between Monaco and Russia. Against four 1 NT Pass 2♥ Dbl.
spades the West’s lead was a low heart to East’s ace. 2♠ 3♥ Dbl. Pass
4♠ All pass
East returned the jack, covered by the queen and king.
Opening Lead: ♥4
Needing a safe exit, West played the spade king to
dummy’s ace, and another spade from dummy was taken by West’s queen. West now led
a diamond to the queen and ace, after which declarer cashed the spade eight and ruffed
his last heart.
The club four disappeared on the spade 10, and West had to surrender. Whether he
pitched a diamond or a second club, declarer could take the rest, a classic example of a
crisscross squeeze. In the Open Series, Helness was the only declarer who managed to
bid and make 10 tricks. Only a diamond lead and diamond continuation when West scores
his trump trick can defeat the game.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You were looking forward to
South Holds: defending one heart doubled, but partner's
♠J6 second call strongly suggests significant
♥ A J 10 8 7 extra shape and little defense. You'd be
♦ Q 10 6 happy to bid one no-trump with slightly
♣852 better clubs, but you may be too good for a
simple preference to two diamonds. If you
South West North East jump to three diamonds, partner may be
1♦ 1♥ able to work out that you have heart length.
Pass Pass 1♠ Pass
?
“If young hearts were not so clever,

Oh, they would be young for ever.”
— A.E. Housman
Dealer: North North

When Sweden and France battled it out in the seniors' Vul: East- ♠ K Q 10 2
contest in the European Championships in Dublin, the West ♥A63
♦73
match ended 16-14 in favor of the French. However, the ♣Q542
Swedes picked up a swing here after a Precision auction West East
♠4 ♠AJ973
had seen them reach five clubs rather than three no-
♥ K Q J 10 4 2 ♥97
trump. ♦J985 ♦ Q 10 2
♣ 10 6 ♣987
Sven-Ake Bjerregard got a spade lead, which went to South
♠865
dummy’s king and East’s ace. East then gave declarer a ♥85
chance when he returned the diamond two. He could ♦AK64
♣AKJ3
have played any other suit and the defense would still
have been in control. Bjerregard went up with the South West North East
diamond ace, cashed the king, and ruffed a low diamond 1♦* Pass
in dummy. Declarer continued with a trump to the king and 2♣ Pass 3♣ Pass
3♦ Pass 3♠ Dbl.
another diamond ruff in dummy, but this time ruffing with Pass Pass 3 NT Pass
the queen while East threw a spade. Two rounds of trump 4♣ Pass 4♥ Pass
followed, and on the last round declarer discarded a low 5♣ All pass
heart from dummy. Poor East also had to discard a heart, *11-15 balanced
since he would have given up control of the spades if he
Opening Lead: ♠4
had thrown one away. Bjerregard then played a heart to
dummy’s ace, stripping East of his last heart, and next led a low spade from dummy. East
had no escape: he tried playing low, but when declarer had the eight, he could claim his
contract.
This was 10 IMPs to Sweden when the French pair at the other table failed by a trick in
three no-trump.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Did you open a minor suit
South Holds: because of the open major suits? If so,
♠865 award yourself the white feather of
♥85 cowardice! With a quintessentially balanced
♦AK64 hand, you must show it at one go by opening
♣AKJ3 one no-trump — partly to pre-empt the
opponents out of their fits, partly to let
South West North East partner know the nature of your hand.
?
“More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to
despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the
wisdom to choose correctly.”
— Woody Allen
Dealer: East North

West makes a negative double and North's cue-bids show Vul: East- ♠QJ6
a sound raise in spades. As you were uncertain about the West ♥6
♦AJ983
final spot you made a trial bid in hearts, prompting North ♣QJ75
to blast directly to game. How do you plan to make 10 West East
♠A3 ♠752
tricks after West leads ace and another trump?
♥ J 10 9 4 2 ♥AK3
♦ 10 7 6 ♦KQ54
Although it is not crucial, you unblock one of dummy’s ♣ 10 3 2 ♣864
trump honors under the ace. After winning the second South
♠ K 10 9 8 4
trump cheaply in hand, you judge West began with a ♥Q875
doubleton trump, because he would surely have led a low ♦2
♣AK9
trump from ace-third. So, there is no chance of ruffing a
heart in dummy, for East will win the heart trick and play a South West North East
third trump. 1♦
1♠ Dbl. 2♦ Pass
Consequently, you will need to set up the diamond suit, 2♥ Pass 4♠ All pass
and although your chances may look slim, given the
Opening Lead: ♠A
shortage of entries to dummy, you can achieve your target
— so long as West holds three diamonds including the 10. The layout you need will be
similar to the one in the diagram.
When you lead the diamond two to the eight and queen, East will be on lead. He cashes
the heart king, then returns a third trump, which you win in dummy. Next you cash the
diamond ace (throwing a heart) and then lead the diamond jack. East covers with the
diamond king, and when you ruff, West’s diamond 10 falls, as you had hoped. You will
now make four trumps, four clubs and two diamonds for your required total of 10 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I rarely tell my readers there is
South Holds: no second choice in a deal. But today I'm
♠QJ6 going out on a limb: two spades is
♥6 mandatory, and there are no second
♦AJ983 choices, including two clubs. Unbalanced
♣QJ75 minimum opening bids with a three-card
raise should start by raising rather than
South West North East bidding the second suit and then supporting.
1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass Switch the club five to the ace and you bid
? two clubs, then support partner at your next
turn.
ANSWER: There is certainly something to

be said for bidding two no-trump over a one-
Dear Mr. Wolff: spade response. After all, you do have a
You recently wrote about this hand: ♠ K-10- fairly balanced hand and a stopper in the
8, ♥ A-5, ♦ J-7-4, ♣ Q-J-10-9-3. In response unbid suits. Over a one-heart response you
to your partner’s overcall of one heart over are maximum for a call of two clubs,
one diamond, you bid two clubs, and the planning to act again. Your suits are not
issue was what your partner meant when he good enough for a jump to three clubs, but
cue-bid two diamonds. Does this show a with three hearts, or slightly better
raise of clubs or something else — and what intermediates, I would jump to three clubs.
should you do next?
— Hop to It, Pottsville, Pa. Dear Mr. Wolff:
I think I understand when doubles are
ANSWER: North’s cue-bid is artificial and takeout and when penalties, but when you
simply says “Good hand; tell me more; then open the bidding and hear the opponents
I’ll let you know why I set up a one-round each bid a suit, what should a double by you
force.” Your two-heart bid now reveals at your second turn mean now? After one
secondary support for your partner and lets heart – one spade – pass – two diamonds,
him decide whether to settle for hearts or do what does a double show? Is it just a good
something else – whatever it was that he hand or the unbid suit?
planned when he cue-bid. — Sally Forth, Macon, Ga.
Dear Mr. Wolff: ANSWER: When partner has not acted, all
At our club we received a request from a low-level doubles are primarily takeout. This
younger pair to be allowed to play a sequence sounds like five hearts and four
complicated system, which included very clubs, with a strong hand. With a fifth club,
light opening bids. I know some of our you might simply up and bid the suit to get
members are opposed to this, but I want to your strength and shape across
encourage the younger crowd. What do you unambiguously.
think I should do?
— Blame Game, Lorain, Ohio Dear Mr. Wolff:
I have heard of the unusual no-trump, but
ANSWER: This is tough. You are right to must that always be at the two-level? Can
encourage younger players, but mustn't risk you make an unusual no-trump call at other
losing your regulars. I think maybe one day a levels?
week you might experiment with allowing the — Out of the Ordinary, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
methods — but only if proper defenses are
provided and full explanations given.
ANSWER: Direct no-trump overcalls by an
unpassed hand of a pre-emptive opening
Dear Mr. Wolff: should be natural, not unusual. However, in
Can you tell me what I should take into competition, a four-no-trump call is generally
account in deciding whether to jump-shift as unusual. Anytime in a competitive auction
opener at my second turn to speak? Say I you start either by passing, or by overcalling
open one diamond and hear my partner or responding to a takeout double in a suit,
respond one spade. Do I have enough to bid subsequent bids of no-trump facing a partner
three clubs, holding ♠ 7-4, ♥ K-Q, ♦ A-J-9-5- who has not acted at his previous turn are
4, ♣ A-K-J-2? Would your answer be typically unusual.
different if partner had responded one heart?
— Gonna Jump Down Spin Around,
Jackson, Tenn.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, July 1st, 2013
“Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt;

Nothing’s so hard, but search will find it out.”
— Robert Herrick
Dealer: North North

Today's declarer went down in his slam after missing a Vul: Both ♠65
tiny point in the play. Can you do better? ♥AK864
♦ K Q 10 5 3
♣2
In the auction, after South had made a strong jump West East
response in spades and rebid his suit, North did well to ♠— ♠ K 10 3 2
cue-bid four clubs in support of spades (with a club suit, ♥J953 ♥ Q 10 7 2
♦9872 ♦6
North would have rebid three no-trump), and now after an ♣ K Q 10 9 5 ♣8743
exchange of cue-bids South used Blackwood and drove to South
♠AQJ9874
the small slam when he found the trump king was ♥—
missing. ♦AJ4
♣AJ6
West led the club king against the slam, and declarer won
the trick; what now? It all looked too easy: South crossed 1♥ Pass
to a top diamond and discarded his losing clubs on the 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
heart ace and king. Then he turned his attention to the 3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass
4♦ Pass 4♥ Pass
trumps, but now he ran into a problem. Should he finesse
4 NT Pass 5♦ Pass
or put up the ace and continue the suit? As you can see, 6♠ All pass
when West showed out, it did not matter! To avoid two
trump losers, he had to reach dummy again, and East Opening Lead: ♣K
was unkind enough to ruff when the diamonds proved to
be 4-1. Now there was no way to prevent East from scoring a second trump trick.
A change in timing would have made the difference. Try cashing the spade ace before
rushing to take discards. The trump position is exposed, so now after crossing to a
diamond and throwing the losing clubs away, only one trump lead from dummy is needed
to hold the losers in the suit to one.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Dummy rates to be 4-5 or 4-6 in
South Holds: clubs and hearts, and declarer is likely to
♠ K 10 5 want to ruff spades in dummy and maybe
♥865 clubs in hand. Leading a trump doesn't seem
♦Q42 to accomplish anything dramatic, but it looks
♣J943 like the best chance to cut down the
crossruff.
1♣ Pass 1♠
Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥
Pass 3♥ All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013
“Sweet Analytics, 'tis thou hast ravished me!”

— Christopher Marlowe
Dealer: South North

An online discussion group devoted to bridge, called Vul: Neither ♠ J 8 6 5 2
"rec.games.bridge," features problems and discussions. A ♥8
♦KQ62
while ago Andrzej Matuszewski posted this neat deal, in ♣K43
which you reach four spades after West has shown at West East
♠ Q 10 9 4 ♠7
least nine cards in the majors (and yes, five diamonds
♥ A K 10 9 7 ♥J6432
might have been easier). Plan the play on the defense of ♦5 ♦9843
two top hearts. ♣J76 ♣ Q 10 8
South
♠AK3
If you ruff the second heart and play ace, king and a third ♥Q5
round of trumps, West will win and lead hearts, forcing ♦ A J 10 7
♣A952
dummy to ruff with the master trump. Equally, if you
discard a losing club from dummy at trick two, a third South West North East
round of hearts dooms you, whichever hand you take the 1♣ 2♣* 2♥** Pass
ruff in. 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
*5-4 majors
A good try is to ruff the second heart and cash the club **Spades
ace, then cross to the spade ace and lead a second club
to the king. If West has a singleton club, he does best to Opening Lead: ♥K
discard a diamond. You would then lead out your winning
diamonds, and West must discard twice. That allows declarer simply to draw trump in the
ending. However, today, with West having a third club, he simply ruffs the second diamond
and cashes a club, with a trump trick to come.
The solution is to ruff the heart at trick two, and lead a spade to the ace and a low spade
from hand. West must win his queen and play another heart, but you throw a club from
dummy and ruff in hand, and now lose just one more trump trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This auction is forcing,
South Holds: suggesting an original 6-4 hand pattern.
♠J8652 With a singleton heart, you do not want to
♥8 play in that suit unless partner insists, and
♦KQ62 with no aces you cannot jump to five
♣K43 diamonds. Your choice is to revert to four
diamonds or bid three no-trump — and you
South West North East have no source of tricks unless partner's
1♥ Pass hearts are semisolid or better. That argues
1♠ Pass 2♦ Pass
for a four-diamond call.
3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013
“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not
exceeding the limit.”
— Elbert Hubbard
Dealer: South North

This column has often emphasized what a bad idea it is to Vul: North- ♠A3
double a contract when all you have is trump tricks. South ♥KJ9
♦Q985
Sometimes the opponents run, sometimes they pick up ♣ 10 6 5 2
the trumps because of your double, and sometimes they West East
♠—
redouble. Today's deal provides an example. ♠ Q 10 8 7 5
♥8652
♥743
♦ A K J 10 7 6
In today’s deal East had made a trap pass over two no- ♦42
3
♣J43
trump, hoping North-South would arrive in three no-trump. ♣AQ
South
When South emphasized his 6-4 pattern, North raised ♠KJ9642
spades confidently, and West made a greedy double, ♥ A Q 10
♦—
without much justification, given his moderate trump ♣K987
spots.
Declarer ruffed the diamond lead and led a trump to the 1♠ Pass 1 NT Dbl.
ace, getting the expected news of the 5-0 break. Now a 2♣ Pass 2 NT Pass
3♠ Pass 4♠ Dbl.
club from dummy was taken by East with the ace, and he All pass
exited with the diamond king. Declarer ruffed and saw
West’s echo in diamonds; he could now see a way home Opening Lead: ♦4
if West really did have a doubleton together with three
cards each in hearts and clubs.
At trick five South cashed his club king, then took all of his heart winners, reducing
everyone to five cards. If West had started with three diamonds, it might have been right
to take another diamond ruff now, but South believed the opening lead, and so he exited
with a club. West had to win the trick and play a trump, giving declarer an extra trick in
that suit. Worse still, he then had to ruff the club continuation and lead into declarer’s
remaining trump tenace to concede the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A typical conundrum in standard
South Holds: bidding with a minimum hand and 6-4
♠KJ9642 pattern is whether you should repeat the
♥ A Q 10 long suit or introduce the second suit
♦— economically. Put me firmly in the camp of
♣K987 those who bid the second suit with anything
but a dead minimum hand. While at pairs it
South West North East may work to repeat the major, it is generally
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass better to describe nine of your 13 cards than
?
six of them.
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, July 4th, 2013
“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

Dealer: North North

This deal, from a major pairs event, worked well for those Vul: Neither ♠ J 8 2
playing a weak no-trump because they arranged for the ♥87
♦AQ6
spade game to be declared by North. As long as declarer ♣ A J 10 7 5
managed to guess clubs, the game was unbeatable. West East
♠AK73 ♠4
♥ 10 6 3 2 ♥QJ95
However, most of the field ended up in four spades by
♦J74 ♦ K 10 9 5 2
South, often on a diamond lead after East had overcalled ♣84 ♣Q92
in diamonds. How would you play four spades after West South
♠ Q 10 9 6 5
has led a low diamond? At several tables declarer went ♥AK4
up with dummy’s ace and arranged to ruff a heart in ♦83
♣K63
dummy. A spade was played next, but West won and
continued diamonds, forcing declarer to ruff. When South West North East
declarer played a second spade, West again won and 1♣ 1♦
played a fourth round of hearts. Now even a correct club 1♠ 2♦ Dbl.* Pass
4♠ All pass
guess could do nothing to save declarer.
*Three-card support
Can you see how South could, and should, have avoided
Opening Lead: ♦4
this? If he ducks the opening diamond lead in dummy, all
East can do is win and shift to a heart, but declarer takes the heart ruff and plays on
spades. Now when West wins and plays another diamond, declarer is a tempo ahead. He
wins with the ace and plays a second trump. West will win and force declarer, who can ruff
and draw the rest of the trump. He is reduced to a three-card ending with three clubs in
each hand, and should know enough by then to play East for club length, finessing him for
the queen.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is one of the rare positions
South Holds: in standard bidding where it is not only
♠J82 acceptable but standard practice to rebid a
♥87 three-card suit, without misleading your
♦AQ6 partner. After the negative double, you can
♣ A J 10 7 5 jump to two spades with four spades and
anything other than a dead minimum, so the
South West North East one-spade call is quite consistent with three
1♣ 1♥ Dbl. Pass trumps and a hand unsuitable for a one-no-
? trump bid.
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, July 5th, 2013
“The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.”
— Blaise Pascal
Dealer: North North

It was not easy to see a way to reach four spades in Vul: East- ♠AKJ
today's deal, a contract that can be brought home with West ♥ 10 6
♦K853
careful play even against a 4-2 spade break. Five ♣A753
diamonds looks hopeless, but when West paid more West East
♠765 ♠432
attention to the cards played by declarer than to those
♥J743 ♥AKQ985
played by his partner, he paid the penalty. ♦ Q 10 7 ♦2
♣ Q 10 4 ♣J86
West led the heart three, and declarer ruffed the heart South
♠ Q 10 9 8
continuation. When two rounds of trump failed to drop the ♥2
queen, East pitching a heart, there seemed to be no ♦AJ964
♣K92
chance of avoiding a club loser as well. Or was there?
Declarer cunningly led the spade nine to dummy’s jack, South West North East
then cashed the ace and king, dropping the queen from 1 NT 2♥
his hand on the second round. Next he led a trump to give 3♥ Pass 4♣ Pass
West the lead and a problem.
Opening Lead: ♥3
West surmised that South had started with a 3-1-5-4
distribution. In that case, if his clubs were as good as A-J-x-x, a club lead would be fatal,
but a ruff and discard would not help declarer, who would still lose a club at the end. So
West obliged with another heart. Dummy ruffed, South’s losing club went away, and only
later did South’s hidden spade eight appear.
West had not thought enough about the auction (South’s cue-bid strongly suggesting four
spades). Had he watched his partner’s spades, he would have seen him follow up the
line, suggesting an original odd number. Had East started with four small spades, he
would surely have echoed to show an even number.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The first question you should ask
South Holds: is how many clubs does this sequence
♠ Q 10 9 8 promise? I'd say at least five, not necessarily
♥2 six; partner can have an awkward call with
♦AJ964 five good clubs and no heart stopper. That
♣K92 said, you have an awfully good hand for a
simple invitational raise to three clubs, but
South West North East nothing else really appeals. A cue-bid here
1♣ 1♥ should probably set up a game-forcing
Dbl. Pass 2♣ Pass
auction.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, July 6th, 2013
“Artificial Intelligence usually beats natural stupidity.”

— Anon.
Dealer: East North

Last month I told you I would be running occasional deals Vul: East- ♠97
to indicate how well or badly computers play. Here is an West ♥AQ853
♦J97
example of a computer outplaying a human — although ♣K97
as the original reporter (Onno Eskes for IMP magazine) West East
♠865 ♠KQJ42
said, the human being did a pretty good job too.
♥ 10 4 ♥K72
♦Q65432 ♦ 10
At the 1997 Dutch Mixed Pairs Championship, only Tjeerd ♣J8 ♣ Q 10 3 2
Kootstra made 10 tricks in four hearts without assistance South
♠ A 10 3
from the opponents. West led a spade, and East won and ♥J96
shifted to the diamond 10. Kootstra took the ace, played a ♦AK8
♣A654
heart to dummy’s ace, and exited in hearts. East took his
king and reverted to spades, taken by South’s ace. The South West North East
last trump was pulled, and now Koostra played a small 1♠
club from hand, covering West’s eight with dummy’s nine. 1 NT Pass 2♦ Pass
2♥ Pass 3 NT Pass
East won his 10 and played a third spade. Declarer ruffed, 4♥ All pass
cashed the club king, and finessed in clubs to find a
discard for his diamond loser. Nicely done. Opening Lead: ♠5
When Eskes gave the board to GIB (Ginsberg’s Intelligent Bridgeplayer) the play began
the same way. But at trick six GIB ruffed the spade 10 in dummy, drew the last trump, and
played a club to dummy’s king. Next, GIB ducked a club to West’s jack, leaving that player
endplayed to lead into the diamond tenace. This line wins against any doubleton club
honor with West or a 3-3 club break, and does not require the guess of whether to finesse
in clubs or play for the drop on the third round.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this position, a pass by you
South Holds: does not suggest a place to play — not that
♠865 you would object vehemently to defending
♥ 10 4 that contract. (After all, it isn't game.)
♦Q65432 Instead, your pass simply indicates you have
♣J8 nothing to say. If partner runs to one heart,
you won't sit for it if doubled — though it is
South West North East not clear where you will end up.
1♦ Dbl. Rdbl.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, July 7th, 2013

Is a splinter raise a slam-try, or simply a With ♠ A-J-4, ♥ K-Q-8-7-4, ♦ J-7-2, ♣ A-J, my
promise of game-going values? For partner opened one no-trump. I held a 3-4-1-
example, after opening one spade and 5 seven-count, with the diamond ace and
hearing a four-club response, I did not know five clubs to the K-10-9. I transferred to clubs
whether to sign off, cooperate, or drive to and played there, making five — for a
slam, holding ♠ K-Q-7-5-4, ♥ A-Q-5-4, ♦ 10- bottom. Everybody else was in hearts.
2, ♣ A-4. What is your opinion? Should my partner have opened one heart?
Should I have used Stayman in response? I
— Jack Reacher, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. didn't know what to do over a response of
two spades.
ANSWER: In my view, responder's splinter — Raise the Roof, Montreal, Canada
to an opening bid does not guarantee slam
interest, just the values for game. Opener
tends to cooperate only with working cards, ANSWER: Your partner made the right call
where the splinter has improved his hand. in Standard American. A 16-count would be
Here you are clearly worth one effort of four stuck for a rebid after opening one heart.
hearts, intending to pass your partner's sign- YOU were wrong, though. You could have
off in four spades. Consider that a bare hand used Stayman and followed up with two no-
with the spade ace, heart king and diamond trump over a two-diamond response, but
ace, plus the promised singleton club, passing one no-trump looks normal. NEVER
makes slam very playable. transfer into a minor facing a strong no-
trump with a weak hand and only a five-
carder. Switch partner's diamonds and
Dear Mr. Wolff: hearts to see why bidding is so likely to be
wrong.
I think most can agree on what the Jacoby
Transfer's purpose is. Most use this only for
an indication of a five-card suit by the Dear Mr. Wolff:
responder, but why wouldn't it be just as
useful for responder to use transfers to show How far would you go here, when your LHO
a four-card suit? I want to try this convention, has opened one heart and your partner
but my partner won't go along with it. I admit overcalls one no-trump? My hand was ♠ Q-4,
that I surely must be overlooking something, ♥ 9-4, ♦ A-Q-9-7-5, ♣ 6-4-3-2, and I simply
or others would be using it! bid three no-trump. We went down on a
spade lead when my partner had only three
— Pathfinder , Riverside, Calif. spades to the jack and 15 points, but he said
I should have simply invited game.
ANSWER: The simple answer is to use — Tipping Point, St Louis, Mo.
Stayman to find a 4-4 fit and use transfers to
show five. There ARE transfer methods to
show four or five, which have the merit of ANSWER: Your decision to drive to game
concealing declarer's shape, but you then facing a no-trump overcall seems the normal
get into considerable complexity, so I'd action to me. Remember, it is not mandatory
advise against them. to overcall one no-trump on all 15-counts.
The range for the bid is closer to 16-18 in my
This link will show you what I mean. book, particularly when vulnerable. With all
your values in your long suit, you might
make game facing quite limited values.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Playing duplicate at favorable vulnerability, I
held:♠ J-9-4, ♥ 10-9-3, ♦ Q-J-9, ♣ A-Q-7-4.
My LHO opened three diamonds, my partner
doubled, and I had to choose between a call
of four or five clubs, a pass, or the bid of
three no-trump. My partner told me I should
have passed, but I felt that was too much of
a gamble. What do you think?
— No Quitter, Kingston, Ontario
ANSWER: I agree with you. Bidding three

no-trump certainly has a lot to recommend it.
You have the diamonds stopped. If your
RHO has only one diamond, the defense will
not be able to get that suit going. Even if the
defense can set up diamonds and be in
position to run the suit, you may still take
nine tricks before they can get five.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, July 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on July 22nd, 2013
“People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.”
— Jean Jacques Rousseau
Dealer: South North

Consider the play in four spades here, after an Vul: East- ♠KJ852
uninformative auction. West ♥532
♦K8
♣KJ8
West starts by leading the heart jack to East’s ace, and a West East
heart comes back. You win the trick in hand and ♠ 10 6 ♠73
♥ J 10 9 7 ♥A864
presumably plan to draw as many rounds of trump as is
♦Q9432 ♦AJ6
appropriate, ending in hand. With three minor-suit losers ♣ 10 7 ♣Q965
looming if the cards are unfavorably located, can you see South
♠AQ94
how to turn a good contract into an excellent one? ♥KQ
♦ 10 7 5
The answer is to lead the first trump to the jack, ruff ♣A432
dummy’s heart, then draw the second trump with the
queen, (leaving a trump outstanding if it is West who has 1 NT Pass 2♥ Pass
the length) and now lead a club to the eight, rather than to 3♠* Pass 4♠ All pass
dummy’s jack. *Four-card spade fit and a
nonminimum hand
Why? Well the answer is that when East takes the trick,
he is guaranteed to be endplayed. He can only give you a Opening Lead: ♥J
ruff and discard (in which case you ruff in hand and pitch a
diamond from dummy) or lead back a club or a diamond into dummy’s tenaces.
Whichever minor he plays, you have the communication to be able to ensure that you lose
only one more diamond trick, thus making your contract.
By contrast, if you had led a club to the jack as your first play in the suit, East would have
won his queen and returned the suit. When clubs failed to break, you would have had to
fall back on the diamond ace being onside. And when that chance also failed to come
through for you, you would have been sunk.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Leading an unsupported ace is
South Holds: something you should try to avoid if there
♠Q74 are viable alternatives, but today nothing
♥ A 10 5 2 else looks better. It may be that leading the
♦J6 heart ace will simply let you work out what
♣Q943 you should have done, but there is no other
choice that seems remotely attractive.
1♣ 1♥ 1♠
2♥ Pass Pass 2♠
3♥ 3♠ All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, July 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on July 23rd, 2013
“Physicians are like kings — they brook no contradiction.”

— John Webster
Dealer: North North

There is a lot to be said for the idea that playing bridge Vul: Neither ♠ Q 6 5 4 3
against opponents you can trust (either to play well or ♥AJ5
♦K7
badly!) makes your life considerably easier. ♣ 10 6 2
West East
Today’s deal came up in the later stages of a national ♠98 ♠ 10
♥Q64 ♥ K 10 9 7 2
knockout competition, so it was logical for declarer to
♦AJ952 ♦ Q 10 8 4
assume that his opponents would not have done ♣K93 ♣J85
something dramatically inferior in defense. South
♠AKJ72
♥83
Put yourself in South’s seat. You have reached four ♦63
spades, and your chances do not seem so great on a low ♣AQ74
diamond lead, but when dummy’s diamond king holds,
things look up. Also, you can tell that you are playing Pass Pass
against resourceful opponents — just from the opening 1♠ 2♦ 3♦ Dbl.
lead! 4♠ All pass
You draw two rounds of trump, ending in hand, and lead a Opening Lead: ♦5
heart to the jack and king. East cashes a diamond and
returns the heart 10, on which West unblocks the queen. You ruff the last heart, cross to
dummy in trumps, and lead a low club, intending to put in the seven. Naturally, East
thwarts you by playing the club eight, so you try the queen, losing to the king. West
returns a low club. What now?
Well, restricted choice might suggest playing low — but there is a much sounder
argument for putting in the six, the winning play at the table. The reason? East, a fine
player, would have broken up the endplay earlier on by shifting to a club when in with the
heart king had he started with three small clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Let's talk about the art and
South Holds: science of overcalling. Although I strongly
♠Q6543 advocate keeping your two-level overcalls
♥AJ5 up to strength, preferably on six-card suits, I
♦K7 am equally strongly in favor of overcalling at
♣ 10 6 2 the one-level when given the chance. That
means bidding when I have values, or a
South West North East chunky suit, regardless of vulnerability. Yes,
1♥ we'd all prefer better spades, but beggars
? cannot be choosers.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, July 10th, 2013
“It's not how old you are, it's how you are old.”
— Jules Renard
Dealer: West North

The most recent phenomenon in bridge both in America Vul: Neither ♠ A Q 8 7 2
and all around the world is the growing popularity of the ♥ K 10 6 4
♦K5
senior tournament, limited to those 55 and over. ♣J6
West East
Al Levy, a New York player and organizer, reached an ♠KJ64 ♠953
♥QJ95 ♥872
aggressive no-trump game in this deal from a senior
♦J9 ♦ 10 6 4 3
knockout teams after West had opened one club, playing ♣AQ5 ♣ K 10 2
a strong notrump and five-card majors. South
♠ 10
♥A3
Levy, who was favored with the lead of the heart queen, ♦AQ872
resisted the temptation to win in hand, take the heart ♣98743
finesse, and rely on the diamonds splitting. (He would
always have time for that later on.) Instead, he took the 1♣ 1♠ Pass
heart ace and ducked a club. East won cheaply and 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
played a second heart. Now Levy ducked a second club. 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
West pressed on with establishing his hearts by leading a
Opening Lead: ♥Q
third round, and Levy won in dummy and paused for a
reassessment. West’s failure to lead a club, coupled with the play in that suit so far,
persuaded him that the suit was splitting, so he discarded a diamond on the heart,
overtook the diamond king, and gave up a club. When the spade finesse succeeded, he
had nine tricks: three hearts, and two tricks in each of the side-suits.
Did you note that the defense had one chance left in the ending? West could have cut
communications by leading a spade; but it had to be an honor. Leading a low spade would
allow declarer to run the trick to his hand and come home eventually.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you bid two hearts, you
South Holds: suggested you had a minimum hand and at
♠AQ872 least three hearts. (You could be forced to
♥ K 10 6 4 introduce a three-card suit here.) Since your
♦K5 hand is very suitable for play in hearts and
♣J6 you have no particular defense to clubs —
with no wasted values in that suit, you must
South West North East compete to three hearts now.
1♠ 2♣ Dbl. Pass
2♥ Pass Pass 3♣
?
“Time reveals all things.”

— Desiderius Erasmus
Dealer: South North

A decade ago, Michael Rosenberg, considered to be one Vul: Neither ♠ Q 5 4 3 2
of the game’s greatest technicians, wrote an extremely ♥742
♦53
interesting bridge autobiography called “Bridge, Zia … ♣A85
and Me.” It’s a fascinating trawl through his bridge life, and West East
♠K ♠ 10 9 8 6
his partnership with the charismatic Zia Mahmood.
♥98 ♥65
♦ K Q 10 7 6 2 ♦AJ98
The hands are fascinating (but are not for the beginner) ♣J942 ♣ 10 6 3
and his novel outlook gives food for thought. Michael is South
♠AJ7
known as one of the finest card players in the world as ♥ A K Q J 10 3
well as one of the slowest, and you can guarantee that he ♦4
♣KQ7
will never fail to solve a problem because he has not
pondered it long enough. South West North East
2♣ 2♦ Pass 4♦
He claims that today’s deal is his favorite in his book. You 4♥ Pass 5♥ Pass
are in six hearts, and your only chance of making it 6♥ All pass
appears to be if East holds the spade king either singleton
Opening Lead: ♦K
or doubleton. Yet even though West holds the critical card,
you should still make the contract!
West cashes a top diamond and plays another, which you ruff. Now play the rest of your
hearts, discarding two small spades from dummy. Then come the three clubs, ending in
dummy. In the three-card ending, you have reduced to queen-third of spades in dummy
facing ace-jack-third in your hand. If East has not discarded a spade, you finesse. But he
does. Now consider that no-one would discard from king-third of spades in this position.
Therefore, he must have started with four. If they include the king, you are sunk; so you
take your only chance and play to the ace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this auction, when the
South Holds: opponents compete, your partner's reverse
♠Q5432 shows real extras, with four hearts and at
♥742 least five clubs. You do not need to repeat
♦53 your spades here, since partner will
♣A85 introduce three-card support if he has it, and
if he doesn't, you do not want to play
South West North East spades. A simple three-club call here is
1♣ Pass natural and nonforcing and sums up your
1♠ 2♦ 2♥ Pass hand perfectly.
?
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flying.”
— Robert Herrick
Dealer: South North

Most Souths reached three no-trump in this deal, but Vul: East- ♠KQ4
many missed a simple point in the play, there being a right West ♥AJ53
♦K6
and a wrong way to maximize the possibilities in hearts. ♣9875
West East
West led the diamond queen against the no-trump game, ♠ 10 9 ♠8763
and you realize that playing on clubs would be too slow ♥ 10 7 6 2 ♥Q84
♦ Q J 10 4 2 ♦953
because the defense would almost always come to three ♣AJ ♣K64
tricks in the suit, plus at least two diamonds. South
♠AJ52
♥K9
Therefore, you have to go after hearts, and since you ♦A87
have six top winners in spades and diamonds, you need ♣ Q 10 3 2
three heart tricks for the contract. The simple finesse of
the jack works half the time, but if it fails, you will be 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass
doomed in the absence of an unlikely squeeze. Contrast 1♠ Pass 2♦ Pass
leading a heart to the nine — also a 50 percent chance, 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
since East will hold the 10 half the time. If it loses, one
Opening Lead: ♦Q
defender or the other will have started with queen-third a
third of the time. The combination of the chances gives you a two-thirds chance of
success.
One more trap: You cannot afford to duck the opening diamond lead because if the heart
finesse fails, there may be five tricks immediately available to the defense via three clubs
and one trick in each red suit. So win the opening lead with the diamond king in dummy
and finesse the heart nine. The finesse loses to the 10, but with East holding queen-third
of hearts, there will be nine tricks for the taking when you regain the lead.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If ever there was an eight-count
South Holds: that cried out for balancing action at the
♠ 10 9 three-level, this is it. You have weak length
♥ 10 7 6 2 in a suit that the opponents have bid and
♦ Q J 10 4 2 raised, and as a result you can confidently
♣AJ expect partner to be short in hearts and
(since partner did not bid spades) to have
South West North East reasonable length in diamonds. For the
1♣ Pass 1♥ record, your partner's shape rates to be
Pass 2♥ Pass Pass
close to 4-1-3-5.
?
“Happiness is not the absence of problems; it's the ability to deal with them.”
— Steve Maraboli
Dealer: North North

The small slam in spades was a fair bet on this deal, but Vul: Both ♠AK96
the trump break seemed to make South's task impossible. ♥74
♦K83
Never a player to give up lightly, declarer set West a ♣AKQ5
problem that he failed to solve. West East
♠3 ♠Q54
♥KQ3 ♥98652
West led the club jack and, after winning, declarer played
♦QJ72 ♦ 10 9
off the two top trumps to reveal the loser in the suit. With ♣ J 10 9 8 7 ♣632
no clear idea in mind, he led a third trump and noted that South
♠ J 10 8 7 2
West (who had already thrown a club) brooded for a little ♥ A J 10
before discarding the diamond two. After winning with his ♦A654
♣4
trump queen, East pushed through the heart nine.
At this point South could have settled for one off, but 1♣ Pass
risking a larger loss, he won with the heart ace and played 1♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
off his remaining trumps. On the first of these, West threw 6♠ All pass
the heart queen, but on the last, something vital had to go.
Opening Lead: ♣J
In the vain hope that his partner held 10-third in
diamonds, West let a second diamond go and suddenly South had four tricks in the suit.
It was true that West was squeezed, but he knew that declarer now had only 10 top tricks.
A club discard looks illogical since it would give South an 11th trick immediately. However,
West would now be discarding after declarer (who would have to use the diamond king to
reach the clubs), and there would be no additional pressure on the defenders, with East’s
heart eight now controlling that suit if necessary.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Once East is known to have
South Holds: extra length in hearts, the chance that
♠AK96 partner also has too many hearts (and thus
♥74 only a three-card spade suit) is greatly
♦K83 diminished. That being the case, you should
♣AKQ5 invite game, rather than drive to game, and
the simplest way to do so is to jump to three
South West North East spades. If partner cannot bid game now, you
1♥ won't make it!
Dbl. Pass 1♠ 2♥
?

There is always a quote with your column When my partner opened one spade and the
and I wondered why. Is there any next hand overcalled two no-trump for the
significance to the quotations that run with minors, what should I have done with ♠ A-6-
Aces on Bridge? 4, ♥ K-J-4-3-2, ♦ 9-4, ♣ Q-3-2?
— Bartlett Junior, Richmond, Va. — Unusual Suspects, Janeville, Wis.
ANSWER: The quote has been part of the ANSWER: Where there are two known suits
column for as long as I can remember. My on your right, you can use the higher cue-bid
twisted mind tries to produce a link between to show a limit raise in spades – so a three-
the column material or a participant in the spade bid by you becomes competitive, what
deal, and the quote. Where I cannot think of you would do if your spade ace were the
anything to link to, I look for an entertaining jack. You can use the low cue-bid for a good
or thought-provoking line. hand with hearts, the fourth suit, planning to
raise spades later to invite game.
Meanwhile, a three-heart bid would be
Dear Mr. Wolff: nonforcing with six hearts.
To a player holding a balanced hand with
four decent clubs, you recommended a Dear Mr. Wolff:
passive lead of a spade against the
unopposed sequence of one club – one What precisely is a support double? They
diamond – one spade – one no-trump – two seem to be all the rage at my club! Do you
no-trump. Since his partner rated to have advocate playing them? And when you have
four hearts and moderate values, why would a long suit and support for partner, which
you not lead the heart five from ace-third? takes priority?
— Attack Dog, Park City, Utah — Learner, Miami, Fla.
ANSWER: Partner has likely heart length ANSWER: Most expert pairs playing strong
(declarer might be 4-5 in the reds, I no-trump use support doubles, though in my
suppose), but it feels that leading from an opinion they should be optional, not
ace is only right if we want to be active. Even compulsory. Opener can double any action
when partner has four hearts, we could below two of his partner's suit to show three-
easily be setting up a critical trick for card trump support, while a direct raise of
declarer. When dummy's long suit doesn't partner guarantees four trumps. However,
rate to be splitting, go passive. with a terrible hand you should have
discretion to lie. Equally, you may care to
repeat a good six-carder, then raise partner
Dear Mr. Wolff: later if the suit quality suggests it.
This was my partner's hand: ♠ A-Q-7-5-4,
♥ A-K-7-5, ♦ 4, ♣ K-9-4. He opened one
spade, and after I bid the Jacoby two no-
trump to show a spade raise, the next player
jumped to four diamonds. My partner bid
Blackwood, and the player to his left bid five
diamonds. How could we have combatted
this?
— Running Wild, Spokane, Wash.
ANSWER: Many experts play DOPI when

the opponents intervene after Blackwood
below your trump suit. Double shows no
aces; pass shows one ace; step one shows
two aces, etc. If you play keycard responses,
use those steps instead. With higher
intervention, one can play DEPO — double
is an even number of aces, while passing
shows an odd number, typically one, and the
steps start at three.
“So always look for the silver lining

And try to find the sunny side of life.”
— P.G. Wodehouse
Dealer: South North

There are few bridge players whose names have entered Vul: Both ♠Q2
into common parlance — perhaps Stayman and ♥9874
♦AQ985
Blackwood are two that have achieved immortality. ♣Q5
Another possible candidate, at least in the expert West East
♠ K J 10 9 8 6 5 ♠43
community, is Alphonse Moyse, whose championing of
♥3 ♥652
the 4-3 trump fit meant that this holding is often referred to ♦6 ♦7432
as a Moysian fit. ♣ K 10 9 7 ♣8432
South
♠A7
Moyse, whose heyday as a player was in the 1950s and ♥ A K Q J 10
who was a long-time editor of the Bridge World magazine, ♦ K J 10
♣AJ6
was credited with playing this grand slam, in which the
auction is a throw-back to earlier and simpler times. South West North East
2♥ 2♠ 3♦ Pass
The two-heart opening was strong, and the three-diamond 4 NT Pass 6♥ Pass
bid was a free bid promising extra values. Four no-trump 7♥ All pass
was Culbertson, promising three aces, and the seven-
Opening Lead: ♥3
heart call was not unreasonable, in the hope that North
had six diamonds.
West led a trump against the grand slam, and Moyse could have settled for the club
finesse, but the auction had suggested that West had most of the outstanding cards.
Accordingly Moyse played five rounds of trump, discarding the club queen from dummy.
Then came the spade ace followed by the run of the diamonds.
As Moyse placed West with the club king, there was no escape for the defenders. The
spade queen in dummy forced West to keep his king, and thus to bare his club king. At
trick 12 Moyse played a club to the ace, taking the last two tricks and bringing home the
grand slam.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If you could get opening leads of
South Holds: this sort right every time, you would never
♠ A 10 6 4 lose any event at bridge again! This is a
♥83 problem with no right answer. A club lead is
♦J852 absurd, but a spade away from the ace into
♣Q52 a strong hand is unattractive, while a heart
lead is too likely to clear up a guess for
South West North East declarer. That leaves a diamond — not so
1 NT attractive either, I admit.
All pass
“He either fears his fate too much,

Or his deserts are small.
That puts it not unto the touch
To win or lose it all.”
— James Graham, Marquis of Montrose
Dealer: North North

In today's auction North cue-bids at his first turn to show a Vul: Neither ♠ A 7 2
limit raise in hearts, and South has enough to jump to ♥A96
♦9764
game, despite some concerns about his kings being badly ♣K43
placed because of the overcall. West East
♠ Q J 10 8 4 ♠963
♥7 ♥Q85
On the lead of the spade queen, South will have to play
♦AQ3 ♦ 10 8 5 2
carefully to make. Of course, he could succeed by playing ♣A962 ♣ 10 8 7
East for the trump queen, but there is a far better line. South
♠K5
South wins the spade king and ace and ruffs the spade ♥ K J 10 4 3 2
loser in hand. Then he leads the club queen to knock out ♦KJ
♣QJ5
the club ace; West is forced to win and can only exit with
another club. South wins the club jack, cashes the heart South West North East
ace, and then takes the club king. (On a bad day West Pass Pass
might ruff the third club, but if he did, declarer could 1♥ 1♠ 2♠ Pass
4♥ All pass
reasonably hope he would have no more trumps left and
thus be compelled to lead away from the diamond ace or Opening Lead: ♠Q
to provide a ruff-sluff by playing spades.)
As it is, when the club king lives, the key play follows. South leads a second trump from
dummy and, when East follows with a low heart, finesses the jack. If the finesse wins,
South is safe; he must give up two diamonds but has 10 tricks. If the finesse loses, West
will be out of hearts and must open up the diamonds or give South a ruff and discard.
Either way, South is home free.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no clear-cut action here,
South Holds: since you really have no idea if you want to
♠A72 defend on this hand or find partner's five-
♥A96 card suit if he has one. My guess would be
♦9764 to double for takeout and let partner pick a
♣K43 trump suit. Even if your partner bids a weak
suit, he can surely score his small trumps by
South West North East ruffing diamonds in his hand.
1♦ Dbl. 2♦
?
“Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable and amusing than much
money without ingenuity.”
— Arnold Bennett
Dealer: West North

While the world junior championships were being played Vul: Both ♠98
in Bali nearly 20 years ago, a tournament to celebrate ♥J63
♦ 10 7 5 4 2
Indonesia(s 50th anniversary was being run ♣K84
simultaneously. This problem came up for the British team West East
♠ 10 6 5 4 ♠72
— and was not solved at the table. Because they failed to
♥9 ♥KQ8752
qualify for the final stages by the smallest of margins, it ♦A ♦Q98
was an expensive slip. ♣AQJ9532 ♣ 10 6
South
♠AKQJ3
South handled his very powerful hand sensibly enough in ♥ A 10 4
the auction, although North might have reasoned that the ♦KJ63
♣7
club king was not likely to be pulling its full weight. The
final contract of four spades looks next to impossible, South West North East
even on the lead of the diamond ace. 1♣ Pass 1♥
Dbl. 3♣ Pass Pass
However, after a lot of thought, West switched to the club 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
ace, then played the heart nine, which went to East’s
Opening Lead: ♦A
queen and declarer’s ace. What next? The line chosen at
the table was to draw four rounds of trump and try the heart 10, but East ducked that, and
declarer had no chance now.
Can you spot the winning line? It is not so bizarre; West’s auction and opening lead
suggest he has seven clubs and the bare diamond ace. You need to win the first heart
and play West to be 4-1-1-7. You can test the theory by playing three top trumps, then
throw West in by leading your low trump, forcing him to play a club for you. Now you have
an entry to dummy to take the diamond finesse, and eventually a second parking place for
your losing hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a hand where it is clear to
South Holds: respond two hearts rather than make a
♠72 negative response and then bid hearts or
♥KQ8752 transfer into the suit. The two-heart
♦Q98 response will never rob partner of his natural
♣ 10 6 rebid, and when you have a hand that is
marginal for slam, you should strive to show
South West North East a positive initially with a good suit.
Pass 2♣ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on August 1st, 2013
“Two and two the mathematician continues to make four, in spite of the whine of the
amateur for three, or the cry of the critic for five.”
— James McNeill Whistler
Dealer: East North

At the Dyspeptics Club the players are not given to Vul: East- ♠ A 10 9 7 6 2
introspection. Thus it was remarkable that after South had West ♥A
♦4
made his game, he reconsidered his play and admitted ♣ 10 9 7 6 3
that he had missed the best line. West East
♠KJ543 ♠Q
Against five diamonds doubled, West led the heart eight, ♥ K 10 8 ♥QJ97654
♦Q9 ♦ 10 8
won with dummy’s ace. South cashed the spade ace and ♣Q85 ♣AK2
led a second spade, East ruffing in with the diamond 10 South
♠8
and South overruffing. Declarer ruffed his heart loser with ♥32
dummy’s solitary trump and now had the problem of ♦AKJ76532
♣J4
returning to his hand to draw trump.
Worried that East would ruff in again, promoting a trump 1♥
trick for West. South decided to play a club instead. East 5♦ Dbl. All pass
tried to cash two rounds of the suit, relying on his partner
for a trump trick. So South made his doubled game. Opening Lead: ♥8
South was not slow to comment that perhaps East might have played a low club after
winning his king, putting his partner in with the queen for another spade play to generate
the trump promotion. However, there was no need for declarer to give the opponents this
opportunity. Do you see what he had missed?
South was right to worry about the trump promotion but found the wrong solution. He
should simply have played a spade anyway, and when East ruffs in, then South discards a
club. Even if East is able to put his partner in for a further spade play, there are only two
trumps out and declarer has the ace and king, so no further trump promotion is possible.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: First question: Is three clubs
South Holds: forcing? And if not, should it be? In my view
♠KJ543 the call is not forcing but that doesn't mean
♥ K 10 8 your partner has a subminimum opening bid,
♦Q9 just that he doesn't have enough to drive to
♣Q85 game facing a 10-count. You may not make
three no-trump, but your fitting clubs and
South West North East ability to stop hearts mean you must make
1♣ 2♥ the call.
2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on August 2nd, 2013
“We will now discuss in a little more detail the struggle for existence.”
— Charles Darwin
Dealer: South North

In the following deal, while South's breaking the transfer Vul: East- ♠ K Q J 10 6
with the leap to four spades may have been a marginal West ♥985
♦K74
action, the final slam contract is superb. How would you ♣K7
play it when West leads the club jack? West East
♠4 ♠732
♥ K 10 7 4 ♥63
The best plan is to win the club ace and draw trump in
♦ Q 10 8 6 ♦953
three rounds. After crossing to the club king, eliminating ♣ J 10 8 6 ♣Q9543
that suit, try a heart to East’s six and your queen. The only South
♠A985
dangerous situation is when the full deal is as shown ♥AQJ2
today. ♦AJ2
♣A2
If West trusts his partner’s echo to be based on a
doubleton heart (and since he knows his partner has a 2 NT Pass 3♥ Pass
Yarborough, he ought to get this right) he may well be 4♠ Pass 4 NT Pass
able to work out that if he wins his heart king, he will be 5♣ Pass 6♠ All pass
endplayed. A red-suit return would concede an extra trick,
Opening Lead: ♣J
either to the heart nine or to South’s diamond jack. A club
return would give declarer a ruff-and-discard for the losing diamond.
Suppose therefore West smoothly plays low, allowing South’s heart queen to win. If you
have not considered this situation, pause to think how you would continue from this point.
It is no good crossing to the diamond king and playing a heart to the jack. West will win
and exit safely with the heart 10, killing the heart discard.
Remarkably, the winning continuation is to cross to the diamond king and run the heart
nine when East follows low! Here, West can win with the 10 but now he is truly endplayed.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This feels like a hand where your
South Holds: best result will surely come from penalizing
♠4 the opponents (or at least defending two
♥ K 10 7 4 diamonds undoubled if your partner has a
♦ Q 10 8 6 balanced hand). By passing now, you let
♣ J 10 8 6 your partner reopen with shortage in
diamonds. If he doubles for takeout, you will
South West North East bid two hearts to suggest a minimum hand
Pass 1♠ 2♦ with hearts.
?
by Bobby Wolff on August 3rd, 2013
“I imagine, joking apart, that to know love, one must make mistakes and then correct
them.”
— Leo Tolstoy
Dealer: South North

Dummy did not have much to offer in this deal, but Vul: Both ♠982
declarer wrapped up 10 tricks in his spade contract with ♥74
♦A863
seeming ease. In fact, West had missed a defensive point ♣ 10 7 6 4
that might well have eluded almost everybody. West East
♠J5 ♠ A 10 4
West led the diamond queen against four spades, and, ♥83 ♥K965
♦ Q J 10 7 4 ♦K52
after winning in dummy, declarer finessed the heart queen ♣KJ93 ♣Q52
successfully, cashed the ace, and led a low heart. West South
♠KQ763
was quick to rush in with his trump jack and followed by ♥ A Q J 10 2
forcing South with a diamond. ♦9
♣A8
Now the fourth round of hearts was ruffed in dummy with
the nine, and the spade eight led and run when it was not 1♠ Pass 2♠ Pass
covered. At this point another trump lead from dummy 4♠ All pass
finished matters, and declarer made game with the loss of
just two spades and a club. Opening Lead: ♦Q
Hard as it may be to see, West’s ruff of the third round of hearts was premature. Say he
discards a diamond instead and allows dummy to ruff. Declarer comes back to hand with
the club ace and plays a fourth heart. It is only now that West ruffs with his spade jack and
plays a diamond. With no entry to dummy, South must lose two more tricks to East’s
remaining trump holding, as well as a club.
It was certainly a difficult defense to find at the table, and you may need to work through
the play in detail before you are convinced — just as I did!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In third seat it must be right to
South Holds: open this hand, but I'm not sure whether to
♠ A 10 4 open one club or one heart. With a one-bid
♥K965 hand, as here, I will open a four-card major,
♦K52 but this suit does not really qualify — give
♣Q52 me the jack as well and I would open one
heart. So one club it is. As a general policy,
South West North East open in third seat whenever you have close
Pass Pass to opening values or a suit you want partner
? to lead.
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, July 21st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on August 4th, 2013

In response to a strong two-club opening, What do jumps to five of a major typically
would you please comment on the two show? I was faced with the following
diamond response as a waiting bid, as sequence: one heart – two clubs – two
opposed to showing a suit or controls, with hearts – three hearts – four diamonds – five
an immediate response of two hearts being hearts. Is the last bid an asking bid or a
a double negative. statement about something specific?
— Norma Jean, Boise, Idaho — Asking or Telling?, Madison, Wis.
ANSWER: I prefer to use two diamonds as ANSWER: There are many auctions where
waiting or negative because that can be three suits have been bid (or where the
combined well with a method espoused by opponents have bid a suit). In those cases a
Eric Kokish. In these methods opener's rebid jump to five of the agreed major asks for a
of two no-trump shows 22-24, and two control in the danger suit – here, spades. In
hearts forces a call of two spades. Now other sequences a jump in the trump suit
opener rebids no-trump with a balanced most commonly asks for good trump,
game-force; minor suits show that minor plus suggesting the bidder has especially poor
longer hearts; three hearts is single-suited trump, but a good hand in all other respects.
hearts. Even if not playing that, I don't think Occasionally, though, the reverse is true:
the immediate double negative via two The call shows good trump and nothing to
hearts is very useful. cue-bid — you generally know which!

Would the sequence one club – three clubs Holding ♠ Q-5-4, ♥ A-J-7-3-2, ♦ K-4, ♣ 10-5-
– four clubs – five clubs ever be bid by two 2, must I overcall over an opening of one
experts, especially two experts who are not club and one diamond? Does the
a regular partnership? To put it another way, vulnerability, or whether partner has passed,
could the above sequence be described as affect your decision?
intelligent? With what hands would this be a
sensible route to the club game? — In the Weeds, Birmingham, Ala.
— Heart to Heart, Bremerton, Wash.
ANSWER: Some would argue that a space-
consuming overcall (robbing your LHO of the
ANSWER: Since we never invite facing an chance to bid one diamond in the first
invitation, four clubs is either pre-emptive or instance) should be made more aggressively
a one-suited slam-try with no singleton (else than one that takes no space. I do not buy
a splinter), not interested in no-trump but into this, but I would overcall unless at
looking for a cue-bid from partner. Your unfavorable vulnerability, facing a passed
sequence is highly unlikely, since opener, partner. I do not think the scoring method
with slam interest facing a limit raise, surely matters here — but change my heart jack
has a second suit or shortage and would into the 10, and I would be more discreet.
describe his hand or ask for aces, not
reraise his suit.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Does the concept of a free bid or a free raise
still apply? If so, can you explain when it is in
use?
— Django, Sacramento, Calif.
ANSWER: The concept of the free raise

showing extra values is best forgotten. One
has to compete with a fit for partner, with or
without values. So raise partner when you
can — except that with a dead minimum and
defensive values, especially with bad trump,
passing initially may be wisest. The one
place where a free action promises slightly
more than in a parallel noncompetitive
auction is that a one-no-trump response to
an opening bid in competition tends to be a
good 7-10 rather than 6-9.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, July 22nd, 2013
“Authority forgets a dying king.”

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Dealer: North North

Since the summer nationals will be starting very shortly in Vul: Neither ♠ Q 4
Atlanta, all this week's deals come from last summer's ♥Q9654
♦5
national tournament in Philadelphia. ♣KQ743
West East
This deal was played in the first qualifying session of the ♠ K J 10 3 2 ♠—
♥73 ♥ A K 10 2
von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs. See if you can find the
♦K3 ♦AQJ64
textbook defensive play found by at least two defenders. ♣8652 ♣ A J 10 9
South
As West you are happy to pass for penalties when your ♠A98765
♥J8
partner finds the reopening double of the pre-emptive two- ♦ 10 9 8 7 2
spade call. For want of anything better to do, you lead ♣—
partner’s suit, kicking off with the diamond king. The
singleton diamond in dummy is not a welcome sight. How Pass 1♦
do you proceed? 2♠ Pass Pass Dbl.
All pass
At least two defenders — Billy Eisenberg and Glenn
Milgrim — found the play to collect the maximum penalty: Opening Lead: ♦K
the spade king. After that shift, declarer could win the ace,
but if she ruffed a diamond with dummy’s queen, the trump trick West had seemingly
given up would come back.
Incidentally, on a medium spade switch, declarer could have put up the queen, ruffed out
the club ace, then ruffed a diamond low and taken a discard on the club queen. At the
end, West would be the victim of a trump endplay, and declarer would have finished only
one down.
At these two tables, and quite possibly a few others, the end result was plus 500 for the
defenders, good for close to a 90 percent result.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have a tricky choice, on a
South Holds: hand where it is not clear that you really
♠Q2 want a ruff. Partner's bidding would be
♥ K 10 7 4 consistent for some with a hand with a bad
♦953 spade suit, or a dead minimum overcall and
♣QJ93 decent spades, or even a hand with spades
and diamonds. So leading your spade honor
South West North East might easily cost you a trick. That argues for
Pass 1♦ Pass 1♥ risking partner's wrath by leading a club
Pass 2♥ 2♠ 3♥ honor.
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013
“No man thinks there is much ado about nothing when the ado is about himself.”
— Anthony Trollope
Dealer: East North

Paul Trent was one of the top players in the country in the Vul: Both ♠AK76
'60s. His wife, Sandy, may be less well-known but is no ♥ K J 10 4
♦ 10 3 2
less accomplished, as this deal from the second qualifying ♣KQ
session of last summer's von Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs West East
♠Q532 ♠ J 10 9 8
demonstrates. Sandy was South.
♥976 ♥852
♦98765 ♦KJ
Against the club slam, West led the diamond nine to the ♣5 ♣ A 10 3 2
king and Sandy’s ace. She played a trump to the queen South
♠4
and ace, won the diamond return to test trumps, and ♥AQ3
found the bad news. ♦AQ4
♣J98764
Now she cashed the spade ace and king, carefully
discarding the heart ace. She ruffed a spade to hand, led Pass
a heart to dummy’s 10, then ruffed another spade to play 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass
the heart queen from her hand to dummy’s king. Next she 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
3♣ Pass 4♣ Pass
advanced the heart jack, prepared to overruff if East could
ruff in. Whether East could follow or not, his sure trump
trick was about to vanish. At the table Sandy could Opening Lead: ♦9
discard her diamond when East followed suit, and the
lead was in dummy at trick 12 for a trump coup.
Note that the defenders would have probably beaten the slam on a spade lead. Declarer’s
normal line of play is to win the ace and play a trump (though yes, ruffing a spade is
probably better, to prepare for the possible trump reduction against the 4-1 break). East
can take the first trump and return a trump, dislodging a critical entry from dummy. After
that, declarer would be unable to make the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The question here is whether to
South Holds: drive to game because of your intermediates
♠ J 10 9 8 or to consult partner. At teams, if vulnerable,
♥852 I would bid game. At any other form of
♦KJ scoring I would only invite game. At
♣ A 10 3 2 matchpoints, try to go plus and not risk thin
games. At teams, if nonvulnerable, you do
South West North East not need to stretch to 50-50 games.
Pass Pass 1 NT Pass
2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
?
“Some say be careful what you wish for. Well, I'd be more wary of not wishing at all.”
— Anon
Dealer: West North

In this deal from the Morehead Grand National Teams Vul: Neither ♠ A 7 5
Championship Flight at Philadelphia last year, both ♥ A 10 9 3
♦Q642
defenders found the same winning play (both ducking). ♣A7
The featured defenders are Chris Compton and Bart West East
♠J93 ♠ Q 10 8 6 2
Bramley.
♥865 ♥J4
♦ A K J 10 8 7 ♦3
Against four hearts Compton started with the diamond ♣K ♣QJ982
king, switching to the spade three at trick two. Declarer South
♠K4
won in hand and played the diamond nine. Compton ♥KQ72
covered with the 10, knowing his partner was going to ruff. ♦95
♣ 10 6 5 4 3
Bramley did so, returning the heart jack to dummy’s ace.
Now declarer played the club ace, fetching the king from South West North East
Compton, followed by the club seven. Bramley, with no 1♦ Dbl. 1♥*
trumps left, inserted the club eight, and when South 2♥ Dbl** Pass 2♠
covered, Compton ruffed and played his last trump to
*spades
defeat the contract.
** Three-card support
A trump lead always defeats the contract, but declarer
Opening Lead: ♦K
could have succeeded after Bramley ruffed and returned
the heart jack. After winning the heart ace in dummy, declarer should play as follows: ruff
a diamond, play a spade to the ace, ruff a diamond, lead a club to the ace, ruff a spade,
exit with a low club. From there, declarer cannot be prevented from taking three trump
tricks in dummy for the contract.
However, once declarer embarked on the losing line by cashing the club ace and
continuing the suit, Compton needed to get in to play a second round of hearts. Bramley
made it easy for Compton by not trying to win the critical trick. Protecting your partner
from error is never a bad idea.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It looks natural to bid two
South Holds: spades, but when your partner doubles for
♠ Q 10 8 6 2 takeout, suggesting extras, that is not really
♥J4 enough. Your partner has at least three
♦3 spades in this auction, so your choice is a
♣QJ982 jump to three spades, or going all the way to
game. I choose the former, mainly because I
South West North East don't want to discourage partner from
1♦ 1♥ 2♦ reopening light in the future.
Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
?
“Better by far you should forget and smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.”
— Christina Rossetti
Dealer: North North

When today's deal came up at the summer nationals last Vul: Both ♠A9764
year, Ziggy Marcinski of Canada not only solved this ♥6
♦A864
problem, but also submitted it to the bulletin, thereby ♣932
earning himself special thanks from those who like a good West East
♠ K 10 3 ♠—
puzzle.
♥ K 10 8 4 3 ♥Q9752
♦ 10 ♦KQJ75
Put yourself in his position: You declare four spades after ♣QJ54 ♣ 10 8 7
East has suggested a two-suited hand with diamonds and South
♠QJ852
a major. Against your game, West leads the diamond 10. ♥AJ
Plan the play. ♦932
♣AK6
The key to the deal is not whether to finesse or play for
the drop in trumps — it is surely right to finesse. Given Pass Pass
that the spade finesse rates to work, can you guard 1♠ Pass 2♣* 2 NT
against a 3-0 break in trumps when you might lose a club, 3♣ Pass 4♠ All pass
two diamonds and a trump? *Drury (a sound spade-raise)
The answer is yes, but you must be careful to strip the Opening Lead: ♦10
hand. You should win dummy’s diamond ace and lead a
heart to your jack at trick two! Your idea is to try to keep East off lead for the duration of
the deal, thus preventing him from being able to cash his diamond winners.
West takes the heart and plays a club. You win and run the spade queen, ducked by
West. East shows out, so you cash the heart ace to pitch a club, then ruff out the clubs,
cash the spade ace, and throw West in with the spade king to give you a ruff-sluff for the
contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Despite your awkward holding of
South Holds: three small cards in declarer's second suit,
♠A9764 you have just enough to jump to three
♥6 diamonds to suggest invitational values and
♦A864 diamond support. Aces tend to be somewhat
♣932 undervalued in a complex hand of this sort.
(With the king-jack of spades instead of the
South West North East ace, you might content yourself with a call of
1♦ Pass two diamonds.)
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
?
“As Tammie glowered, amazed and curious,

The mirth and fun grew fast and furious.”
— Robert Burns
Dealer: North North

At last summer's nationals, the winners of the von Vul: Both ♠ J 10 9
Zedtwitz Life Master Pairs were Alan Osofsky and Alan ♥Q4
♦ Q 10 9
Sontag. This board came from the final session. Against ♣J9873
the uninspiring contract of one heart, West led a diamond. West East
♠K87 ♠AQ42
Sontag won, cashed his other diamond, and exited with a
♥72 ♥ A J 10 6
spade. East took this with his queen and shifted to a club, ♦J86543 ♦72
West capturing declarer's 10 with his queen. West ♣Q6 ♣K54
South
returned his second club, dummy's seven winning. ♠653
♥K9853
Declarer called for the diamond queen, and now East ♦AK
♣ A 10 2
erred. If he had ruffed low, the defenders would still have
been in control. But he ruffed with the 10, and South South West North East
discarded a spade. West ruffed the third club, cashed his Pass 1♣
spade king, then led his last spade. Sontag carefully 1♥ All pass
ruffed with his heart five and made his second nice play
Opening Lead: ♦5
when he led the heart eight to dummy’s queen. East won
with his ace and played his last spade, but South ruffed with his heart three and could
overruff with dummy’s heart four, since West was reduced to nothing but diamonds and
could not overruff. Now a club lead executed a trump coup, declarer’s K-9 of hearts being
poised over East’s heart J-6.
That brilliant play by Sontag for plus 80 was worth 49.5 matchpoints out of 51. If the
contract had gone down one, he and Osofsky would have received 38 matchpoints – a
difference of 11.5. And they won the trophy by just 11 points!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Even though your partner's
South Holds: double may be more focused on the majors
♠ J 10 9 than the minors, you should compete to two
♥Q4 clubs at once. If you don't bid now, you may
♦ Q 10 9 feel obliged to bid at your next turn when the
♣J9873 stakes will be higher and the auction more
risky. Bid now and tell your story in one go.
1♦ Dbl. 1♥
?
“Then, welcome each rebuff

That turns earth’s smoothness rough,
Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand but go!”
— Robert Browning
Dealer: South North

See if you can play four spades as well as Philip Soulet Vul: Neither ♠ 10 8 7 3
did in the round of 64 in the Spingold Knockout Teams ♥A874
♦ J 10
from Philadelphia last summer. ♣J93
West East
West led the diamond three, and. East covered dummy’s ♠Q92 ♠6
♥ Q 10 ♥J652
diamond 10 with the king. Soulet (South) won the
♦Q853 ♦K9642
diamond ace, took the top two spades (learning that West ♣K764 ♣ 10 8 2
had three to the queen), then cashed the top two hearts, South
♠AKJ54
West following with the queen and 10. ♥K93
♦A7
Soulet then exited with the diamond jack. West won the ♣AQ5
queen and could cash his spade winner, but had no good
play from there. Since a diamond would have given a ruff 2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
and discard and let declarer pitch his heart loser from 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
hand, West switched to a club, but Soulet could put in
dummy’s nine. Had this forced the king, he would have Opening Lead: ♦3
had no club loser at all. When East could cover with the
10, Soulet won cheaply and drove out the heart jack. He could win the club return with the
ace and lead a trump to dummy to discard his losing club on the heart eight.
In practice, though, so long as West held either the 10 or king of clubs, it didn’t matter
whether West’s doubleton heart consisted of high or low cards. Had the queen and 10 of
hearts not appeared, then after winning the club queen, Soulet could have cashed the
club ace and thrown West in with the club king. That would have forced a ruff and discard
to make the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It looks tempting to raise to two
South Holds: clubs, but with your soft stoppers in the
♠Q92 majors, it feels better to limit the hand with a
♥ Q 10 call of one no-trump. If the opponents
♦Q853 compete again, you might bid on to three
♣K764 clubs, but for the time being, I'd consider
your hand one on which to aim low.
1♣ 1♦
?

At rubber bridge South plays in two spades, When the opponents open a strong no-
but West has 100 honors in spades. Does trump, how much do you need to double?
West get honors points? Would ♠ A-Q-4, ♥ A-10-4, ♦ K-10-5-4, ♣ Q-6-
3 be enough?
— Honor System, Wausau, Wis.
— Steam Engine, Ketchikan, Alaska
ANSWER: Yes indeed. I've been the victim

at the table when my partner played four ANSWER: My advice is not to double one
hearts doubled and vulnerable and his RHO no-trump unless you hold the maximum end
had 100 honors in hearts. I've never been of the opponents' no-trump, or unless you
the beneficiary, but I'm still young. hold a good suit and an attractive lead. With
this hand I would advocate caution. Who
knows, the opponents may give you a
Dear Mr. Wolff: second chance!
I held ♠ 4, ♥ J-9, ♦ K-Q-10-8-6-5-4-3, ♣ Q-5.
Playing pairs, what should I open in first seat Dear Mr. Wolff:
at unfavorable vulnerability? At any other
vulnerability I might toy with opening four or In a recent home game I was called because
five diamonds. Should I pull in my horns one player had managed to lose a card in
here and open only three diamonds? the play. Everyone started with 13 cards
though. I just want to know whether the
— Timid Soul, Menominee, Mich. result should count or be thrown out.
— Butterfingers, Vancouver, Wash.
ANSWER: A four- or five-level pre-empt
would be justified nonvulnerable, but at
unfavorable vulnerability I would open four ANSWER: If everyone started with 13 cards,
diamonds only in first chair. In second seat, you can't throw the deal in. If one player
vulnerable, your pre-empts should be more played two cards to the same trick, I assume
disciplined — there is one fewer opponent to you would just carry on and the player with
pre-empt, after all – so opening three one fewer card is unlucky. If the deal was
diamonds would be fine. defective, it shouldn't count.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

How good a hand do you need to make a
takeout double and then bid again? Is it
better to overcall or double first with ♠ A-Q-6-
5-4-3, ♥ K-J-4, ♦ A-9-3, ♣ 7 when your RHO
opens one club?
— Homing In, Mason City, Iowa
ANSWER: With the popularity of weak

jumps, regular overcalls have become much
more constructive, so that it would not be out
of line to overcall one spade here, intending
to act again later to show extras – if there is
a next time. Make the diamond nine the
queen, and most would double, then bid
spades.
“The more things man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.”
— George Bernard Shaw
Dealer: West North

In a team game, West opened one spade, was passed Vul: East- ♠ Q 10 8 7 6
around to South, who was willing to risk bidding at least West ♥96
♦ A Q J 10
six hearts, but had no way to let North know what was ♣84
needed for seven. By bidding only hearts and clubs before West East
♠AKJ54 ♠932
jumping to slam, he tried to give the impression that he
♥73 ♥54
was worth a drive to slam, but was missing a trick in one ♦K9876 ♦5432
of those two suits. ♣7 ♣ Q J 10 9
South
♠—
North got the message that his partner had longer hearts ♥ A K Q J 10 8 2
than clubs, but felt obliged to pass six hearts in spite of his ♦—
♣AK6532
diamond ace because he could not be sure his partner’s
hearts were entirely solid. Of course, seven hearts can be South West North East
made with a 3-2 club split, but on the lead of the spade 1♠ Pass Pass
king, it was up to South not to waste his energies on what 2♠* Pass 3♦ Pass
3♥ Pass 3 NT Pass
might have been and to focus on making the contract he 4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
was in. 6♥ All pass
*Two-suiter, game-forcing
South found the solution when he ruffed the opening lead
and, before playing any trump, cashed one high club, then Opening Lead: ♠K
led a low club, and eventually ruffed a club in dummy with
the heart nine to make his contract.
By playing one high club and one low one, South guarantees the contract unless clubs
break 5-0. This is clearly the best available play, since if declarer draws even one round of
trumps, the defenders can arrange to prevent the club ruff in dummy. The overtrick is
irrelevant unless South is playing pairs — and maybe even then!
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With partner limited in his
South Holds: possible high cards (he didn't act over one
♠ J 10 3 2 club despite apparently being short in clubs),
♥J3 your best chance looks to be in diamonds.
♦Q3 Leading the diamond queen may cost a trick
♣J9652 or solve a guess for declarer, but nothing
else is likely to give you a chance to set the
South West North East game.
1♣ Pass 4♥
All pass
“Danger, Will Robinson, danger!”

— Irwin Allen
Dealer: North North

In response to your overcall, West leads the heart jack Vul: East- ♠AQ52
against four spades. Plan the defense. West ♥43
♦AJ
♣ A Q 10 6 3
In situations of this sort it is sometimes difficult to West East
approach the problem because your instincts point you in ♠94 ♠76
♥ J 10 2 ♥AK985
the wrong direction. So let me prompt you with some
♦ Q 10 8 6 4 ♦K53
questions. Let’s agree that our target is to take four tricks ♣974 ♣K82
and that we do not mind conceding overtricks in exchange South
♠ K J 10 8 3
for a chance to defeat the game. How many quick tricks ♥Q76
does our side have? The answer is that we have two ♦972
♣J5
hearts and we have to assume that we have a club trick
coming, or we can surely never defeat this game. South West North East
1♣ 1♥
Our best chance of a fourth winner is our diamond king. 1♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
Can we just sit back and wait to score our two tricks in the 4♠ All pass
minors? No indeed!
Opening Lead: ♥J
As soon as declarer knocks out our club king, then — no
matter what his original club holding — he is surely going to have as many winners as he
needs to discard slow diamond losers from his hand. Additionally, even if that were not so,
declarer is probably threatening to pitch dummy’s slow diamond loser on the heart queen.
If this is the case, you have no hope of defeating the game unless partner has the
diamond queen. If so, you need to switch to a diamond now, before either the clubs or
hearts are established for a diamond discard. Therefore play a diamond at once, and
hope for the best.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Let me put it on record that a
South Holds: new suit in response to an overcall of a
♠76 weak bid must be played as forcing, or you
♥AK985 deprive yourself of the chance to have an
♦K53 intelligent conversation. Here the choice is to
♣K82 blast to three no-trump, to cue-bid with three
diamonds and follow with three no-trump, or
South West North East to bid three hearts now. I'd bid three hearts,
2♦ 2♠ Pass though the cue-bid is a reasonable
? alternative.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
“Love thy country, wish it well,

Not with too intense a care;
‘Tis enough that when it fell
Thou its ruin did not share.”
— Bubb Dodington
Dealer: West North

Both defenders were to blame for allowing South’s game Vul: North- ♠ Q 10 9 8 5
to make. In response to his partner’s overcall, West led South ♥ 10
♦AKJ
the club four. Declarer rose with dummy’s ace, cashed the ♣AQ82
top diamonds for a club discard – West following with the West East
♠A2 ♠K63
two and three – and when East’s queen dropped,
♥54 ♥A76
continued with the diamond jack, looking for all the world ♦ 10 9 8 6 4 3 2 ♦Q7
like a player with another club to jettison. ♣43 ♣ K J 10 7 6
South
♠J74
East ruffed low; South overruffed, then followed up with ♥KQJ9832
the heart jack. East took the ace and returned the club ♦5
♣95
king, but South ruffed, drew the rest of the trump, and
conceded two spades. Game made. South West North East
Pass 1♠ 2♣
East certainly did not shine. Even if West had started with 4♥ All pass
a singleton club and the club king had stood up, with West
being able to overruff declarer on a third club, that, along Opening Lead: ♣4
with the trump ace, would only have represented three
tricks. East should have appreciated that to defeat the contract, West needed to hold the
spade ace. That being so, the fourth defensive trick would have to come from either a
spade ruff or the club king.
Therefore, East should have played a low spade to partner’s ace and hoped that he could
tell what to do from West’s subsequent action. When West returns the spade deuce, the
ruff should be delivered.
West wasn’t blameless, though. He should have given a clear suit-preference signal of the
10 on the second diamond, and underscored it with the nine on the third.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have just enough to make
South Holds: one game-try (without those spade
♠ Q 10 9 8 5 intermediates I would feel passing two
♥ 10 spades was the wisest approach) and by far
♦AKJ the most descriptive call is a bid of three
♣AQ82 diamonds. This strongly suggests your
precise hand-pattern, after which you can
South West North East abide by partner's decision as to level and
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass strain.
2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, August 1st, 2013
“O but we dreamed to mend

Whatever mischief seemed
To afflict mankind …..”
— W.B. Yeats
Dealer: South North

With a strong trump suit, all the ace-kings, plus good Vul: East- ♠KQJ
distribution, North-South should have no difficulty climbing West ♥85432
♦AK83
to a small slam. Indeed, some might reach the grand slam ♣5
— but six spades is challenging enough today. West East
♠— ♠ 10 9 7 6 2
♥ Q J 10 9 ♥76
South wins the opening lead, and plays a spade to
♦QJ652 ♦ 10 9
dummy. After discovering the bad break in trumps, South ♣Q842 ♣ 10 9 7 6
needs to maneuver to take six tricks in the side suits, South
♠A8543
three spade tricks in dummy, and three spade tricks in his ♥AK
own hand. Declarer should cash all of his side winners ♦74
♣AKJ3
before starting his crossruff to prevent East from ruffing in
prematurely. (Delaying cashing the clubs would not be South West North East
fatal here, but could easily be on a different day.) Declarer 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
must also arrange to play from dummy after cashing all 3♣ Pass 3♠ Pass
4♥ Pass 5♦ Pass
his six plain winners to be able to lead through East as 5♥ Pass 6♠ All pass
often as possible.
Opening Lead: ♥Q
East has a choice of defenses when declarer leads a red
card from dummy at the eighth trick: If East discards a club, South ruffs low, ruffs a club in
dummy, and leads a heart. He then discards if East ruffs high or scores his spade eight at
once.
If East ruffs low, South overruffs with the eight and continues the crossruff. East cannot
prevent him from singling in his last small trump at trick 12.
East’s best defense is to ruff high, but South can counter by discarding a club and will
then crossruff and score all his small trumps one way or another.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This deal brings two
South Holds: contradictory principles into play. The first is
♠KQJ that with a one-bid hand, you should
♥85432 normally overcall in a five-card major rather
♦AK83 than doubling. The second is that you should
♣5 not overcall in bad suits when you have a
safer, more sensible alternative. Today, the
South West North East second principle wins out. I'd rather double
1♣ and risk losing the 5-3 heart fit than play
? hearts when I shouldn't.
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, August 2nd, 2013
“The dream alone is of interest. What is life without a dream?”

— Edmond Rostand
Dealer: North North

Former president of the European Bridge League Bill Vul: Both ♠K92
Pencharz reported this deal, played by Mary Gordon at ♥A73
♦ K J 10 3
his duplicate bridge club in the depths of central France. ♣A98
As he said, Mary is a fine intuitive player, and when this West East
♠J43 ♠AQ8765
deal came up at her table while she was playing with Bill,
♥9 ♥862
she got it right, without apparent pause for thought. Few ♦A9865 ♦2
of us would have been able to duplicate her play — or her ♣QJ42 ♣K76
South
speed. ♠ 10
♥ K Q J 10 5 4
Defending four hearts, after a spade to East’s queen, a ♦Q74
♣ 10 5 3
diamond to West’s ace and a diamond ruff, East didn’t
have the courage to switch to a club, which would have South West North East
broken up the position. Instead, he played a heart, giving 1 NT 2♠
Mary her chance. 4♥ All pass
Five rounds of hearts followed (two clubs being discarded Opening Lead: ♠3
from dummy) and two further rounds of diamonds saw the
lead in dummy in a three-card ending, with North holding the K-9 of spades and the bare
club ace while declarer had two clubs and a trump left.
Both defenders now needed to keep two spades or declarer could establish a winner in
that suit. If East bared his spade ace, declarer would ruff a low spade to hand, and if West
came down to the bare spade jack, declarer would lead the spade king from dummy to
establish the dummy’s nine.
Accordingly, both defenders reduced to one club. Mary cashed the club ace, ruffed a
spade to hand, and took her long club at trick 13.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner signed off facing
South Holds: your limit-raise or better in diamonds. What
♠K92 now? It would be premature to bid three no-
♥A73 trump directly. Try three hearts, hoping
♦ K J 10 3 partner can bid three no-trump with a
♣A98 positional club stop such as the queen. If he
temporizes with a three-spade bid, you will
South West North East be forced to bid three no-trump, having
1♦ 2♣ shown doubt in the process.
3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, August 3rd, 2013
“It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by
having no ideas at all.”
— Edward de Bono
Dealer: South North

When you are short of entries to a hand, a little lateral Vul: Both ♠J7652
thinking may get you to the position you require. Today's ♥874
♦Q6
deal provides an example. ♣ A 10 5
West East
Against four hearts West led the diamond king and ace, ♠ Q 10 4 ♠98
on which the seven then two from East suggested a ♥3 ♥652
♦AKJ95 ♦8732
holding of four diamonds. Declarer played low from ♣J984 ♣K762
dummy on West’s switch to the club four, and East won South
♠AK3
with the club king as declarer followed low. East now ♥ A K Q J 10 9
carefully returned a club to South’s queen, and after ♦ 10 4
♣Q3
drawing trump, declarer had to rely on the spade queen
dropping. It didn’t; and down went the game. South West North East
2♣ 2♦ Pass* Pass
South’s play lacked imagination. We can all see that if the 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
spade queen drops, declarer is home. But there is a 4♥ All pass
second string to declarer’s bow, which he failed to *Value-showing
consider. If South had unblocked his club queen under the
Opening Lead: ♦K
king at trick three, the opportunity to finesse West for the
club jack is a valid possibility if the spade queen fails to oblige.
This unblock will also come up in positions such as the doubleton queen facing A-9-2 or
K-9-2, when West leads the jack and East takes the trick with his high honor. Unblocking
the queen leaves a finesse against the 10.
Incidentally, East did well to return a club to South’s queen at trick four. On a major-suit
return, South would have won, drawn trump, and tested the spades. Then he can run the
rest of the trumps and squeeze West in the black suits.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It would be nice for North to be
South Holds: able to make a support double of two
♠J7652 diamonds, not to show extras, but three-card
♥874 spade support. That lets the simple raise to
♦Q6 two spades show four trumps, often critical
♣ A 10 5 in deciding what level to compete to. Without
such an agreement, I'd guess to pass as
South West North East South. Doubling for takeout now would
1♣ Pass require at least the heart queen in addition to
1♠ 2♦ Pass Pass my values.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, August 4th, 2013

After an opening suit bid is doubled and In second seat, after a pass on your right,
redoubled, does that set up forcing passes nonvulnerable versus vulnerable opponents,
on opener and his partner? The sort of you pick up ♠ Q 6-3, ♥ K-Q-J-10-4-2, ♦ Q-J-
sequence I am thinking of starts: one heart - 3, ♣ 6. I thought that reasonable choices
double – redouble. When the overcaller or would be two hearts or pass, but my partner
his partner runs to two clubs, would a direct chose one heart. I was expecting a different
pass be forcing on both players? type of hand — a couple of quick tricks, for
example. The results were NOT pretty.
— Sold Out, Las Vegas, Nev.
— Wright Brothers, Greenville, S.C.
ANSWER: The redouble forces opener or

his partner to bid again at low levels (below ANSWER: In second seat this is nothing
two of the opened suit). So if the auction approaching a one-level opening (even at
goes as you suggest, you cannot let the favorable vulnerability). Since you can't beat
opponents play two clubs undoubled – you seven clubs (you have no sure winners), a
have to act again. Exceptions might be weak two is just fine. For the record, change
made for a third-in-hand opening bid, the hand to ♦ K-10-9 and I'm on the fence,
though. but would bid two hearts vulnerable. I would
never, ever, pass though.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
I had always thought that pre-emptive bids
were for defensive purposes and used when Can you comment on how to play a suit
you are the opening bidder or you are combination such as three to the ace-king
bidding after the opponents have opened the facing four to the queen-nine? Specifically if
bidding. At today's bridge club I was dealer you cash the ace and king from your hand
and opened one club and my partner jumped and the 10 appears on your right, should you
to three diamonds with ♠ J-8, ♥ 5-3, ♦ K-Q-9- finesse on the third round, in the absence of
8-7-5-3, ♣ 10-4. Was his bid correct? further clues?
— Fifth Beatle, Fort Walton Beach, Fla. — Deep Thoughts, Elmira, N.Y.
ANSWER: I think that while some play ANSWER: The numbers to compare are
strong jumps and some play pre-emptive whether your RHO is more likely to have J-
jumps facing an opening, most play weak 10-x or either of J-x or 10-x. The odds
jumps in competition. Equally, the default strongly favor the finesse here. If you are
meaning of the double jump facing a minor is unconvinced, I suggest you look here.
weak, but a splinter (strong with a fit and
shortage in the bid suit) facing a major. So
yes, this would be a pre-emptive jump.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

What is the correct procedure for using the
STOP and ALERT cards? I'm a newbie to
Duplicate Bridge and suspect either I or my
opponents aren't being consistent in their
use.
— Tyro, Duluth, Minn.
ANSWER: With the STOP card I put the

card on the table before my bid and
announce, "Skip bid, please wait." Then I
make my call and pick up the card after
approximately 10 seconds. With the ALERT
card I say "Alert" and pick up that card and
put it close to my partner's call, to make sure
that whether my opponents are short-sighted
or hard of hearing, they do have a chance to
register it.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, August 5th, 2013
“Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue.”
— Demosthenes
Dealer: South North

One of the most heartbreaking boards in the 1995 Vul: Neither ♠ Q J 6
Marlboro Bermuda Bowl in Beijing occurred right at the ♥853
♦Q2
end of the quarterfinal match between France and China. ♣K8653
The Chinese had led narrowly throughout their match, West East
♠7543 ♠AK8
until the penultimate hand came up.
♥ J 10 ♥AQ942
♦87654 ♦93
In the closed room for the French, Philippe Cronier had ♣ 10 9 ♣Q74
raised a 16-18 no-trump to game, and on a spade lead South
♠ 10 9 2
Michel Lebel had wrapped up 10 tricks with the aid of the ♥K76
favorable club split, for plus 430. ♦ A K J 10
♣AJ2
By contrast, in our featured room, Shao for China opened
a 15-17 no-trump, and rejected his partner(s invitation 1 NT Pass 2 NT All pass
because of his sterile distribution. The largely Chinese
audience gasped, but realized that on any normal lead Opening Lead: ♥J
declarer would finish up with 10 tricks. The loss would be
only 6 IMPs, and the home team would still lead by 1 IMP.
However, that was not the way it worked out. Michel Perron for France led a devilish heart
jack, and Shao won his king and considered his alternatives. If he took the club finesse
and it lost, then the defense would certainly have at least six winners to cash. It looked
much better to play on spades. All that was needed was an original 4-3 split in hearts.
Accordingly, declarer gave up a spade, and the defense cashed their four heart and two
spade winners for one down, and a 10 IMP swing to France, who won the match by 3
IMPs. If the heart suit had divided evenly, the match would have been tied and would have
gone to extra boards.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The lead of the heart queen may
South Holds: cost your side a trick in hearts, but when
♠K653 faced with a hand where there is no good
♥Q6 practical alternative, settle for the simple
♦Q83 choice. Bear in mind declarer may have a
♣J952 strong hand with a doubleton heart king and
what he hopes for is a running minor — in
South West North East which case he is about to be sorely
Pass 2♥ 3 NT disappointed.
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, August 6th, 2013
“We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually
reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is
not true.”
— Robert Wilensky
Dealer: South North

Over the last few months I have been addressing this Vul: Both ♠42
question: How well do computers measure up to humans ♥AQ75
♦KJ
when it comes to the bidding and play of the cards? ♣Q7632
West East
Much depends on how well they are programmed, of ♠ Q 10 9 5 ♠7
♥ J 10 ♥983
course, plus computers still don’t cope with bidding that
♦ A Q 10 8 7 ♦9432
well. But they frequently best humans in cardplay, ♣54 ♣ A K 10 9 8
especially when the auction has been properly explained South
♠AKJ863
to them. ♥K642
♦65
Today’s deal shows how computers stack up against the ♣J
world’s top declarers. Onno Eskes of the Netherlands
tested the computer with the following hand from the 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
Macallan tournament in London a decade ago. At all eight 2♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
tables the contract was four hearts, against which West
led the trump jack. Opening Lead: ♥J
Three experts went down but five out of eight declarers played the hand in exemplary
fashion. The computer GIB joined this expert group (Andrew Robson, Gabriel Chagas,
Franck Multon, Lars Blakset and Mark Bompis) by carefully taking the heart queen and
leading a spade back to the ace. Then came a heart to the ace and a spade from the
table. East could ruff in front of declarer, but he knew he would be ruffing a loser;
therefore, he did his best by discarding a diamond. All the declarers won the king, then
ruffed a spade in dummy, and were overruffed. East played a diamond to the ace and
West exited with a club. But South ruffed, ruffed another spade in dummy, and had the
remaining spades plus the diamond king for his 10 tricks.
South Holds: ANSWER: Were you tempted to overcall?

♠42 Remember that the minimum requirement
♥AQ75 for a two-level overcall is a six-card suit or a
♦KJ very decent five-card suit, but the quality of
♣Q7632 your clubs is unsatisfactory. If the club two
were the king, you might overcall, but you
South West North East would feel you might be be flirting with
1♦ disaster.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, August 7th, 2013
“The standing is slippery, and the regress is either a downfall or at least an eclipse.”
— Francis Bacon
Dealer: West North

While the world junior championships were being played Vul: East- ♠98
in Bali 15 years ago, a tournament to celebrate West ♥J63
♦ 10 7 5 4 2
Indonesia(s 50th anniversary was being run ♣K84
simultaneously. This problem came up for the British team West East
♠ 10 6 5 4 ♠72
— and was not solved at the table. As they failed to
♥9 ♥KQ8752
qualify for the final stages by the smallest of margins, this ♦A ♦Q98
was an expensive slip. ♣AQJ9532 ♣ 10 6
South
♠AKQJ3
South handled his very powerful hand sensibly enough, ♥ A 10 4
but North might well have reasoned that the club king was ♦KJ63
♣7
not likely to be pulling its full weight. The final contract
looks next to impossible, even on the lead of the diamond South West North East
ace. 1♣ Pass 1♥
Dbl. 3♣ Pass Pass
However, after a lot of thought West switched to the club 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
ace, then the heart nine to East’s queen and declarer’s
Opening Lead: ♦A
ace. What next? The line chosen at the table was to draw
four rounds of trump and try the heart 10, but East ducked that, and declarer had no
chance now.
Can you spot the winning line? It is not so bizarre; West’s bids and opening lead suggest
he has seven clubs and the bare diamond ace. You need to win the first heart and play
West to be 4-1-1-7. You can test the theory by playing three top trumps, then throwing
West in by leading your low spade to force him to play a club for you. Now you have an
entry to dummy to take the diamond finesse, and eventually you will establish a second
parking place for your losing hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you failed to act at your
South Holds: first two turns and took a minimum call at
♠98 your next turn, your partner had every right
♥J63 to expect a very weak hand. If he is still
♦ 10 7 5 4 2 interested in game, you must bid five
♣K84 diamonds. Whatever you have must be at
least as much as he has a right to expect.
Pass 1♥ Dbl. 1♠
Pass 2♠ Dbl. Pass
3♦ Pass 4♦ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, August 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on August 22nd, 2013
“Verse sweetens toil, however rude the sound;

She feels no biting pang the while she sings;
Nor, as she turns the giddy wheel around,
Revolves the sad vicissitudes of things.”
— Richard Gifford
Dealer: South North

At the Dyspeptics Club complaining about bad luck is Vul: Both ♠ Q 10 8
something of an art-form. ♥964
♦K83
♣AQ87
Here South grumbled that he should have followed his West East
instincts instead of wasting time getting a complete count ♠A32 ♠64
♥AK8532 ♥ J 10
of the hand when the diamond queen was with West, the
♦Q4 ♦ 10 9 7 6 5
short hand, instead of with East, the long hand. While he ♣95 ♣ J 10 4 2
had a point, of sorts, he had missed a simple clue at the South
♠KJ975
end that would have eliminated any guesswork. ♥Q7
♦AJ2
Against four spades West led the heart king, continued ♣K63
with the ace, then played a third round to kill off dummy’s
now established nine. East ruffed, South overruffed, and 1♠ 2♥ 3♥ Pass
started on trumps. West won the second round and got off 4♠ All pass
lead with his last trump, while his partner discarded two
diamonds. Opening Lead: ♥K
When South tested the clubs, he found they were 4-2. At this point it was clear that West
had started with three spades, six hearts, two clubs and hence only two diamonds.
Playing, as he thought, with the odds, declarer crossed to the diamond king and finessed
the jack, only to lose to West’s now bare queen.
Either opponent could have held the missing queen, granted, but before testing the clubs,
declarer should have played off his last trump, throwing a diamond from the table. Then,
after running the club winners, in the three-card end position East has to keep his club
jack, so must come down to only two diamonds. Now, irrespective of its whereabouts, the
diamond queen must fall in two rounds.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A hand that can't open or
South Holds: overcall at its first turn can't sensibly jump at
♠KJ975 its next turn to show a single-suited hand.
♥Q7 Here the three-club call is a fit jump — say,
♦AJ2 four-card spade support and ace-queen fifth
♣K63 of clubs. You have a little in hand for your
overcall, but not enough shape to drive to
South West North East game. Bid three diamonds to show where
1♦ Pass 1♥ you live, and let partner determine if he has
1♠ Pass 3♣ Pass enough to bid game.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, August 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on August 23rd, 2013
“I bend but I do not break.”

— Jean de La Fontaine
Dealer: South North

Most of the rules in bridge have an underlying grain of Vul: North- ♠A85
sense to them. Equally, it is almost impossible to construct South ♥ K 10 8 3
♦J5
a rule where one cannot find an exception. A typical rule ♣K976
that is generally but not always right is the prohibition West East
♠J764 ♠ Q 10 9 2
against giving a ruff-sluff. Today's deal shows when a
♥72 ♥54
defender can break that rule. ♦ K Q 10 9 3 ♦8764
♣J3 ♣Q54
North-South had an optimistic but straightforward auction South
♠K3
to slam, though North’s decision to set up a game-force ♥AQJ96
with a relatively balanced hand persuaded South to ♦A2
♣ A 10 8 2
overbid by using Blackwood, when perhaps cue-bidding
would have kept the contract low. In general, the use of South West North East
the Jacoby two-no-trump response should be restricted to 1♥ Pass 2 NT* Pass
hands better than a dead-minimum opening bid. 4 NT Pass 5♥** Pass
6♥ All pass
Declarer took the diamond king lead, drew trump, *Forcing heart raise
eliminated the spades, and exited with a diamond to leave **Two of the five key cards, counting
the four aces and trump king
West on play in the six-card ending. Before she led to the
next trick, she paused to count out declarer’s distribution. Opening Lead: ♦K
South was marked with having started with 2-5-2-4
distribution, so a ruff-and-discard would not advance declarer’s cause — either the clubs
were solid to start with, or there would still be a loser. Conversely, touching clubs might
surrender the defenders’ trick in that suit if East had the club queen and declarer played
for split honors. So West exited with the diamond 10, and declarer had to lose a club at
the end.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have the shape and values
South Holds: to bid one no-trump here. The bid of a major
♠A85 in response to an overcall can be made on a
♥ K 10 8 3 four-card suit but not one as weak as this,
♦J5 particularly when you have a sensible
♣K976 alternative, and certainly not after the
negative double by your RHO, which
South West North East suggests he has both majors.
1♣ 1♦ Dbl.
?
by Bobby Wolff on September 3rd, 2013
“Unto the man of yearning thought

And aspiration, to do nought
Is in itself almost an act.”
— Christina Rossetti
Dealer: South North

In today's auction North should not jump to four spades Vul: East- ♠ K J 10 9 8 7
immediately (which is essentially a pre-emptive bid) lest West ♥AQ3
♦654
he shut his partner out of a slam. East should restrain ♣2
himself from competing at too high a level without the West East
♠5 ♠A
highest ranking suit at unfavorable vulnerability. A takeout
♥ 10 8 5 ♥KJ94
double of two no-trump looks completely reasonable, ♦ K 10 8 7 ♦J932
however. South has an absolute minimum opening bid, so ♣76543 ♣ A J 10 9
South
jump to game to deny slam interest and no one will have ♠Q6432
anything more to say. ♥762
♦AQ
♣KQ8
The lead of the club seven marks South with at least K-Q-
8 in that suit, so East should resist the temptation to play South West North East
third-hand high. He should withhold his club ace to avoid 1♠ Pass 2 NT* Dbl.
setting up two discards from dummy. There is no hand 4♠ All pass
South can hold, consistent with the bidding, whereby East *Game-forcing spade raise
can let the contract through by holding up his club ace.
Opening Lead: ♣7
However, even after that start, the defense still has work
to do. When East wins his spade ace, he must lead a diamond to avoid setting up an extra
trick for declarer.
Equally, when West eventually wins the diamond king, he must lead a heart to avoid a
throw-in play against his partner. (If he does not do so, then after eliminating diamonds,
declarer could throw East on lead with the third club and force a heart lead back into
dummy’s A-Q.)
After all this work, the defense gets back two tricks in the red suits in exchange for the
club ace and defeats the game.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I'm often asked if I could include
South Holds: the vulnerability in the bidding problems.
♠ K J 10 9 8 7 This deal is certainly one where your action
♥AQ3 might be different depending on the
♦654 vulnerability. I'd bid two spades in second
♣2 seat vulnerable, but would open one spade if
nonvulnerable. By contrast, in first seat a
South West North East one-spade opening looks right at all
Pass vulnerabilities.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, August 10th, 2013
“No pressure, no diamonds.”

— Thomas Carlyle
Dealer: East North

Today's hand is from the semifinals of the Junior (Under Vul: East- ♠AJ7
25) Championship at the 2010 World Bridge Series. Here, West ♥ Q 10 7
♦Q872
Israel faced USA-1, and although Israel went on to win the ♣ A 10 6
final, USA-1 showed considerable verve in the bidding, West East
♠532 ♠KQ986
reaching six hearts in an auction that consisted of 13
♥2 ♥85
calls, whereas Israel did not progress beyond game. I ♦ K 10 6 ♦J953
have provided a natural sequence to get to slam here. ♣J97532 ♣Q4
South
♠ 10 4
Since East for Israel had doubled North’s five-spade ♥AKJ9643
response to Roman Key Card Blackwood, West led a ♦A4
♣K8
spade. Jason Chiu, for USA-1, showed that he could
handle the cards as well as he could bid them. He ducked South West North East
the spade lead, and on winning with the queen, returned a Pass
trump. 1♥ Pass 2♦ Pass
3♥ Pass 4♣ Pass
4 NT Pass 5♠* Dbl.
Chiu proceeded to play out all his trumps, and on the last
6♥ All pass
one West naturally came down to the guarded diamond
*Two of the five key cards, including
king and three clubs, while dummy kept two spades and the trump king, plus the trump queen
three clubs. East had to keep both his clubs to protect his
Opening Lead: ♠2
partner from a club finesse on the second round of the
suit, and since he had sole control of the spade suit, was
thus forced down to only one diamond.
Now came a spade to the ace, forcing a diamond from West, who was obliged to keep
three clubs because of the threat in dummy. That allowed Chiu to take the ace and king of
clubs, then the diamond ace, with the diamond four winning trick 13.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The simplest call is sometimes
South Holds: the best. Jump to three no-trump to show
♠AJ7 13-15 points in a balanced hand, since a
♥ Q 10 7 jump to two no-trump should be reserved for
♦Q872 invitational balanced hands, with about an
♣ A 10 6 11-count.

1♣ Pass
?

My partner and I had a disagreement about My hand was ♠ —, ♥ Q-10-7-3, ♦ K-10-5-4,
whether a double was for takeout or ♣ A-Q-7-6-5. I opened one club and raised
penalties. Holding ♠ A-4-3-2, ♥ Q-4, ♦ Q-5-4, my partner's one-heart response to three
♣ 9-7-6-4, I heard my LHO open one because of my ruffing values. We got to a
diamond. My partner doubled, and when my slam, which could have been made, but
RHO bid one heart, I doubled, believing it to wasn't. Afterwards, my partner felt that a
be negative. Was that wrong? simple raise would have been enough from
me because of my lack of high cards.
— Accentuate the Negative, Trenton, N.J.
— Sporting Life, Jackson, Miss.
ANSWER: In this sequence a double of one

heart is penalties, not takeout. With an unbid ANSWER: Whenever you have an
major, as here, you simply bid that suit unopposed sequence like this, with a hand
yourself. However, by contrast, if the having few high cards, you can be quite
opponents had bid and raised the same suit, confident that your partner has a good hand.
the double would have been takeout. After all, the opponents haven't bid spades,
so they must be weak. If so, you may get
into trouble by overstating your values with a
Dear Mr. Wolff: jump raise. You will never miss game by
starting low — in fact, once you do, you will
In today’s Texarkana Gazette, a player in get a chance to cooperate later with a
fourth seat held ♠ Q-7-6-3, ♥ K-7-2, ♦ K-5, clearer conscience.
♣ Q-10-9-4. He heard one diamond on his
left, one heart from his partner, and a
negative double to his right. You mentioned Dear Mr. Wolff:
the options of a cue-bid or raising to two-
hearts with a weak 10-pt hand. But might What is the modern approach to jumps by
you pass, forcing the opponent to bid, thus responder in support of opener at his second
helping you judge how far to go on the next turn – are they played as forcing or
round? invitational?
— Walter the Walrus, Texarkana, Texas — Old School Tie, Joplin. Mo.
ANSWER: In general, support with support, ANSWER: The simple answer is that almost
and only pass and back in with one of two everything that sounds nonforcing is! After
hand-types: those too weak to raise an unopposed bidding sequence (one club –
immediately and those with adequate HCP one heart – one spade) all jumps by
but weak or short trump. With values and responder, whether to three clubs, three
support, don’t delay in showing partner, hearts, or three spades, would be
since that helps him judge much better what invitational, not forcing. Use the fourth suit
to do. Walking the dog with huge support (or New Minor) to set up a game force.
might work occasionally – but not here. A
redouble would show a good hand, though
probably less in hearts than here.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Is it ever possible to pass a demand bid of
two clubs? I held four small clubs, and three
cards in the other suits, with just one queen.
The problem in our group is that some are
opening two clubs with just 19 points.
— Chickening Out, Raleigh, N.C.
ANSWER: Alas, you can't break discipline

and make a gambling bid to play a 3-0 fit,
then use the excuse: "You didn't have your
bid last time." Trust partner till you know
something is wrong — and you don't yet
know it on this hand. Remember the two
club opening could be a game-force or so in
any suit, or balanced, and only rarely shows
clubs. Respond two diamonds with little or
nothing, after which any suit-call from
partner is still forcing for one round. In fact, it
is hard to stay out of game, even with a
Yarborough!
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, August 21st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on September 4th, 2013
“A gambler never makes the same mistake twice. It's usually three or more times.”
— Terrence Murphy
Dealer: West North

One of my readers, Orville St. Clair, sent me this deal. He Vul: North- ♠AQ82
was playing a practice session with three students of his, South ♥A
♦Q542
on which he took a shot at six clubs. ♣KJ32
West East
He won the heart opening lead with the ace and pulled a ♠ J 10 3 ♠K64
♥ 10 7 6 3 ♥K9842
round of trumps, revealing the 2-1 split. So he led a
♦ K 10 8 7 3 ♦J96
second round, winning in hand. ♣5 ♣ 10 7
South
Now the spades had to be played for one loser. St Clair ♠975
♥QJ5
realized that he would make if East had either the king or ♦A
the J-10 of spades. But before leading spades, he cashed ♣AQ9864
the diamond ace in case he could drop the king. Next he
led the spade seven, intending to run it to East, but West Pass 1♦ 1♥
put in the 10, covered by the queen and king. Back came 2♣ 2♥ 4♣ Pass
a diamond, ruffed, followed by a heart ruff and a diamond 6♣ All pass
ruff. When the king did not appear, St. Clair finessed in
Opening Lead: ♥7
spades for his contract.
In addition to the bridge hand, St. Clair mentioned that he had been a gambler on the
horses when he was young. In a fashion that would make all of us investors proud, he
recently correctly named all winners in a Pick-Six. For the first time in his life, he bought a
brand new car, and will now focus on mentoring younger players as his way of paying
back the friendly folks who helped him when he was just starting in the game. It is very
satisfactory when good things happen to nice guys.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner is NOT bidding two
South Holds: no-trump in an attempt to play there or in a
♠AQ82 no-trump game. As a hand that passed
♥A twice, he is scrambling for the best trump
♦Q542 suit. He rates to have a weak hand with both
♣KJ32 minors and wants you to pick your longer
suit. It is good strategy for responder to bid
South West North East the cheaper suit in such instances, so bid
Pass 1♥ three clubs and hope for the best.
Dbl. 2♥ Pass Pass
Dbl. Pass 2 NT Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, August 22nd, 2013
“It was, of course, a grand and impressive thing to do, to mistrust the obvious, and to pin
one's faith in things which could not be seen!”
— Galen
Dealer: North North

The question of whether to lead the only unbid suit when Vul: Both ♠A9865
the opponents have confidently reached three no-trump is ♥A
♦Q865
a vexing one. Michael Rosenberg, formerly of Scotland, is ♣A54
now a world champion in the United States. He resisted West East
♠K3 ♠ J 10 7 4
the impulse to lead the fourth suit in this deal from the
♥Q762 ♥ 10 9 5 4
1995 Vanderbilt and regretted it. ♦ A 10 4 3 ♦J2
♣K92 ♣863
Rosenberg, playing with Zia Mahmood, led a diamond to South
♠Q2
the jack and king and ducked the club queen. He took the ♥KJ83
diamond nine with the ace, played a heart, and declarer ♦K97
♣ Q J 10 7
won this to try a spade to the queen and king. Back came
a second spade to the nine and 10. South West North East
1♠ Pass
Zia as East had a choice of three losing options. When he 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
chose a heart, declarer won the king and played the club 2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
3 NT All pass
jack, ducked by Rosenberg again. Now a finesse of the
diamond eight was the ninth trick. Opening Lead: ♦3
This hand represented a 12-IMP swing against the number one seeds in the Vanderbilt
Trophy and it represented most of the margin of their loss in that event. The underdog
team included Brian Platnick and John Diamond, for whom I had forecast great things at
the time they were practicing for the world junior championships, an event they went on to
win. Indeed, they have since gone on to collect the open world title in Philadelphia in
2010. Not all my predictions have worked quite as well, so I must make the most of my
accurate ones!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner has shown a strong
South Holds: hand and interest in penalizing the
♠K3 opponents. With a balanced defensive hand,
♥Q762 it looks right to me to double rather than to
♦ A 10 4 3 pass. Partner doesn't have to sit for this with
♣K92 extreme club shortage, but assuming he has
a balanced hand, your best bet looks to be
South West North East to defend.
1♦ Dbl. Rdbl. 2♣
?
“Whither is fled the visionary gleam?

Where is it now, the glory and the dream?”
Dealer: East North

In the World Championships held last summer in Lille, Vul: North- ♠Q85
Patrick Jourdain of Wales reported on the match between South ♥8753
♦J4
the English Seniors (who at that point were undefeated, ♣AK95
and had a clear lead in their group) when they met their West East
♠94 ♠ 10 7 3 2
closest follower, Israel.
♥42 ♥AK9
♦ A 10 9 8 7 3 ♦52
At the other table Israel had reached three no-trump. On a ♣862 ♣QJ43
diamond lead, given the risk that there might not be time South
♠AKJ6
to establish a heart trick (particularly if East could win the ♥ Q J 10 6
first heart to play a second diamond), declarer might well ♦KQ6
♣ 10 7
have been tempted into the double club-finesse. However,
South chose to play on hearts instead, and with the South West North East
diamonds 6-2, plus West having no entry, the game came Pass
home easily enough. 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
By contrast, at our featured table, where Gunnar Hallberg
Opening Lead: ♥4
and John Holland faced David and Daniela Birman, a
simple Stayman auction led to four hearts by South. David Birman led a trump, and
Daniela won with the king and switched to the diamond five.
David Birman took the inference first that his partner held the two top trumps, and
secondly that had South had a singleton diamond, it would have been right for her either
to cash both top trumps before playing the diamond, or to win the first trump lead with the
ace. So Birman ducked the diamond with an encouraging card. Now East won the next
trump and led a second diamond to the ace and received her overruff to set the game.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you are dealt a sequence,
South Holds: but partner has overcalled in another suit,
♠954 you have an awkward choice. Here your
♥ Q J 10 7 diamond length suggests that you may be
♦953 able to set up more tricks with the heart lead
♣K85 than with the diamond lead. So lead the
heart queen, and mentally prepare your
South West North East apologies if it doesn't work!
1♣ 1♦ 1♠
Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠
All pass
“A book that is shut is but a block.”

— Thomas Fuller
Dealer: South North

In this deal from the Lille 2012 world championships, six Vul: Neither ♠ J 10 7 3
diamonds generally came home when it was attempted, ♥A7
♦J85
but one variation produced a particularly interesting ♣AK86
problem for declarer. West East
♠95 ♠8642
♥K9832 ♥ J 10 6
Since the play is easy on any other lead (you are forced to
♦ 10 7 3 ♦A
run the heart lead to your queen), let’s say West leads a ♣543 ♣ Q J 10 7 2
low club. What’s next? South
♠AKQ
♥Q54
It looks natural to go after trumps, and to protect against a ♦KQ9642
4-0 trump break, you need to lead toward the diamond ♣9
king-queen rather than starting with the diamond jack.
When East wins and shifts to a heart, you suddenly have 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
a problem. Did you notice that a heart shift was going to 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
jeopardize your entries? You might as well put up the 4♠ Pass 6♦ All pass
heart queen now — more in hope than expectation. You
Opening Lead: ♣Q
won’t get any value out of your queen if you don’t.
When West covers, you take your heart ace and play a trump to the queen. Had trumps
split 2-2, you would have been home free, but as it is, you need to unblock spades (don’t
you?) before drawing the last trump. By cashing only two spades, all you can afford to
take before drawing trumps, you will leave the suit temporarily blocked. But you do have a
resource.
After drawing the last trump, you pitch your spade queen on the club king and have
unscrambled the blockage. You now have two homes for your heart losers on the spade
jack and spade 10.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I threw this problem in as a trap,
South Holds: to see if I could tempt anyone to make a
♠ J 10 7 3 takeout double or an overcall with totally
♥A7 unsuitable shape. Just because you have a
♦J85 minimum opening bid does not mean you
♣AK86 have to bid when the opponents open. If the
opponents bid and raise hearts, you may
South West North East come to life with a double, but not until then.
1♦
?
“What reinforcement we may gain from hope,

If not, what resolution from despair.”
— John Milton
Dealer: West North

West's opening lead against three no-trump was very Vul: East- ♠KJ7
much open to discussion. While some would lead a low West ♥J83
♦ Q J 10 2
club, others would insist on a heart, while others, including ♣Q75
me, would recommend the spade nine. This would be West East
♠985 ♠Q643
especially clear when the opponents are limited, but even
♥K752 ♥ 10 6
here, leading from a sequence is as likely to be right as ♦74 ♦K95
anything else, and somewhat less likely to cost a trick. ♣KJ82 ♣A964
South
♠ A 10 2
Say you lead the spade nine; dummy’s king wins, partner ♥AQ94
playing the three. Declarer next passes the diamond ♦A863
♣ 10 3
queen successfully, then repeats the diamond finesse.
Now he leads a heart to his queen. Have you decided South West North East
whether you will win or duck? And are you going to press Pass Pass Pass
on with spades or shift? 1 NT* Pass 3 NT All pass
*14-17
Given partner’s discouraging spade spot, if you ARE
going to shift to clubs — which seems right — then the Opening Lead: ♠9
right play is surely the jack. If partner has the A-10, any
club works, while if partner has the A-9, you need to pin the 10 in declarer’s hand, and a
low club shift won’t work.
When the board came up in the Olympiad last year in Lille, Eduardo Scanavino of
Argentina played three no-trump on a spade lead to the jack, queen, and king. Scanavino
now deceptively led a low heart from hand. Schermer did extremely well to see through
his ruse and hop up with the heart king to fire the club jack through for down one.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Normally, the range for a simple
South Holds: raise is six to nine HCP. With 10 HCP you
♠KJ7 would consider making a limit raise. But with
♥J83 such a balanced hand and so few controls,
♦ Q J 10 2 not to mention weak trumps, the simple raise
♣Q75 to two hearts is more than enough.

1♥ 2♣
?
“I speed through the antiseptic tunnel where the moving dead still talk of pushing their
bones against the thrust of cure.”
— Anne Sexton
Dealer: South North

In the quarterfinal of the Olympiad from Lille last year, Italy Vul: North- ♠AK98752
met Poland, and this was the last board of the third South ♥ Q J 10
♦98
segment. Put yourself in the position of Giorgio Duboin. ♣4
Your partner, the effervescent Antonio Sementa, has West East
♠ 10 ♠J3
forgotten that you are playing teams, not pairs, and has
♥8763 ♥K954
thus put you in seven no-trump rather than seven spades. ♦K54 ♦7632
The good news is that the opponents lead hearts. When ♣Q9872 ♣J63
South
you play the queen from dummy, East contributes the four. ♠Q64
How do you continue? ♥A2
♦ A Q J 10
♣ A K 10 5
You can see that seven spades would be easy to make
with the heart king onside. But how to make seven no- South West North East
trump? Finessing for the diamond king is at best a 50 2 NT Pass 4♦* Pass
percent chance. Is there a way to take 13 tricks when the 4♥ Pass 5♣ Pass
5♦ Pass 5 NT Pass
diamond finesse does not work? 6♣ Pass 7♥ Pass
7 NT All pass
Duboin found the solution: a double squeeze. He cashed
*Slam-try in spades
the spade queen, and both opponents followed. Now he
cashed the heart ace – maybe the king would be Opening Lead: ♥8
doubleton. Then he led a spade to the ace and a diamond
to his ace.
Now Duboin ran the spades to reduce to a three-card ending in which he had kept three
clubs in hand. Dummy had a diamond, a heart and a club, and each defender had to
retain a red king against the threat in dummy. This in turn meant that when the club ace
and king were cashed, declarer’s club 10 would be good for the 13th trick.
Despite this, Poland went on to win the match by a single IMP.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a minimum in high-cards
South Holds: for a simple raise to three diamonds, but it is
♠ 10 a call that you must make. First of all, you
♥8763 really want a diamond lead against West's
♦K54 final contract. Second, with ruffing values in
♣Q9872 your hand, you have to assume that you will
be offering your partner a trick or two if he
South West North East becomes declarer.
1♠ 2♦ 2♠
?
“Oh! My name is John Wellington Wells,

I’m a dealer in magic and spells.”
— W.S. Gilbert
Dealer: West North

At last year's Olympiad tournament in Lille, Fredrik Vul: Both ♠AKQ83
Nystrom demonstrated that he is not just an Olympic ♥9
♦ K Q 10 9 4
champion, but also an illusionist creating magic. But first, ♣ A 10
before looking at what happened, take Cezary Balicki's West East
♠ J 10 7 4 2 ♠9
position as declarer to try to solve the problem.
♥A6 ♥Q52
♦63 ♦A82
You are in four hearts, neither of the opponents having ♣K864 ♣QJ9753
interfered in the auction. You win West’s lead of the club South
♠65
six with the ace; East follows with the queen, indicating ♥ K J 10 8 7 4 3
the jack, but not the king. ♦J75
♣2
Your contract looks to be comfortable unless you lose
three trump tricks. Since the easiest singleton to cope with Pass 1♠ Pass
is the queen with West, you play a trump to the king, but 1 NT Pass 3♦ Pass
West wins with the ace and plays back the club four. You 3♥ Pass 3 NT Pass
4♥ All pass
ruff away East’s jack and continue by playing the heart
jack. You realize that you misguessed trumps when West Opening Lead: ♣4
follows suit and East wins the trick with the queen. East
now cashes the diamond ace and returns the spade nine, which you win in dummy. Then
what?
Balicki quite reasonably concluded that Nystrom had the singleton diamond ace. So
instead of playing a diamond to try to get back to hand, he tried to cash the spade king
and ruff a spade, hoping to reach his hand to pull the defenders’ last trump.
However, since Nystrom had his singleton in spades rather than diamonds, he could ruff
the second spade and defeat the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In context you have three great
South Holds: features to your hand. Good diamond
♠9 support and a working card in your partner's
♥Q52 second suit, plus short spades. You might
♦A82 just jump to five diamonds, but maybe it is
♣QJ9753 right as a passed (and thus limited) hand to
bid three spades, then follow up with five
South West North East diamonds.
Pass Pass 1♦ 1♠
2♣ 2♠ 3♥ Pass
?
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred
battles.”
— Sun Tzu
Dealer: North North

Bob Hamman was among the few to bid and make five Vul: Neither ♠ A Q 6 5
diamonds in today's deal from last year's Olympiad in ♥QJ9
♦984
Lille. ♣943
West East
You receive the lead of the heart seven, fourth highest or ♠84 ♠ K J 10 3 2
second from a bad suit, and if you had to play the hearts ♥8742 ♥ K 10 6
♦A6 ♦J
for no loser, the right play would be the nine. But here you ♣ K J 10 5 2 ♣Q876
may not need to make that desperate a move; finessing South
♠97
the queen leaves more tension in the ending, whether ♥A53
East covers or not. ♦ K Q 10 7 5 3 2
♣A
East covers the queen with the king, reinforcing your
opinion that the heart 10 is likely to be wrong. You Pass Pass
advance a high diamond and are delighted to see the 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
diamond jack falling from East, giving you an extra entry 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass
4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
to dummy. Better still, the defenders play back a club
5♦ All pass
instead of a major. Time to take advantage of their
generosity! Opening Lead: ♥7
You win the club, lead to the diamond nine to ruff a club, then cross over to the heart jack,
eschewing the finesse. When you ruff out the third club and exit with a heart, you endplay
North to lead a black suit and take care of your spade loser.
Had the defenders continued with a heart at trick three, you would have needed to rise
with the jack and bring East under pressure by running all the trumps.
On the even more challenging spade shift at trick three, you would have had to rise with
the ace to squeeze East — not easy, but maybe the indicated line?
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand is at the lower end of
South Holds: the range for a penalty double that suggests
♠AQ65 your side has the balance of the high cards,
♥QJ9 so it typically shows at least 9 HCP. Your
♦984 balanced hand pattern may make it
♣943 somewhat unlikely that you have a big
penalty coming, but then again, why
South West North East shouldn't partner have extras?
1♣ 1 NT
?
by Bobby Wolff on September 1st, 2013

My wife and I have started playing duplicate When is it right to bid spades in response to
after a long break and have found that times a one-heart opening? Holding ♠ K-Q-7-5-3,
have changed — but we have not. We focus ♥ 9-4-2, ♦ Q-4-3, ♣ J-2, I responded one
on evaluating our hands only by counting spade to one heart, then gave preference to
points but do not do a complete evaluation of two hearts over my partner's two-club rebid.
our combined hands. Can you recommend My partner thought I should have raised
any reading material that would help us directly. What do you say?
evaluate our hands better?
— Piglet, Nashville, Tenn.
— Little Learning, Wichita Falls, Texas
ANSWER: Your choice of introducing

ANSWER: Hand evaluation is truly one of spades when you hold a good suit and poor
the more complex areas of the game. hearts makes perfect sense. It will help
partner to appreciate whether his cards fit
Evaluating trumps is well discussed by Larry yours. With better hearts or worse spades, a
Cohen in”The Law of Total Tricks.” “The direct raise might be preferred.
Secrets of Winning Bridge” by Jeff Rubens is
also very thought provoking. Mike Lawrence
on hand evaluation is also good. (See the
Wikipedia article on hand evaluation for Dear Mr. Wolff:
further suggestions.) When my partner has bid a major suit and
has been overcalled in no-trump, should I
lead his suit? My belief is that the no-trump
Dear Mr. Wolff: bidder usually has two stoppers, and I have
been burned a few times — whether I guess
I had a powerhouse: ♠ A-Q-4, ♥ A-K-Q-6, to lead that suit or not. I have come to the
♦ J-5, ♣ A-Q-4-3. I opened two clubs and conclusion to lead his suit only when I have
heard an overcall of two diamonds on my no better option. What do you think?
left. My partner passed, suggesting
scattered values, and my RHO raised to — Robin Hood, Hartford, Conn.
three diamonds. What would a double from
me mean now? If it is takeout, should I make
that call? ANSWER: I would always tend to lead a suit
— Wheel of Fortune, Portland, Ore. overcalled at the two-level — which should
be a good one. I'd also be more inclined to
lead his suit when you yourself are weak,
and perhaps also if his overcall was a cheap
ANSWER: I like the idea of passing with a one (as opposed to bidding one spade over
takeout-oriented hand and doubling with a a minor to mess up the opponents). Unbid
balanced hand, open to defending if partner suits should be led when you have a clear
is also balanced. So yes, I would pass and lead of that suit or if your opponents bid to
expect partner to show a four-card major. no-trump confidently. But when in doubt,
keep partner happy.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Is a jump-shift by opener game-forcing? With
♠ A-5, ♥ K-Q-7-4-3, ♦ 4, ♣ A-K-10-5-4, I
opened one heart, and over my partner's
response of one spade, I jumped to three
clubs. When he rebid three hearts, I passed,
thinking he had a bad hand. Was I wrong?
— Out of Gas, Bellevue, Wash.
ANSWER: The jump to three clubs sets up

an unequivocal game force, so you cannot
pass three hearts. However, it might have
been better for you to rebid two clubs; then
over partner's two hearts you can bid three
clubs, showing 5-5 and extras. This consults
your partner on whether to stay low, or in
which game to play.
by Bobby Wolff on September 2nd, 2013
“Show me a good and gracious loser and I'll show you a failure.”
— Knute Rockne
Dealer: South North

The auction in today's deal featured a convention called Vul: East- ♠Q954
Puppet Stayman. After North asked for four- and five-card West ♥ Q 10 7
♦J5
majors, South's response denied a five-card major but ♣ K 10 8 5
promised at least one four-card major. North now bid West East
♠ 10 7 ♠832
three hearts — the major he did not have — so that if
♥J6432 ♥A95
South held four spades, the strong hand would become ♦Q9863 ♦ 10 7 4
declarer. South could now jump to four spades to end the ♣4 ♣AJ63
South
auction. ♠AKJ6
♥K8
When West leads the club four, South calls for dummy’s ♦AK2
♣Q972
10. Plan the defense. The knee-jerk reaction for East is to
insert the jack, to ensure two club tricks if partner has led South West North East
away from the queen. But is partner likely to have led from 2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
queen-third — a dangerous lead around to the hand that 3♦* Pass 3♥** Pass
4♠ All pass
is known to hold at least half the points in the pack?
*A four-card major
More importantly, there is no sure way of beating the **showing spades
contract if partner has the club queen, as you can see 17
Opening Lead: ♣4
points in your hand plus dummy. So if partner has the club
queen, he can have no other significant values, and there will be just three tricks for the
defense.
Accordingly, you must hope that the four was a singleton. Rise with the ace and give
partner a ruff. And, to ensure that West returns a heart rather than a diamond to secure a
second ruff, carefully play back the club jack, a heavy suit-preference signal for hearts, the
higher-ranking of the remaining plain suits.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: East's auction shows 18-20 or so
South Holds: with a diamond stopper, but it does not
♠J92 guarantee an especially powerful holding in
♥Q875 that suit. You really have no special clue as
♦94 to your partner's shape, but leading the
♣J932 diamond nine looks as good as anything —
and if it is wrong, you could hardly be
South West North East blamed!
1♦ Dbl.
Pass 1♠ Pass 1 NT
Pass 2 NT All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, August 23rd, 2013
“Man is an embodied paradox, a bundle of contradictions.”

— Charles Caleb Colton
Dealer: South North

In today's deal it is fairly safe for West to compete against Vul: East- ♠ K 10 7 3
two spades (even when vulnerable), and he should make West ♥7643
♦J7
a second takeout double to prevent his opponents from ♣Q52
stealing an easy partscore. North-South should press on West East
♠86 ♠Q5
to three spades over three diamonds for the same reason.
♥ A K J 10 ♥852
After that, it is reasonable for East either to try to defeat ♦A98 ♦ Q 10 6 4 3 2
three spades, or to take one more push himself. The ♣ K 10 9 7 ♣63
South
vulnerability may persuade him to pass at pairs; and ♠AJ942
indeed, in four diamonds he would be doubled and set ♥Q9
♦K5
200. ♣AJ84
Against three spades West leads three rounds of hearts. South West North East
With the diamond ace and club king marked in the West 1♠ Dbl. 2♠ Pass
hand, South should envision an endplay that will Pass Dbl. Pass 3♦
3♠ All pass
guarantee his contract. He should draw trump, then
eliminate West’s remaining heart by ruffing the last heart Opening Lead: ♥K
from dummy in the closed hand and should then lead
toward the club queen.
West cannot rise with the king or South will be able to discard one of dummy’s diamonds
on the fourth round of clubs. If South is allowed to win the club queen in dummy, he then
leads another club and passes the lead to West, who is then hopelessly endplayed.
(West’s best defense is to follow with the club nine or club 10 on the first round of the suit.
His hope is that East will have the club eight and will therefore be able to prevent the
throw-in. As the cards lie, however, this defense does not quite work.)
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have plenty of high cards,
South Holds: but when your partner can only make a
♠AJ942 simple raise to two spades, you are surely
♥Q9 high enough. Any club finesse rates to be
♦K5 wrong, your heart queen looks valueless,
♣AJ84 and so game is surely going to be against
the odds. Therefore pass and try to go plus,
South West North East though you may be obliged to bid three
1♣ Pass 1♥ spades in the face of further competition.
1♠ 2♥ 2♠ Pass
?
“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry
off as if nothing ever happened.”
Dealer: West North

Signals to tell partner where your values lie or, as in this Vul: East- ♠KQJ
instance, don't lie, may also be interpreted by declarer, West ♥AQ84
♦642
who might make use of the information for her own ends. ♣AKQ
In action in today's deal was British international Sandra West East
♠ 10 6 5 4 3 2 ♠A9
Penfold, playing in the 2010 American Summer Nationals
♥ J 10 9 5 2 ♥K763
in New Orleans. ♦A7 ♦ Q J 10 9 3
♣— ♣ 10 5
When North opened the bidding with two no-trump, South
♠87
Penfold decided against playing no-trump because of the ♥—
lack of sure entries to her hand and jumped to five clubs. ♦K85
♣J9876432
West led the heart jack, and putting in the queen was a
no-cost play for declarer. Had the queen held, she would Pass 2 NT Pass
have had two discards for spade losers from her hand, 5♣ All pass
allowing her to take the ruffing finesse in spades to
provide a painless route to her minor-suit game. Opening Lead: ♥J
However, when East covered dummy’s heart queen with the king, declarer ruffed and at
trick two led a club to dummy, on which West threw the spade 10. According to the
defense’s methods, this denied spade interest. Taking full advantage of this knowledge,
Sandra threw a spade on the heart ace, then called for the heart eight. When East played
low, South discarded her second spade.
West won and could do no better than play a fourth heart, ruffed by declarer. A club to the
king was followed by the spade king, covered by the ace and trumped. A third club to
dummy allowed two diamonds to be discarded on the spades.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Hands of this sort are difficult to
South Holds: judge. Should you pass and try to go plus in
♠A9 two spades, or take action to protect against
♥K763 the opponents making a partscore or game?
♦ Q J 10 9 3 There is no 'right' answer, but I'd be tempted
♣ 10 5 to raise to three spades to make my LHO's
job far harder. He may think he is being
South West North East stolen from and bid when he shouldn't, or
2♠ Pass pass when he should bid.
?

What is your view on the use of the Last week I disagreed with the club expert,
sandwich no-trump, when the auction starts who was in fourth seat with ♠ Q-10-3, ♥ 3-2,
with your LHO opening the bidding, and ♦ K-Q-5-3, ♣ K-10-4-2. The bidding started
RHO responding at the one-level? Do you one diamond to his left and I doubled. When
like to play a one-no-trump call as unusual, his RHO bid one heart, he tried one spade!
or strong and balanced? We ended up in a 3-3 fit, but I was too timid
to comment. What would you have done?
— Shape-Shifter, Pueblo, Colo.
— Bowled Over, Palm Springs, Calif.
ANSWER: Years ago, when players did not

dredge up responses with very weak hands, ANSWER: I must admit I would have bid two
there was a case for playing the two-suited clubs, but if the opponents had raised
one no-trump. No longer. These days you hearts, I might have balanced with an
need the natural no-trump call since your imaginative two-spade call. The difference is
side could still easily be making game, or at that you would then have put me back to
least a partscore. As a passed hand, the call three clubs — right?
shows the unbid suits of course, with more
shape and less defense than a double.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Dear Mr. Wolff: Please help me on this. I have played
regular Key-card Blackwood forever and
Should you ever open one no-trump with a now my partner is insisting I play 1430
5-4-2-2 shape? If so, what might the responses when we go to our next regional
constraints be? I recently opened one no- tournament. It is far too complicated for me,
trump, holding ♠ J-4, ♥ A-Q-5-4, ♦ K-J, ♣ K-J- and I don't want to play it and mess up! I'm
5-4-2. Everyone at the table told me that I thinking about just not going to the
should have opened with a suit instead. tournament. What is your opinion?
— Home Tutoring, Twin Falls, Idaho — Between a Rock and a Hard Place,
Miami, Fla.
ANSWER: With 5-4-2-2 and a five-card

major, never open one no-trump. Also with ANSWER: Whatever you do, don't give up!
five of a minor and four spades you can Tell your partner there is basically no real
generally bid your suits efficiently. With advantage to 1430 responses over 0314.
hands like yours, opening one no-trump is What matters is KNOWING your system. Tell
acceptable, but it is fine to open one club, your partner you have Bobby Wolff's
planning to rebid one no-trump over a one- approval to stick with what you know and
spade response. Conversely, with a 17- can remember.
count, bid your suits, reversing if necessary,
and you get to show both your values and
shape.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

I think I understand the phrase rectifying the
count — which has to do with giving up
tricks. The phrase seems to get used in
many bridge articles but is rarely explained.
Does it matter?
— Counting Coup, Saint John, New
Brunswick
ANSWER: When you are playing for a

squeeze, it is frequently right to surrender all
the tricks that you can afford to lose as early
as possible, reaching a point where you
need the rest of the tricks. This often
increases the pressure on the opponents
and is called rectifying the count. Failure to
do so may leave a defender with a spare
discard.
“The true way goes over a rope which is not stretched at any great height but just above
the ground. It seems more designed to make people stumble than to be walked upon.”
— Franz Kafka
Dealer: South North

In today's deal South should make the jump rebid of three Vul: Neither ♠ K 9
spades over his partner's response of one no-trump. He ♥AQ5
♦QJ6
may have only a 15-count, but with 100 honors in spades ♣ 10 8 7 4 3
and great controls, he should take the high road. With the West East
♠65 ♠873
same hand but the singleton diamond king instead of the
♥ J 10 8 7 ♥K92
ace, a simple rebid in spades would be equally clear. ♦K9532 ♦ 10 8 7 4
♣Q9 ♣KJ6
Now it is up to you as declarer to make your game when South
♠ A Q J 10 4 2
West leads the heart jack against four spades. You try ♥643
dummy’s queen but East wins the king and returns a ♦A
♣A52
heart. What should you do next?
You should thank your partner, for providing the spade 1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
nine to turn a contract hinging on a finesse into nearly a 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
sure thing! You win the heart ace, play a diamond to your
ace and then lead a spade to dummy’s nine. Now you Opening Lead: ♥J
play the diamond queen, discarding a heart. West will
make his king, and try to cash a heart, but you can ruff his return and cross to dummy with
the spade king to discard a club on the diamond jack. You end up scoring six spades, two
diamonds and two aces for 10 tricks.
Just for the record, had dummy’s spade nine been the eight, your best play for the
contract would have been to unblock the diamond ace, then lead a spade to the eight,
hoping to find West with the spade nine. That finesse would give you the entry to dummy
to set up diamonds.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It feels right to lead a major here,
South Holds: and while a spade is more likely to set up
♠ Q 10 8 tricks for your side, it is also far more likely
♥964 to cost your side a trick. So I would lead a
♦K83 heart, and to my mind the heart nine is the
♣AQ87 least deceptive card here. If you lead a low
heart, partner is likely to play you for more
South West North East length or strength in the suit than this.
1♣ Pass 1 NT
All pass
“She deceiving,
I believing;
What need lovers wish for more?”
— Sir Charles Sedley
Dealer: South North

Behavior that would be frowned on away from the bridge Vul: North- ♠J954
table is positively encouraged over the green baize. While South ♥AQ
♦76
you should never mislead the opponents by your ♣ A K 10 9 4
demeanor or tempo, you should try to make life as hard West East
♠Q72 ♠ A 10 6 3
for your opponents as you can by the cards you play.
♥72 ♥64
♦ K Q J 10 4 ♦95
Today’s six-heart contract occurred at rubber bridge, North ♣J53 ♣Q8762
having been rather too pushy in the bidding. When you South
♠K8
are in a bad contract, desperate measures are called for; ♥ K J 10 9 8 5 3
and on this occasion declarer was on the ball. Having ♦A832
♣—
sized up the situation quickly, he ducked the opening
diamond lead smoothly in both hands, and what is more, South West North East
carefully contributed the diamond eight from hand, making 4♥ Pass 6♥ All pass
East’s five look very big to West.
Opening Lead: ♦K
West could hardly be blamed for leading another
diamond, thinking he had struck gold, but it was declarer who had come into riches. After
the diamond continuation, South could ruff two diamonds in the dummy and throw his two
spades away on dummy’s clubs: six hearts bid and made. This line had a far better
chance than the legitimate line of playing for the club Q-J to ruff down, with hearts 2-2 and
the spade ace onside.
I would be hesitant to cast the first stone at West, but I suppose he might have argued
that if his partner had held the diamond ace, he could have overtaken at trick one and
returned the suit, just to stop West from going wrong. But how many of us protect our
partners in that way?
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The jump to three spades is not
South Holds: natural, but a splinter, agreeing clubs and
♠J954 showing short spades. With a good hand
♥AQ consisting of diamonds and spades, partner
♦76 would simply bid two spades and if
♣ A K 10 9 4 necessary repeat his suit. So use Blackwood
and drive to a small or grand slam in clubs,
South West North East as appropriate, depending on the response.
1♦ Pass
2♣ Pass 3♠ Pass
?
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

— Helen Keller
Dealer: South North

North was quietly confident when he put down his dummy, Vul: Both ♠AJ874
but the contract of four spades turned out to be far harder ♥943
♦KQJ
than he might have expected. ♣ 10 9
West East
West led the diamond 10 and declarer appreciated that so ♠— ♠ K 10 9 6
♥KJ7 ♥ Q 10 6 5 2
long as spades broke no worse than 3-1, his maximum
♦ 10 9 8 3 ♦64
losers would be one trump, one heart and one club — or ♣K87643 ♣Q2
possibly two trumps and one heart if diamonds were South
♠Q532
ruffed, while he attempted to shed a club on the diamond ♥A8
ace. ♦A752
♣AJ5
The lead was won in dummy, and declarer decided to take
a safety play. Instead of cashing the spade ace or 1 NT Pass 2♥ Pass
finessing in that suit, he led a low trump to the queen to 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
protect against West’s having all four trumps. East could
not go in with his king or he would lose his second trump Opening Lead: ♦10
trick, so he was forced to duck. South’s queen held the
trick, but when West showed out on the spade ace, two trump losers seemed inevitable.
So to make his game, declarer needed to eliminate his club loser. Fortunately, the careful
play in trumps had made that easy enough. South cashed the spade ace and now needed
a second diamond to stand up, which it did. East ruffed dummy’s third diamond and
returned a club, but to no avail. Declarer rose with the ace; then the diamond ace allowed
dummy’s club queen to depart. East could ruff in again, but the contract was safe.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is important to have
South Holds: agreements about what is forcing and what
♠AJ874 is weak after a reverse. It makes sense to
♥943 use the cheaper of two no-trump and fourth
♦KQJ suit to show a weak hand, a rebid of
♣ 10 9 responder's long suit as a one-round force,
not necessarily strong, and a raise of either
South West North East of partner's suits as forcing. So bid three
1♦ Pass diamonds now to set trump as early as
1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass possible.
?
“Ignorance of the law excuses no man; not that all men know the law, but because it is an
excuse that every man will plead, and no man can tell how to refute him.”
— John Selden
Dealer: South North

"Eight ever, nine never" reminds us that when we have Vul: East- ♠ K 10 6 3
eight trumps between our two hands, we should finesse West ♥A954
♦AQ2
for the queen, but when we have nine, we should play for ♣KQ
the drop. This is reasonable advice, but there are West East
♠Q85 ♠9
sometimes good reasons for disobeying it.
♥ Q 10 7 2 ♥J863
♦964 ♦ K J 10
At the table declarer in six spades took the straightforward ♣ 10 9 5 ♣J8762
line of cashing the spade ace and king, but when the South
♠AJ742
queen did not drop and the diamond finesse was also ♥K
wrong, he had to go down. Can you see how he might ♦8753
♣A43
have done better? Declarer should see that if he can time
the play accurately and lose a trick to East at the critical South West North East
moment, he can insure his contract. With this aim in mind, 1♠ Pass 2 NT Pass
declarer should start eliminating his hearts and club 4♠ Pass 4 NT Pass
5♥ Pass 6♠ All pass
losers. He should win the heart king, cross to dummy with
a club, cash the heart ace, ruff a heart, then go back to a Opening Lead: ♥2
club and ruff the fourth heart.
Now he can cash the club ace, discarding a diamond, and finally the time has come to
play trump. Declarer should see that it doesn’t matter if he loses a trump trick to East’s
doubleton queen, as East will be endplayed. So declarer should cash the spade king and
play a spade to the 10. If it holds, then all his problems are over, but if it loses to East’s
queen, then the defender will have to play a diamond into dummy’s tenace or give a ruff
and discard.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Partner's double suggests values
South Holds: and the unbid suits. Your choice is
♠AJ742 unpalatable: a penalty pass without a trump
♥K honor, a rebid of the spade suit with only five
♦8753 moderate cards, and a response in a three-
♣A43 card suit if you bid three clubs. Which is
least offensive? I do not know, but I'd guess
South West North East that even if passing is right in theory, a
1♦ retreat to three clubs works out best in
1♠ 2♦ Dbl. Pass practice.
?
“Big Brother is watching you.”

— George Orwell
Dealer: South North

P. Hal Sims was one of the giants, literally and Vul: North- ♠Q9
metaphorically, of the early days of contract bridge. He South ♥KJ75
♦7642
stood 6 feet 4 inches and weighed over 300 pounds. He ♣K65
and his wife, Dorothy, the inventor of the psychic bid, were West East
♠ A 10 8 6 3 ♠K2
a formidable partnership, who took on the Culbertsons in
♥Q9 ♥ 10 8 4 2
one of the early challenge matches. ♦Q ♦ J 10 8 5 3
♣QJ842 ♣97
Sims was also one of the original members of the Four South
♠J754
Horsemen, the first of the powerful squads at contract ♥A63
bridge in the early 1930s. Sims was credited with ♦AK9
♣ A 10 3
defending this hand.
Against South’s contract of three no-trump, Sims led a 1 NT Pass 2 NT Pass
fourth-highest spade six. North took his king and returned 3 NT All pass
the spade two. Sims won the spade ace and played back
the spade 10 to declarer’s jack, establishing his spade Opening Lead: ♠6
eight as a winner.
South now played the heart ace and a low heart to the queen and king. Judging that the
hearts were 2-4, declarer now played a diamond to the king, felling the queen, giving
declarer a chance to guess West’s entire distribution.
Placing West as having begun with 5-2-1-5 shape, declarer exited with a spade to Sims’
eight. If Sims had cashed his remaining spade, East would eventually have been
squeezed in the red suits. (This is an unfortunate maneuver known as a suicide squeeze
or fratricide squeeze.) Instead Sims exited with the club queen, and declarer had no
chance to exert any pressure on the defense for the ninth trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Despite the absence of even a
South Holds: half-stopper in diamonds, it feels sensible to
♠Q9 me to advance with a call of one no-trump.
♥KJ75 The main reason for showing a few values
♦7642 here is to let your side find a better fit than
♣K65 spades, if there is one. It also allows partner
to compete again if necessary, knowing you
South West North East have scattered values.
1♦ 1♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, August 31st, 2013
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the
judgment.”
— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Dealer: East North

Today's deal comes from the American trials to select a Vul: Both ♠72
team for the 2011 Bermuda Bowl. Both tables declared ♥ A Q J 10
♦ 10 9 7
four hearts from the South seat after a simple overcall in ♣ 10 9 6 5
spades by West. In one room West cashed the two top West East
♠ A K J 10 4 3 ♠986
spades, then shifted to a trump won in dummy. A
♥8 ♥9432
successful finesse of the diamond queen was followed by ♦853 ♦K64
a trump to dummy and then the club 10. West, Lew ♣KJ7 ♣843
South
Stansby, won and could exit safely with a diamond. Now ♠Q5
declarer could not avoid a second club loser. ♥K765
♦AQJ2
♣AQ2
The initial three tricks in the other room replicated those of
the first. But here, Bobby Levin cashed a second heart in South West North East
dummy, finding the 4-1 trump break. Abandoning trumps, Pass
Levin successfully ran the diamond 10 and followed with a 1♦ 1♠ Dbl. Pass
4♥ All pass
diamond to his queen. A trump to dummy and another
diamond brought forth the king and ace. Opening Lead: ♠K
Before playing on, Levin analyzed the bidding. West had made a simple overcall. He was
likely to hold six spades. If he had any fewer, then East would probably have supported
his partner. That being so, with a six-card spade suit without the club king, West might
well have made a weak jump overcall. These clues were enough for Levin to place West
with the club king, so he got off play with the club queen. Well reasoned — West won and
was endplayed into either returning a club or giving a ruff and discard.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no need to jump around
South Holds: like a kangaroo here. When you rebid one
♠Q5 no-trump, you suggest more than a strong
♥K765 no-trump. (If you had less, without primary
♦AQJ2 support, you would pass.) Partner should
♣AQ2 assume you have these values. If he then
elects to play in spades, you ought to have
South West North East no reason to argue with him.
1♣
Dbl. 1♦ 1♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, September 1st, 2013

How should I distinguish between a jump to What should opener rebid after hearing a
game, a limit raise and a purely competitive two-level response when he has a minimum
raise when my RHO makes a weak jump hand and no convenient call? For example,
overcall of my partner's opening bid? I held after one spade – two diamonds, what is
♠ Q-9-8-6-4, ♥ A-7-5-2, ♦ K-5, ♣ 10-3 and my opener supposed to rebid holding ♠ Q-9-7-4-
partner opened one heart. When my RHO 3, ♥ A-10, ♦ K-10, ♣ A-7-5-3? Does it matter
bid three diamonds, was I right to bid three if the response is not game-forcing here?
hearts, or four hearts, or even cue-bid four
diamonds? — In for a Penny, Levittown, Pa.
— Upward Bound, Worcester, Mass.
ANSWER: Whether playing two-over-one
game-forcing or not, I like a call of three
ANSWER: With a limit raise, one should clubs here to show a little extra shape or
jump to game and hope to get lucky, but bid high cards, not this hand — although give
three hearts with say 6-9 HCP and maybe me the club queen instead of the three, and I
only three trumps. Here the jump to four would bid three clubs. A call of two no-trump
hearts is reasonable if a mild gamble. to show 12-14 and the other suits stopped is
However, had the jump overcall been in acceptable; rebidding such a miserable five-
clubs, it would be only a little pessimistic to card spade suit is certainly far from ideal.
bid three hearts instead of four hearts.
Incidentally, a cue-bid here would show
opening values with a fit. Dear Mr. Wolff:
What do you think of psychic bids? I have
Dear Mr. Wolff: played at my club for almost 30 years and
rarely encountered one, but recently the
What would be the right tactical approach to director at another club in our area
take at teams with no one vulnerable when responded two spades to his partner's weak
your partner opens three clubs and the next two-diamond call with three small spades
hand bids three diamonds? Holding ♠ 7-2, and five points. We missed our spade slam
♥ J-8-5-4, ♦ J-9-3-2, ♣ Q-9-3, I guessed to as a result. Don't you think there should be
jump to five clubs — and we went for 800. some sort of announcement forbidding this?
Our opponents could have made slam in
spades, but in the other room our — Flummoxed, Memphis, Tenn.
teammates played the diamond game.
— Pushing and Shoving, Springville, Ala. ANSWER: I'm sorry you feel upset by what
occurred. It is never fun to get a zero, but on
this occasion your opponent just happened
ANSWER: I would not pass; sometimes to take a legal action against you that left
leaving your opponents alone may give them you fixed. It is never illegal for anyone (even
the space they need to find their best fit. My a director!) to do that. Of course, one cannot
view is that a simple raise to four clubs may have an understanding that this action might
well persuade your LHO to go quietly in be psychic. But that is a whole different can
game, but bidding five clubs gives them a of worms.
fielder's choice.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

When you support partner's minor-suit
opening, are you supposed to have five-card
support? I had always assumed you could
support with four trumps in the right
circumstances.
— Foundation Garment, Troy, N.Y.
ANSWER: Typically you want to have five

trumps to raise a minor directly, but four
trumps will do for a diamond raise since
partner will nearly always have four or more
diamonds. In competition it is fine to raise
with four when other calls, such as bidding a
four-card major, doubling or bidding no-
trump, are not convenient.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, September 2nd, 2013
“Of two evils the least should be chosen.”

— Cicero
Dealer: South North

One secret of defense is to play partner for the minimum Vul: East- ♠A32
that he needs to let you beat the contract. On a hand like West ♥K43
♦ J 10 8 7 4
today's the auction has told you before dummy comes ♣QJ
down that you won't find many values in your partner's West East
♠K964 ♠ 10 8 5
hand — both opponents appear to have opening bids and
♥ 10 9 6 ♥J5
you have a 15-count. ♦AKQ3 ♦92
♣K2 ♣ 10 9 6 5 4 3
Against four hearts you lead the diamond king, on which South
♠QJ7
partner plays the nine — suggesting an original holding of ♥AQ872
a doubleton or singleton — and declarer follows with the ♦65
♣A87
five. Plan the defense.
Your best chance is to find your partner with the heart jack 1♥ Dbl. Rdbl. 2♣
or queen. If he has a trump honor and uses it wisely, you Pass Pass 4♥ All pass
can create a fourth defensive trick from nowhere. You
cash the diamond queen at trick two, hoping that partner Opening Lead: ♦K
will show out, but both East and South follow suit. No
matter; you next play the diamond three.
If the layout is as shown in the diagram and partner remembers to ruff in with the jack (he
should, since you are known to have the diamond ace) there is no way for declarer to
succeed. He must overruff, but now you will come to both a trump trick and a black king.
Note that if you don’t try to promote a trump but exit passively with a heart at trick three,
declarer draws trump and runs the diamond jack, pitching a club, after which he has the
rest with the help of the spade finesse.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It is hard to reconstruct the full
South Holds: hand, but dummy rates to have short spades
♠Q92 and both minors, and declarer to have some
♥984 degree of diamond fit and partner perhaps to
♦632 have both majors — and maybe only two or
♣ Q 10 6 5 three clubs. A low-spade lead might set up
tricks for our side as fast as anything, but the
South West North East heart nine is far safer, if less aggressive.
1♦ Dbl. 1♠
Pass 2♣ Pass 2 NT
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013
“I never laughed, being bashful.

Lowering my head, I looked at the wall.
Called to a thousand times, I never looked back.”
— Ezra Pound
Dealer: South North

There are three basic ways of reaching a slam and I have Vul: Both ♠K92
seen them abbreviated by the acronym "BBC". Bashing is ♥K98
♦K863
the unsophisticated approach; Blackwood and Cue-bids ♣K62
are the more subtle ones. Here South opted to follow the West East
♠ Q 10 6 3 ♠J874
route that gave away the least information. Perhaps
♥52 ♥74
deservedly, he reached a poor contract, but he was able ♦J94 ♦ A 10 7 2
to set a trap, into which East fell. ♣Q973 ♣ J 10 8
South
♠A5
Against six hearts, West chose a passive trump lead and ♥ A Q J 10 6 3
South immediately realized that his best chance seemed ♦Q5
♣A54
to lie in finding East with the diamond ace in a relatively
short holding. Then he could lead a diamond to his queen, South West North East
followed by ducking the next diamond. If no ace 1♥ Pass 2 NT Pass
appeared, a diamond ruff might next establish the 6♥ All pass
diamond king for the 12th trick.

Opening Lead: ♥2
As you can see, this approach should not have worked
today. However, after winning the trump lead in dummy, declarer duly led a diamond to his
queen, which held the trick, but now instead of playing another diamond from hand, South
crossed to dummy with a trump and advanced the diamond six. East, afraid that South
might have started with the doubleton Q-J, went in with the ace, and now it was all over.
East should have reflected that if indeed South had this holding, playing the ace would
simply establish dummy’s king for a valuable discard later. To rise with the ace would
probably have been right only if the defenders had another quick trick to come — which
was unlikely on the bidding and play so far.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There are people who will tell
South Holds: you not to open balanced 12-counts; not I.
♠K92 When you open a suit, then rebid in no-
♥K98 trump, you show a balanced 12-14 points,
♦K863 and this hand qualifies for that action. I can't
♣K62 tell you that it will work, but when you have a
way to describe your hand, go ahead and
South West North East take it.
Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, September 4th, 2013
“In Politics if thou would'st mix,

And mean thy fortunes be;
Bear this in mind, be deaf and blind,
Let great folk hear and see.”
— Robert Burns
Dealer: South North

Party politics are set aside at the annual bridge match in Vul: North- ♠ 10 5 4 2
London between the House of Lords and the House of South ♥ Q 10 9 7 2
♦K85
Commons. Today's hand, from the 2002 contest, features ♣2
John Marek, the strongest player of either house. West East
♠K6 ♠J983
♥5 ♥8
Pity Marek — he had intended conducting a constructive
♦ J 10 4 3 ♦97
auction, and here he was, with neither he nor his partner, ♣KQJ876 ♣ A 10 9 5 4 3
Lewis Mooney, having mentioned a genuine suit, required South
♠AQ7
to make a decision at slam level. He bravely bid six ♥AKJ643
hearts, against which West led a club. When dummy ♦AQ62
♣—
came down, South saw that he had guessed well, but
even so, the slam was not laydown, since there were two South West North East
possible spade losers. 1♣* 3♣ Dbl. 6♣
6♥ All pass
Marek ruffed the club lead, drew trumps, then eliminated *Strong (at least 16 HCP)
diamonds, trumping his fourth in dummy. He now knew 11
of West’s cards: six clubs (at least), four diamonds and Opening Lead: ♣K
one heart, leaving room for a maximum of two spades.
Next came a low spade from dummy. Had East played low, Marek would have inserted
the seven to endplay West. But East alertly contributed the eight.
Declarer carefully rejected the spade finesse, and instead rose with the ace. He then led a
trump to dummy and played a second spade. When East followed low, declarer went in
with his queen. West could win, but Marek didn’t mind that, as he knew West had no
spade to return and would be endplayed into leading a club for a ruff and discard, allowing
the slam to come home.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your first call limited your hand to
South Holds: about a nine-count, and when partner invites
♠ 10 5 4 2 game in full knowledge of this, you must
♥ Q 10 9 7 2 move on to game by bidding four hearts.
♦K85 After all, you have a decent hand, a fifth
♣2 trump and great intermediates, plus some
extra shape. To pass here would imply great
South West North East distrust of partner's judgment.
2♦ Dbl. Pass
2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, September 5th, 2013
“A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.”

— Lana Turner
Dealer: East North

Most bridge books have nothing but bridge deals in them. Vul: Neither ♠QJ53
By contrast, my last book, "The Lone Wolff," has almost ♥AQJ6
♦62
no deals at all in it. It mainly discusses my life, and the ♣983
politics of bridge at world level. As a former President of West East
♠72 ♠ K 10 8 6
the World Bridge Federation and American Contract
♥ 10 9 8 4 2 ♥73
Bridge League, I came into contact with most of the ♦74 ♦A5
superstars of the game, both as an administrator and as a ♣ Q J 10 4 ♣A7652
South
member of the Dallas Aces, the team of American ♠A94
superstars gathered together by Ira Corn to break the ♥K5
♦ K Q J 10 9 8 3
Italian lock on the Bermuda Bowl. ♣K
This deal, however, is featured in the book. Against five South West North East
diamonds I led the club queen. George Burns, who could Pass
have been a serious bridge player had not his illustrious 1♦ Pass 1♥ Dbl.
3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass
show-business career as a comedian, actor and writer 4♦ Pass 5♦ All pass
taken first call on his time, overtook with the ace,
collecting South’s king. Opening Lead: ♣Q
Burns knew from the bidding that declarer held neither three hearts nor four spades, so
found the only defense to beat declarer’s game — he returned a heart at trick two. Now
declarer was unable to pitch losing spades on winning hearts, as Burns could ruff in.
If declarer had played a trump at trick three, Burns would have risen with his ace to return
his second heart. But as I told Burns afterwards, I had played my part in the defense — by
holding the diamond seven. If the diamond six and seven had been interchanged, the
game could not have been defeated.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When partner makes a slam-try
South Holds: and you have such good hearts, you owe
♠QJ53 him a little cooperation. Since you cannot
♥AQJ6 cue-bid or (perish the thought!) use
♦62 Blackwood, all that is left is a jump to five
♣983 hearts, which, since it denies the ability to
cue-bid, should show good trumps.
1♥ Pass
3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, September 6th, 2013
“From the east to western Ind,

No jewel is like Rosalind.”
Dealer: West North

Today's deal came up during one local segment of the Vul: East- ♠A43
Pakistan Bridge Federation's trials, held in Karachi a few West ♥AK
♦ A K J 10 9 8
years ago. ♣AK
West East
We all know that pre-emptive bids are designed to be ♠ K Q J 10 7 6 ♠9
obstructive by stealing bidding space from opponents, but ♥43 ♥987652
♦2 ♦Q3
they can backfire spectacularly, as here. ♣5432 ♣9876
South
Against six diamonds West led the spade king. Declarer ♠852
♥ Q J 10
surveyed dummy and saw that life would have been ♦7654
easier had his diamond spots been just one jot stronger ♣ Q J 10
and North’s one weaker. He would then have had no
problem in ridding dummy of its losing spades if he held 2♠ Dbl. Pass
the diamond eight and dummy the seven. 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass
But given what he had to work with, he had little choice.
Declarer quickly formed a plan that relied upon East’s Opening Lead: ♠K
cooperation. For the plan to work, East had to have at
least two diamonds, one of them being the queen.
South took the lead in dummy, then smoothly cashed the diamond ace, hoping that he
would catch East playing by rote. It would have taken great imagination on the part of East
to divine South’s hand and jettison his diamond queen under the ace. After the diamond
ace drew the two and three, declarer proceeded to cash dummy’s top cards in the
rounded suits, then played a low diamond. In with the queen, East had no option but to
give declarer access to hand with a club or heart, and the slam came home.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The opponents are surely about
South Holds: to bid or jump in spades. Do you want to
♠9 encourage them or partner to do more
♥987652 bidding? While you are not overloaded with
♦Q3 high cards, you can offer partner some ruffs.
♣9876 I'd guess it was right to raise clubs. If
nonvulnerable, I'd make a pre-emptive raise
South West North East to four clubs. Vulnerable, I'd simply raise to
1♦ three clubs, or pass if my partner is an
Pass 1♠ 2♣ 2♦ aggressive bidder.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, September 7th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on September 21st, 2013
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”

— Pablo Picasso
Dealer: West North

Recently I have shown you some deals originally written Vul: East- ♠AKQJ
up in Dutch IMP magazine, which were played by the GIB West ♥5432
♦ J 10 9
computer, developed by Matthew Ginsberg. ♣QJ
West East
Here GIB correctly tackles a set hand prepared by the ♠ 10 9 ♠876
♥ K J 10 9 8 7 6 ♥—
master teacher Fred Gitelman. South plays six no-trump
♦Q43 ♦A8765
after a three-heart pre-empt by West, who leads the ♣7 ♣65432
spade 10. How should declarer develop the diamonds and South
♠5432
hearts to get an extra trick from each suit? ♥AQ
♦K2
After taking two clubs to get the count in that suit, declarer ♣ A K 10 9 8
leads the diamond jack from dummy. East can see that if
he takes the ace and continues diamonds, declarer will 3♥ Pass Pass
cash his clubs and spades, ending in dummy, and West 3 NT Pass 6 NT All pass
will be subjected to a simple squeeze in the red suits.
Opening Lead: ♠10
So East ducks the diamond, but South has no realistic
chance except to rise with the king, and rattle off his black-suit winners, first the clubs,
pitching hearts from dummy, then the spades.
After the last spade, dummy has one heart and two diamonds, while declarer has his two
hearts and a small diamond. Since West has to keep two hearts, he must come down to
the bare diamond queen. East has three diamonds to the ace left; when a diamond is led
from dummy, what does he do?
If East rises with the ace, he crashes his partner’s queen and sets up dummy’s diamond
for the 12th trick. So East ducks, and West is thrown in, forced to lead a heart into South’s
tenace. Contract made!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Every partnership should have
South Holds: an agreement as to which passes of
♠AKQJ redoubles are to play, and which ask partner
♥5432 to bid, simply indicating "nothing to say."
♦ J 10 9 Partner's second pass ought to be for
♣QJ penalties; the opponents have not
announced a fit and your partner must surely
South West North East have a four-card suit to bid. So if he chooses
1♣ Pass Pass to pass, he must have clubs, and you should
Dbl. Rdbl. Pass Pass be happy to defend.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, September 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on September 22nd, 2013

Playing two-over-one game forcing, I opened Should I pre-empt, pass, or open at the one-
one spade and my partner responded at the level with 10 or 11 points and a six-card suit?
two-level in a suit (say diamonds) for which I I know about using Marty Bergen's Rule of
had four-card support. When should I make 20. But Bergen says even if you can count to
a simple raise to three diamonds, and when 20 (the length of the two longest suits plus
should I bid four diamonds? your HCP), you should still have a couple of
quick tricks. Can you clarify this for me?
— Rumble Fish, Edmonton, Calgary
— The Wonder Horse, Augusta, Ga.
ANSWER: Many people would do more than

make a simple raise when they have strong ANSWER: There are no cast-iron rules here,
slam potential. The more sophisticated but when you have a good suit, open either
bidders play a jump in a new suit as a one or two, but do not pass the hand — you
splinter — showing extras, with real support can never catch up. I try not to open at the
for partner and a singleton or void in the bid one-level with marginal values and fewer
suit. If you play that way, a jump raise shows controls than an ace and king. The
extras but denies side-suit shortage. vulnerability and position also affect the
calculation. In second seat or vulnerable,
your openings should be sounder than
Dear Mr. Wolff: elsewhere.
My RHO opened two hearts and I had ♠ K,
♥ A-3, ♦ A-Q-10-5-4, ♣ Q-7-6-3-2. I bid three Dear Mr. Wolff:
no-trump, intending it as unusual. My partner
assumed I had a strong hand and jumped to What is the minimum shape on which you
six no-trump, which I managed to hold to should make a takeout double of an opening
down three. He opined that I could have minor suit? Can you do it on a completely
doubled for takeout and forced a bid. I balanced hand?
responded that since I did NOT do that, the
bid must show something else. What do you — Slightly Unbalanced, Rockford, Ill.
think?
— Robert the Bruce, Durango, Colo. ANSWER: With a full opener but not enough
for a one-no-trump overcall, it is just fine to
double with a 4-3-3-3 hand, or even a hand
ANSWER: A three no-trump response 4-4 in the majors and a doubleton in the
shows more than 18HCP, balanced, but is other minor. It will occasionally lead to a
also consistent with a hand with a long suit. huge penalty, but will generally let your side
Doubling then bidding three no-trump is into the auction cheaply and safely — and
natural, but is a hand that is prepared to you cannot ask for more than that.
hear partner remove to a major. Note that
no-trump calls by a passed hand might be
minors, and a jump to four no-trump is
always for the minors. With your hand I'd bid
three diamonds, followed by a call in clubs if
I got the chance.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

When in a slam-going auction, does a jump
in a major to the five-level ask for something
specific? My partner told me it always asks
for good trumps. Is that right?
— Bacon Burger, Lakeland, Fla.
ANSWER: A jump to the five-level often

asks for good trumps. However if you are in
a cue-bidding auction when there is one suit
(or an opponent's suit) which has not been
cue-bid, the jump would ask for a first- or
second-round control in that suit. And, rarely,
the jump shows good trumps and nothing to
cue-bid. Responder's hand will normally tell
him which.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, September 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on September 23rd, 2013
“Let's find out what everyone is doing,

And then stop everyone from doing it.”
— A.P. Herbert
Dealer: South North

The trump ace gives the defenders a sure entry and Vul: Both ♠ 10
frequently allows them to control the drawing of trump — ♥QJ95
♦ Q 10 5 3 2
frequently the single most important part of any deal ♣ K 10 5
played in a suit contract. West East
♠9653 ♠AQJ842
However, the singleton trump ace frequently acts as a ♥A ♥82
♦J976 ♦K8
millstone around one’s neck. Not only do you rarely take ♣8432 ♣976
down as much with it as you would like, but it occasionally South
♠K7
gives you the lead at a moment in the deal when you ♥ K 10 7 6 4 3
would rather not have it. ♦A4
♣AQJ
This was the theme in today’s match between Great
Britain and Austria played in Salt Lake City in 2002. when 1♥ Pass 3♥ 3♠
the World Bridge Federation organized a Grand Prix event 4♥ 4♠ 5♥ All pass
to coincide with the Winter Olympics. Both North-Souths
reached five hearts, the British turning up their noses at Opening Lead: ♠6
the 500 or 800 penalty available from four spades
doubled, while the Austrians were (typically) trying for slam under their own steam.
The opening lead was a spade at both tables, East’s ace taking the first trick. Where Doris
Fischer as North was declarer, East shifted to a club, and declarer stripped off both black
suits before exiting with a trump. West won perforce and had to play a diamond, letting
declarer guess to put in the 10 and avoid a diamond loser altogether. In the other room
Sylvie Terraneo as East found the excellent trump shift at trick two – letting her partner
take the ace and exit with a club, leaving declarer an inevitable diamond loser at the end.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner is almost
South Holds: guaranteed to have real club length here
♠ 10 4 3 since he did not raise diamonds and can't
♥94 have too many spades either. Lead a low
♦QJ732 club rather than your weak diamond
♣K95 sequence since you certainly won't be able
to prevent the opponents from organizing a
South West North East club ruff if they want to take one.
1♣ Pass
1♦ Dbl. Pass 2♠
Pass 4♠ All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, September 10th, 2013
“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”
— Jane Austen
Dealer: South North

When missing five trumps, you will find they break 4-1 Vul: Both ♠ 10 8 3 2
more than one quarter of the time. So planning against ♥854
♦742
that is generally not a waste of effort. ♣752
West East
In today’s deal, had North’s spade 10 been the queen, a ♠QJ95 ♠4
♥— ♥J732
small slam in spades would have been a reasonable
♦ Q 10 8 6 3 ♦J95
contract. However, even four spades was not laydown ♣ Q J 10 8 ♣AK643
when West led the club queen and continued with the South
♠AK76
jack. South ruffed, then laid down the spade ace and king, ♥ A K Q 10 9 6
discovering the 4-1 break. Belatedly, declarer started on ♦AK
♣9
hearts, but West ruffed the first round with the trump jack
and cashed the queen, which removed South’s last trump, South West North East
with the club 10 representing one down. 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
2♥ Pass 3♣* Pass
Unless you have total trump control — and sometimes 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
even then — it is more often right than not to establish *Second negative (0-4 HCP)
your second suit before drawing too many trumps. If at
Opening Lead: ♣Q
trick four, having drawn just one round of trumps, declarer
had played the heart ace, West’s ruff would not have fazed him. South trumps the club
return, cashes the trump king, then continues with hearts from the top. West can trump in
with the master spade, but that is the last trick for the defense. A club return is ruffed with
dummy’s penultimate trump, and the diamond entries allow declarer to ruff out hearts,
then come back to hand to run the suit.
Even if hearts were not 4-0, this would be the best line — either a defender would ruff in,
leaving declarer with trump control, or dummy’s third club could be discarded on the
hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It looks natural to invite game
South Holds: with a cue-bid raise of two spades. But my
♠4 preference as a passed hand would be to
♥J732 jump to three clubs, a fit-showing jump to
♦J95 indicate my source of tricks and to help my
♣AK643 partner work out how far to compete against
the opponents' spade bids. Incidentally, this
South West North East hand is not worth a splinter bid in spades
Pass Pass 1♥ 1♠ facing a third-in-hand opening.
?
“For still the craft of genius is

To mask a king in weeds.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dealer: West North

One of the great players from an earlier time was Vul: Both ♠ 10 8 7 3
Waldemar Von Zedwitz, whose achievements in the game ♥654
♦K876
included winning a world title while legally blind. He was ♣K2
one of the 10 original life masters, a partner of Harold West East
♠Q42 ♠—
Vanderbilt, the creator of contract bridge, and also the
♥AQJ ♥ 10 9 8 7 3
man who prevented the breakup of the American Contract ♦ J 10 9 2 ♦54
Bridge League during one of its many periods of civil war ♣AQ3 ♣ J 10 9 8 6 5
South
in the early days of the game. He is credited with ♠AKJ965
defending today's hand. ♥K2
♦AQ3
♣74
Against four spades Von Zedtwitz led the diamond jack,
taken by South with the ace. Declarer cashed the spade South West North East
ace, then erred by continuing with the spade king. Not 1 NT Pass 2♦
surprisingly, there was now no reprieve against a defender 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
4♠ All pass
of Von Zedtwitz’s skill. When South led a low club toward
the dummy, West played the queen, allowing East to gain Opening Lead: ♦J
the lead on the second round of clubs so that West could
escape the endplay that would otherwise have forced him to open up the heart suit for
declarer’s benefit.
After East discarded on the spade ace, South should lead a club to the queen and king.
He now plays the diamond queen, a diamond to dummy’s king, then leads a fourth
diamond, throwing his remaining club away. West can win and play a low club, but South
ruffs, and endplays West by playing the king and another trump, forcing West to broach
the hearts.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is close to the minimum for
South Holds: a raise to two hearts in competition.
♠ 10 8 7 3 Weighing in against bidding are the
♥654 minimum hand, the three bad trumps, and
♦K876 the defensive values in the opponents' suit.
♣K2 If the opponents had overcalled one spade
or two clubs, it would be far clearer to raise. I
South West North East suppose I would grudgingly bid two hearts,
1♥ 2♦ but give me a 3-3-4-3 hand pattern and I
? might consider passing.
“How I did respect you when you dared to speak the truth to me!”
— Anthony Trollope
Dealer: North North

Earlier this year, the final of the Dutch team Vul: Neither ♠ K Q 4 2
championships was played between the two top Dutch ♥AQ865
♦Q6
teams, both sponsored by Onstein. Today's deal comes ♣64
from that encounter. West East
♠985 ♠ 10 6 3
♥743 ♥ K J 10
Against Ton Bakkeren’s three-no-trump contract, Bauke
♦K54 ♦A32
Muller led the club three to the jack and queen. Declarer ♣K873 ♣J952
played a diamond to dummy’s queen, and Simon de Wijs South
♠AJ7
won the ace and returned the club two. When declarer put ♥92
in the 10, Muller won his king. If Muller had pressed on in ♦ J 10 9 8 7
♣ A Q 10
clubs, all declarer would have to do was concede the
diamond king to West, and the defenders would have South West North East
taken no more than four tricks in the minor suits, while 1♥ Pass
declarer would have had nine. 2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass
However, on winning the club jack, Muller switched to
Opening Lead: ♣3
hearts, and all of a sudden declarer was in trouble. At the
table Bakkeren won his heart ace at once, but when Muller came in with the diamond
king, another heart did the job. The defense made two hearts, two diamonds and the club
king.
Note that if declarer had won his club ace on the second round of the suit and had driven
out the diamond king, he would be home. The lead of the club three and the return of the
club two could (or perhaps should) have given him a clear picture of the club position.
When East returned his low club, it strongly argued that the suit was initially 4-4. That in
turn argues that East might deceptively have returned the five, not the two, at trick three.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a little-understood auction
South Holds: by those playing negative doubles. North's
♠AJ7 failure to bid two hearts at his first turn
♥92 means he does not have enough to invite
♦ J 10 9 8 7 game. He rates to have six hearts and be in
♣ A Q 10 the range of 6-9 HCP. So you should pass
rather than try for game and hope your
South West North East partner can make his contract.
1♦ 1♠ Dbl. Pass
1 NT Pass 2♥ Pass
?
“Love those things that will never be seen twice.”

— Alfred de Vigny
Dealer: South North

In today's deal when South heard his partner force to Vul: Both ♠86
game with the two-club call, then raise hearts, he cue-bid ♥KJ92
♦A
the spade ace, then opted for simplicity by using ♣AQ7532
Blackwood at his next turn, driving to the grand slam in West East
♠KQJ9 ♠ 10 7 5 4 2
hearts.
♥ 10 8 6 ♥53
♦32 ♦ J 10 8 5
The hand was easier to bid than to play. After a spade ♣ 10 8 6 4 ♣K9
lead South should win the spade ace and decide which South
♠A3
bad breaks he can cope with. The best path looks to be to ♥AQ74
cash the diamond ace, then the heart king and queen, ♦KQ9764
♣J
followed by the diamond king and queen. If diamonds are
3-3, declarer has the rest by drawing the last trump and South West North East
running the diamonds. 1♦ Pass 2♣ Pass
2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
By playing on diamonds before drawing the last trump, 3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass
declarer can come home when one defender has three
7♥ All pass
trumps and four diamonds. Declarer ruffs the fourth
*Three key-cards, counting the trump
diamond in dummy, then comes to hand with a trump and king as a key-card
runs the diamonds before taking the club finesse at trick
Opening Lead: ♠K
12.
It might also succeed when the cards lie as in the diagram, where West has three trumps
and two diamonds. Assuming West ruffs in on the third diamond, declarer overruffs, plays
ace and another club, dropping the king, and ruffs out the diamonds, pitches his spade
loser on the club queen, and his hand is high. But note that if West does not ruff the third
diamond, declarer might easily go wrong. Might he not simply ruff the fourth diamond,
draw the last trump ending in hand, and eventually take the club finesse?
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With a hand this strong you are
South Holds: relatively safe to double in the pass-out seat,
♠A3 expecting to bid diamonds when one of the
♥AQ74 other three players bids spades. You won't
♦KQ9764 necessarily be showing that you have hearts
♣J as well as diamonds, but that must be a live
possibility, and partner will be able to explore
South West North East for the fit if necessary.
1♣ Pass Pass
?
“Inspiration is one thing and you can't control it, but hard work is what keeps the ship
moving. Good luck means, work hard. Keep up the good work.”
— Kevin Eubanks
Dealer: East North

Today's deal saw North and South conduct an intelligent Vul: North- ♠AK873
auction to the best game. As a passed hand South was South ♥K86
♦ 10 7 2
able to bid a natural and nonforcing two clubs in response ♣A7
to the one-spade opening. (The partnership did not play West East
♠ 10 6 2 ♠QJ954
Drury — whereby the call would show a spade fit and a
♥9 ♥ J 10 5 3
maximum pass.) Thereafter both players bid naturally, and ♦K9863 ♦AQ4
North (who had already denied four hearts) eventually felt ♣QJ54 ♣3
South
able to raise hearts, assuming his partner would not ♠—
introduce a four-card suit at his second turn and should ♥AQ742
♦J5
thus hold a 5-6 distribution. ♣ K 10 9 8 6 2
Against four hearts the defenders did well to lead and South West North East
continue diamonds. South ruffed the third round and Pass
correctly played on clubs before drawing trump. He led to Pass Pass 1♠ Pass
2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass
the club ace and back to his king as East sensibly 3♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
discarded a spade. Now came the heart ace, dropping
West’s nine, followed by a club ruff with the heart king, Opening Lead: ♦6
East discarding another spade.
Declarer next played ace, king and a third spade, ruffing low in hand, and had now taken
eight of the first 10 tricks. He was down to the Q-7 of trumps and one club, while dummy
had two spades and the trump eight. It looked to declarer as if East was down to just
trumps, so he led his last club and ruffed with dummy’s heart eight. East overruffed and
returned his low trump, but declarer could put in the heart seven with some confidence
and claim the last two tricks.
Just for the record, a club shift at trick three sets the game.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have a hand with some slam
South Holds: potential, but the overcall has somewhat
♠AK873 dampened your ardor. Nonetheless, jump to
♥K86 three spades to set up a force and hope that
♦ 10 7 2 your partner can cue-bid in support of your
♣A7 spades. If not, settle for game.

1 NT 2♦
?

Does bidding in the balancing seat show I'm very confused about when a redouble
less than in direct seat? I've seen reference should be to play, when it is SOS, and when
to this — but can you still have full values it is just a good hand. Can you give me
when you balance over an opening bid? some general rules here?
— Rate Adjuster, Houston, Texas — Walter Wall, Tucson, Ariz.
ANSWER: In general, most actions in the ANSWER: Generalizing is hard, but a simple
balancing seat have a lower minimum rule is that if you have been doubled for
threshold, say about a king less, than the penalty and are in the pass-out seat,
same action in direct seat. So with a redouble is for rescue. If you are facing an
maximum overcall you have the option of overcall or opening and the double is NOT
starting with a double and then bidding your penalty, any redouble shows a good hand or
suit, as opposed to introducing the suit at extras. Where no fit has been found by your
once. And a balancing no-trump call shows side, such doubles generally look like
11-15 points, not a strong no-trump. defensively oriented hands.

When opener, facing a passed hand, An unopposed sequence went 1 ♥ – 2 ♣ – 2
doubles the opponents at his second turn, is ♠. Some say that opener's second bid of two
that for takeout? I opened one heart with spades is really a sort of reverse
♠ 10-2, ♥ A-K-J-10-3, ♦ A-Q, ♣ K-10-3-2. If (guaranteeing some extras). Is there such a
my opponents bid and raise spades, what thing? Is there any difference in the value of
should I do next? the two-spade call depending on whether
you are playing Standard American or two-
— Lola Granola, Chester, Ill. over-one game forcing?
— Upsy Daisy, Charleston, S.C.
ANSWER: With the above hand I might bid
three clubs rather than double — my
diamonds look too feeble. But any time you ANSWER: The answer here does indeed
have a 5-4-3-1 pattern, a double is surely depend on whether the two-club call
best. Let partner pick his long suit — in guarantees a rebid. If two clubs is a game
which case three-card support should be force, then the two-spade bid just describes
enough for him. opener's hand pattern and does not
guarantee extra values. If the two-club bid is
not a game-force, then the reverse to two
Dear Mr. Wolff: spades shows enough extras to force to
game — say at least a good 14 count with
I was confused with a recent aside you fit.
produced in an answer in Bid With the Aces.
After hearing a one-heart response to one
diamond, you said, "to rebid the diamonds
here virtually guarantees a six-card suit." Are
you ever allowed to rebid a five-card suit?
— Limbo Dancer, Fredericksburg, Va.
ANSWER: When you open a minor and hear

partner respond one heart, it is almost never
necessary to repeat a five-card suit.
Occasionally, after a response of one spade
to a minor, you may be forced to repeat a
good five-card suit when holding four hearts
and no stopper in the other minor. By
contrast, after partner responds at the two-
level, repeating a decent five-carder is often
the least lie.
“Something will come of this. I hope it mayn't be human gore.”

— Charles Dickens
Dealer: North North

This week's deals all come from the Asia Pacific Bridge Vul: East- ♠AK82
Federation tournament held this time last year in Fukuoka, West ♥2
♦AJ984
Japan. ♣ 10 9 4
West East
The board came up in the pairs game, and I thought the ♠QJ9 ♠764
♥9864 ♥75
result somewhat surprising when I saw the scores from all
♦Q65 ♦K732
around the room. If you had the South cards and your ♣Q76 ♣J853
partner opened the bidding, would you let him out below South
♠ 10 5 3
slam? I wouldn’t — especially if I found we had all the ♥ A K Q J 10 3
aces. But today, six no-trump on an unlikely diamond lead ♦ 10
♣AK2
is horrible (it makes only if you duck the diamond and play
for a diamond-spade squeeze). What is more, even on South West North East
normal defense you are likely to come down to needing 1♦ Pass
spades to break evenly. But who wants to rely on a 3-3 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
3♥ Pass 4♥ Pass
split — for which the chances are scarcely better than one 6♥ All pass
in three?
Opening Lead: ♣6
David Hoffman of Australia did far better when he played
six hearts instead. He won the club lead, drew all the trumps at once, then exploited the
diamond spots by leading the diamond 10 to dummy’s ace, ran the diamond jack, then
regained the lead and passed the diamond nine to establish the diamond eight. That line
is well over a 75 percent chance — if West can bring himself to duck the diamond 10
smoothly when he holds both honors.
Of course, with spades 3-3, you’d expect more than a few pairs to get to that slam and
make it. But not so. Bringing in 980 turned out to be a 75 percent board.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You appear to have three
South Holds: reasonable choices: lead a heart and hope
♠63 to set up the suit sooner (or, more likely,
♥ K 10 8 5 2 later). Or you can lead a passive spade
♦J76 through dummy's holding, or try for gold by
♣A95 finding partner with a decent diamond suit.
There is little to choose from between these
South West North East approaches, but I think leading a heart
Pass 1♣ needs the least from partner, despite his
1♥ Dbl. Pass 1 NT
failure to raise you.
Pass 3 NT All pass
by Bobby Wolff on October 1st, 2013
“Surprised by joy — impatient as the wind.”

Dealer: East North

Today's deal came from the knockout stages of the Vul: Neither ♠AJ2
Seniors event in the Asia Pacific games last fall in ♥A5
♦9764
Fukuoka, Japan. The deal shown swung the match — but ♣KQ83
not in the way you might expect. West East
♠K864
♠ Q 10 7 3
♥ J 10 9 8 7 4
Where Hirata Yamada and Kyoko Ohno were West and ♥—
2
East respectively, East’s decision to pass one spade let ♦A532
♦J
♣ A 10 7 5 2
her opponents back into the auction, and East-West ♣4
South
finished up defending three no-trump. Yamada led a low ♠95
club to the first trick – an interesting choice, because ♥KQ63
♦ K Q 10 8
partner was marked with club shortage. Declarer won in ♣J96
dummy and led a diamond to the jack, queen and ace.
Yamada now accurately shifted to the spade 10, and South West North East
declarer was now dead. He covered with the jack, and Pass
Pass 1♣ Pass 1♥
East won and cleared spades. West was sure now to get Pass 1♠ Pass Pass
in with the club ace and could then cash out the spades. 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
Down one for 50 looks like a good result for East-West.
Opening Lead: ♣5
However, in the companion room there was no easy way
into the East-West auction when East raised to two spades instead of passing one spade.
After a diamond lead, declarer Hideo Togawa ruffed two diamonds and a club in dummy
and two hearts in hand. Then he led a third heart and played safe by ruffing high, following
a guaranteed line for eight tricks. So he finished up making 110.
Accordingly, Yamada’s textbook play had held the loss on the board to 2 IMPs — and an
eventual loss in the match by just one IMP.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have a pretty good hand for
South Holds: a simple one-no-trump response to an
♠95 overcall, but what are the options? A jump to
♥KQ63 two no-trump should show a full opening bid,
♦ K Q 10 8 while a cue-bid almost guarantees support
♣J96 for partner. Since you have no suit you can
voluntarily introduce, bid one no-trump. It is
South West North East acceptable to have full values for your
1♦ 1♠ Pass bidding once in a while.
?
by Bobby Wolff on October 2nd, 2013
“Both thou and I alike, my Bacchic urn,

From clay are sprung, and must to clay return ….”
— Richard Garnett
Dealer: West North

Today's deal comes from the teams finals at the Asia Vul: North- ♠3
Pacific Games last summer in Fukuoka, Japan. In one South ♥Q76
♦ A Q 10 2
room South got to bid and rebid spades and was ♣98763
eventually doubled in two spades. When West led a heart, West East
♠KJ75 ♠A9
declarer won in hand and took an immediate diamond
♥ 10 5 ♥J8432
finesse to pitch the club loser, then played a trump to the ♦KJ863 ♦954
nine, 10 and jack. Declarer ruffed the diamond return, ♣K5 ♣AJ2
South
ducked a trump, then left trumps alone, playing on the ♠ Q 10 8 6 4 2
side-suits. He lost four spades and two clubs for down ♥AK9
♦7
one and minus 200. ♣ Q 10 4
In one spade doubled, played in the other room, declarer South West North East
plowed a different furrow. He won the heart lead, crossed 1♦ Pass 1♥
to the diamond ace and heart queen to ruff two diamonds 1♠ Pass Pass 1 NT
2♠ Pass Pass Dbl.
in hand, then exited with a club; West put up the king and All pass
returned a club. West could subsequently ruff a heart and
lead a fourth diamond, ruffed by his partner with the spade Opening Lead: ♥10
ace, while declarer pitched his last club loser. In the four-
card ending, East could lead a plain card while declarer had spade Q-10- 8-6 left in hand
and West held K-J-7 of trumps and a diamond. West overruffed the spade eight with the
jack and played his last diamond for East to ruff with the spade nine. This forced declarer
to overruff, and now the spade K-7 took the last two tricks.
The maneuvers in the trump suit included five ruffs, an overruff and an uppercut — all for
no swing!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's double is takeout,
South Holds: specifically suggesting either four spades (or
♠KJ75 a moderate five-card suit) together with
♥ 10 5 enough high-card values to own the board.
♦KJ863 Because he rates to have 10-plus HCP, you
♣K5 should jump to two spades, either to give
your side a chance to get to game facing
South West North East extras, or to try to take bidding space away
1♣ from the opponents if it is their hand.
1♦ 1♥ Dbl. Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on October 3rd, 2013
“For undemocratic reasons and for motives not of State,

They arrive at their conclusions — largely inarticulate.”
— Rudyard Kipling
Dealer: West North

The objective in today's deal from the Asia Pacific games Vul: East- ♠QJ4
last summer is to reach three no-trump and avoid a spade West ♥ A Q J 10 4
♦K76
lead. In the other room the pair for Pan-China did their ♣94
best when North opened a weak no-trump and was raised West East
♠ K 10 8 5 3 ♠962
to game. However, East did extremely well to lead the
♥976 ♥K52
spade nine. ♦ 10 9 ♦A83
♣ 10 6 5 ♣KJ73
Declarer won the ace and finessed in hearts. East won South
♠A7
and cleared spades, after which declarer had no chance. ♥83
Had declarer ducked in dummy at trick one, West would ♦QJ542
♣AQ82
also have had to duck while encouraging, in order to set
the game. South West North East
Pass 1♥ Pass
In our other, featured, room, West led a fourth-highest 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
spade against three no-trump, but no doubt the two-spade 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
3 NT All pass
call by South had persuaded East that his partner could
not hold a five-card suit. Accordingly, when declarer won Opening Lead: ♠5
the spade queen and led a diamond, East ducked.
Declarer won his diamond queen and took a heart finesse. East correctly won the first
heart and cleared spades, but declarer could run the hearts and take the club finesse for
his ninth trick.
At yet a third table North-South reached five diamonds on a spade lead. Declarer won the
queen and led a trump to hand, a heart to the queen, which held, and now, quite
reasonably, instead of taking the club finesse, he played a second trump to hand and
repeated the heart finesse. Disaster! East, Gan Xinli, won his heart king, cashed the
diamond ace, and cut loose with a spade, leaving declarer with three eventual club losers.
Nicely defended!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is much to be said for
South Holds: playing bids of either two clubs or two hearts
♠QJ4 as natural here. With a two-suited hand,
♥ A Q J 10 4 double or bid two no-trump, or even bid one
♦K76 no-trump as a passed hand, since you can't
♣94 be strong and balanced. But even if two
hearts is natural here, you need more
South West North East offense than a balanced 5-3-3-2 pattern. So
1♣ Pass 1♥ pass, and maybe back in on the next round
?
if appropriate.
by Bobby Wolff on October 4th, 2013
“It is life near the bone where it is sweetest.”

Dealer: West North

Before we look at the play in today's deal, from the later Vul: Both ♠ 10 6 4
stages of the Asia Pacific Bridge Games from Fukuoka, ♥A98
♦Q
Japan, last year, analyze the bidding problem South had. ♣AKJ963
He heard his partner overcall two clubs over one West East
♠75 ♠Q982
diamond, and he advanced with a two-diamond cue-bid,
♥KJ6 ♥ 10 5 4
to which his partner responded three clubs, suggesting no ♦AKJ543 ♦ 10 7 2
major and nothing to say. In one room the South player ♣52 ♣ 10 7 4
South
now passed — reasonable, if pessimistic — and his ♠AKJ3
partner emerged with 10 tricks. So his action was well- ♥Q732
♦986
judged, up to a point. ♣Q8
(Incidentally, though, another possibility for North would South West North East
have been to bid three diamonds over the double of two 1♦ 2♣ Pass
diamonds, to suggest good clubs and no clear direction 2♦ Dbl. 3♣ Pass
3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
on the hand, looking for a diamond stopper for three no-
trump.) Opening Lead: ♦K
At the other table in our featured match, after Zhou Jiahong’s three-club call, Lian Yong’s
three-spade bid at his second turn (normally suggesting five) gave Zhou a chance to head
for the best game of four spades.
Against four spades the defenders led and continued diamonds. Declarer ruffed,
advanced the spade 10 (covered all around), then ruffed a second diamond in dummy and
came to the club queen to draw as many trumps as he could before running the clubs.
East could ruff in whenever he wanted, but that was the defenders’ last trick.
Incidentally, had West shifted to the heart king at trick two, declarer wins the ace, leads
the spade 10, and simply ducks East’s queen to retain control.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You would like to get to three no-
South Holds: trump here, but rather than bid game without
♠ 10 6 4 a spade stopper, or find yourself playing that
♥A98 contract the wrong way up (facing a
♦Q doubleton spade-king for example), bid three
♣AKJ963 hearts to show your values and let partner
bid no-trump if he can.
1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass
2♣ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, September 21st, 2013
“Ours is a culture that dances on the edge of ephemerality. If our servers slept for too long
or if we left our iPads unplugged for too long, we'd wake up like Rip Van Winkle to find all
of our book culture erased.”
— Jason Merkoski
Dealer: West North

This week's deals all come from the Asia Pacific Vul: East- ♠K32
tournament held this time last year in Fukuoka, Japan. West ♥QJ73
♦KQ873
Today's deal was also my favorite play of the tournament. ♣Q
It came from the women's teams in a match between West East
♠Q9874 ♠ 10
Australian and Japanese squads. While the Australians
♥K5 ♥A8642
had played the North-South cards in three diamonds ♦2 ♦J964
down one, Junko Tsubaki, sitting South, was more ♣ 10 9 7 6 5 ♣AK4
South
ambitious. ♠AJ65
♥ 10 9
East’s decision not to double the final contract of three no- ♦ A 10 5
♣J832
trump was doubtless based on having seen her partner’s
opening bids before. The defenders led three rounds of South West North East
clubs. Declarer won the third, crossed to the diamond 2♠* Pass 3♣
king, then took the percentage play when she finessed the Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
3 NT All pass
diamond 10, unblocked the diamond ace, went to the
*Weak, with spades plus a minor
spade king, and ran diamonds, pitching a spade and a
heart from hand. As the last diamond was led in what was Opening Lead: ♣10
about to be a four-card ending, declarer had produced an
intriguing squeeze on West, an ending that Terence Reese has elegantly defined as a
winkle.
West had to keep two spades and one club, and when she came down to the bare heart
king, declarer led a heart from dummy. East could not rise with the ace and crash her
partner’s king, so she ducked and let West cash her heart and club. But that player then
had to lead a spade into declarer’s tenace and concede the rest.
It was 12 well-deserved IMPs to the Japanese team, on their way to a 24-6 win.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Don't be tempted to go looking
South Holds: for the gold at the end of the rainbow by
♠AJ65 bidding on. Here you cannot afford to invite
♥ 10 9 game, facing a partner who was only able to
♦ A 10 5 bid one spade at his second turn. Your
♣J832 partner rates to have a minimum hand —
and do not be surprised if he also had an
South West North East awkward hand with just three spades,
1♦ 1♥ unsuitable for a call in no-trump.
Dbl. Pass 1♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, September 22nd, 2013

I was not sure if I did too much here, holding I got confused when my partner came into
♠ 10-8-6-4, ♥ A-Q-3-2, ♦ 9-4-3, ♣ K-4. My our opponents' bidding sequence, which
partner overcalled one spade over one club, started one club – one heart – one no trump
and my RHO made a negative double. Was I – pass. At this point she doubled. What
right to bid two or three spades now — or is should that sequence show?
there a way to show this hand more
accurately? — Red Haze, San Francisco, Calif.
— In the Hunt, Doylestown, Pa.
ANSWER: If either defender passes initially
and then doubles a no-trump call, this is
ANSWER: I would guess to bid two clubs, traditionally played as a penalty double,
using the cue-bid as a limit raise in spades, based on a trap pass. You would expect a
planning to compete to the three-level if strong hand with a powerful holding in the
necessary. The more spades I have, the less suit bid on the player's right. (Here you might
tricks we can get out of the suit on defense. have 16 or more points and a good five-card
Moreover, my heart honors seem reasonably heart suit.) Partner would typically not
likely to be working well. The odds are that remove the double unless weak and
three spades will have some chance – and if distributional. If you have the other suits and
not, the opponents should surely have some want to make a takeout call, double one
play for a three-level contract. heart.

What do jumps to game in no-trump mean In an unsophisticated rubber game my
when in a forcing auction? For example, if partner opened two no-trump. I had nothing
you are playing two-over-one game-forcing, but seven clubs to the ace. So, I bid three
imagine your partner opens one spade and clubs, then four clubs, and that became the
rebids two diamonds over your two-club final contract. Alas, my RHO ruffed the
response. What should a jump to three no- opening lead and they ultimately got another
trump mean? ruff and two aces to set us. My partner
blamed me for bidding at all — what do you
— Hoppity Bunny, Great Falls, Mont. think?
— Millstone, Tucson, Ariz.
ANSWER: I believe a jump to three no-
trump is consistent with a strong no-trump
equivalent, whereas a bid of two no-trump ANSWER: Over two no-trump my preferred
should typically be 12-14 points. But you can methods are to use Stayman, then the bid of
also hold 18-plus for this latter auction, a minor as a slam-try; so with your hand I’d
planning to bid on over a sign-off. In general, simply bid three no-trump and hope partner
in a game-forcing auction, even if you play can set up your suit – you do have an entry.
jumps to game in a suit as weaker than You may not always make three no-trump,
going slow, this should not apply in no- but even if partner has a doubleton club, he
trump. can duck the first round and bring in the suit
if it splits 2-2. If clubs don’t split, you might
go down at the four-level anyway.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I held ♠ Q-6-5-4, ♥ Q-6-5, ♦ A-Q-7, ♣ A-10-2.
How should I bid when my partner opens
one diamond and the next hand bids three
clubs, weak? We play negative doubles —
but should I make that call with only four
spades, or should I bid three no-trump?
— Bug Catcher, Bay City, Mich.
ANSWER: Your choice seems to be to drive

to three no-trump or to consult partner. Since
you do not know what is best, double and
hope your partner's response will help you
decide. You plan to rebid no-trump over an
unhelpful response. A negative double here
tends to shows precisely four spades, by the
way — neither more nor less. With five, you
would often be able to bid the suit.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, September 23rd, 2013
“The ruling passion, be it what it will,

The ruling passion conquers reason still.”
— Alexander Pope
Dealer: West North

Sometimes the easiest-looking hands are the most Vul: East- ♠ Q 10 8 4
treacherous. In today's deal declarer assumed that he West ♥AK9
♦KJ3
would have no problem making his no-trump game and ♣ A Q 10
took his eye off the ball. Once he had done that, he had West East
♠A953 ♠762
endangered his contract and was unable to recover from
♥54 ♥Q8632
his first mistake — though he did have a chance to do so. ♦ 10 6 4 ♦Q98
♣9754 ♣K8
When West tried to find his partner by leading the heart South
♠KJ
five, South assuming that the lead was from length, ♥ J 10 7
finessed by playing low from dummy. East won his queen ♦A752
♣J632
and returned the suit, then took the club king and played a
third heart. Had hearts not been 5-2, declarer would South West North East
simply have been able to drive out the spade ace for his Pass 1♣ Pass
nine tricks. However, once the bad heart break came to 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
light, South had to guess whether to take the diamond

Opening Lead: ♥5
finesse or play on spades. When he guessed to take the
diamond finesse, East won and cashed out for two down. This was probably the wrong
play by South. Going after diamonds needs both the finesse and the break, while playing
on spades simply needs the ace well-placed.
However, the critical play error came at trick one: Declarer must refrain from finessing in
hearts immediately. By winning the ace and crossing to the diamond ace to advance the
club jack, nine tricks can be guaranteed. Although, as the cards lie, the contract could be
secured by other lines of play, the indicated line is the only one that can never fail.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In situations like this, I tend to
South Holds: lead from my honor sequence for two
♠ 10 4 reasons: It may be the last chance to lead
♥J93 diamonds through dummy, and my partner
♦ Q J 10 6 4 will never believe I have a holding this good
♣ Q 10 6 if I don't tell him at once. There will probably
be time to get around to hearts later if a
South West North East diamond doesn't look likely to work.
1♣ 1♥ 1♠
2♥ 2♠ 3♥ 3♠
All pass
“Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration.”

— Matthew Arnold
Dealer: East North

In today's deal, when North doubled a weak two in pass- Vul: East- ♠A87
out seat, South's bid of three hearts promised constructive West ♥AKQJ
♦AQ53
values since the partnership was playing Lebensohl. With ♣K3
fewer values South would first have bid two no-trump, West East
♠2 ♠ K Q J 10 5 3
simply to show a weak hand. After North now
♥ 10 6 2 ♥87
optimistically drove to the heart slam, West led the spade ♦J874 ♦ 10 9 2
two, an obvious singleton. ♣ Q 10 8 5 4 ♣92
South
♠964
Had South’s club jack been the diamond jack, both of his ♥9543
spade losers could have been discarded. As it was, South ♦K6
♣AJ76
had to resort to desperate measures.
The lead was won with dummy’s ace, and South’s first 2♠
wish — that the heart 10 would come down doubleton so Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
that two clubs could be ruffed in dummy — failed to 3♥ Pass 6♥ All pass
materialize. So declarer drew West’s last trump and was
Opening Lead: ♠2
about to settle for the club finesse when he was struck
with a better idea.
Instead, he cashed the club king and three rounds of diamonds, discarding a losing spade
from hand, then led dummy’s fourth diamond. When East failed to follow, South jettisoned
his last spade, and West was forced to win the trick. Declarer knew that West now had
only clubs left and would be forced to play into his tenace.
If East had shown up with the fourth diamond, declarer would have ruffed the trick and
exited with a low club. That would have forced West to win and play back a club into
declarer’s tenace, allowing both of dummy’s spades to be discarded.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Since you have a respectable
South Holds: raise of your partner's suit, you certainly
♠964 have enough to go to game, and with weak
♥9543 spades and a diamond honor, you should
♦K6 not be afraid of playing three no-trump, even
♣AJ76 if you have a 5-3 spade fit. Raise to three
no-trump with confidence.
1♦ 1♠ Pass
2♠ Pass 2 NT pass
?
“In youth my wings were strong and tireless,

But I did not know the mountains.
In age I knew the mountains
But my weary wings could not follow my vision —
Genius is wisdom and youth.”
— Edgar Lee Masters
Dealer: North North

Today's deal was sent to me by Cees Tammens from the Vul: North- ♠A986
White House Junior tournament in Amsterdam earlier this South ♥J73
♦Q642
year. I am always happy to see junior bridge promoted, ♣ 10 6
and this event sees top teams from all round the world West East
♠ 10 4 ♠Q5
coming together, in one of the few events devoted to the
♥ Q 10 8 ♥964
younger generation. ♦8 ♦ K J 10 9 3
♣AQ98753 ♣K42
Norwegian Kristoffer Hegge came up with a neat play South
♠KJ732
here, in his contract of four spades. After the sort of pre- ♥AK52
empt that one tends to associate with juniors, West led his ♦A75
♣J
singleton diamond to the two, nine, and South’s ace.
Hegge cashed the spade king, followed by the spade jack Pass 2♦
to dummy’s ace, collecting all the trumps. Then he came 2♠ 3♣ 3♠ Pass
off dummy with a small club, and East hopped up with the 4♠ All pass
king to shift to a heart. Declarer took the heart ace,
Opening Lead: ♦8
crossed to dummy with the spade nine, and played the
club 10, on which he discarded his diamond five, letting West win his queen.
Now West was endplayed forced either to lead a heart and give up his trick in that suit, or
to concede a ruff and sluff. Without the information of the diamond bid from East, declarer
at the other table followed the more natural line of playing a diamond to the queen, losing
two diamonds, a heart and a club for down one.
Incidentally, it would not have helped East to duck his club king. After stripping off the
clubs, declarer would eventually have played three rounds of hearts to endplay West.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have enough to move on
South Holds: with a try for game, but not enough to drive
♠KJ732 there. The best way to describe your hand is
♥AK52 to bid three diamonds, which suggests this
♦A75 precise hand pattern and lets your partner
♣J decide where to head from there. This hand
could play in game, slam or partscore — and
South West North East in any of four possible strains — but you
1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass hope partner will know what to do at his next
2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass turn.
?
“We ne'er can be

Made happy by compulsion.”
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Dealer: North North

One of the most dangerous emotions for a bridge player is Vul: Neither ♠ K 8 6 2
that of premature euphoria. It is easy to be on your guard ♥A2
♦AQJ2
when you can see traps set all around you, but it is more ♣KJ5
difficult to remain alert when the road seems very clear. West East
♠73 ♠A4
Declarer succeeded in bringing home four spades today ♥ Q J 10 5 ♥K8743
♦ 10 9 7 4 ♦K5
after West led the heart queen. He won the trick in dummy ♣ 10 7 4 ♣Q983
and played the spade king, which East took, then cashed South
♠ Q J 10 9 5
his heart winner before exiting with a second trump. At ♥96
this point declarer could have been forgiven for relying on ♦863
♣A62
the diamond finesse, which succeeds if either minor-suit
honor is well-placed, or if diamonds split. As the cards lie, South West North East
this line would be doomed to failure. 1♦ 1♥
1♠ 2♥ 4♠ All pass
South, however, saw a little further into the hand. He
cashed the diamond ace first, then came back to hand Opening Lead: ♥Q
with a trump and led a diamond to dummy’s queen. East
could take his king, but was endplayed. When he returned a heart, it allowed declarer to
ruff in dummy and discard his club loser.
The point of the hand is that if the diamond finesse succeeds, you do not need to take it at
once. You have enough entries to lead up to the queen-jack twice later on and get a
discard for your potential club loser. Had the diamond queen held, declarer would have
led a club to the ace and another diamond toward the jack. He could always fall back on
the club finesse eventually if nothing else worked.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The safest way into the auction
South Holds: here is to double rather than to bid two
♠A4 hearts. Yes, you might miss a 5-3 fit, but
♥K8743 equally a 4-4 club fit might play better than
♦K5 an eight- or seven-card heart fit. Your
♣Q983 objective in overcalling here is not to bid
game, but to hope to find a fit, or to push the
South West North East opponents up. Doubling is the best way to
1♦ Pass 1♠ do that.
?
“The fascination of what's difficult

Has dried the sap out of my veins …”
— W.B. Yeats
Dealer: North North

At pairs the target is to take as many tricks as possible Vul: Neither ♠ 7 6 5
when you are in a normal contract, and to insure your ♥ K Q 10 7 3 2
♦J4
contract only if you know doing so will score well. At all ♣J3
other forms of scoring, try to insure the contract at all West East
♠ 10 8 4 2 ♠J93
costs.
♥J985 ♥6
♦AQ5 ♦87632
In today’s deal when North opened a weak two hearts, ♣94 ♣8765
South would find that his partner held a decent suit (by South
♠AKQ
using the Ogust relay, as here, or Keycard Blackwood) ♥A4
and should then play six no-trump to protect his ♦ K 10 9
♣ A K Q 10 2
vulnerable diamond holding. Well bid, but most players
would play to take 13 tricks in six no-trump, without South West North East
realizing that there might be a better approach — albeit 2♥ Pass
one that might lead to their taking fewer tricks. 2 NT Pass 3♦* Pass
6 NT All pass
When West leads a low spade, declarer should win the *Good suit, bad hand
queen and run the clubs, throwing spades and the
Opening Lead: ♠2
diamond four from table. On these tricks West throws two
spades and a diamond. What next?
Best is to cash the spade king, discarding a heart from table. You have reduced to a six-
card ending, dummy having five hearts and one diamond, West four hearts and the
diamond ace-queen. When you lead the spade ace and West throws the diamond queen,
make sure to discard a heart from the board, giving up the overtrick to improve your
chances of making the slam. Now, after the heart ace and king reveal the bad break,
throw West in with his diamond ace to lead into dummy’s heart tenace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It's a close decision — to gamble
South Holds: with three no-trump, or to pass. The form of
♠ 10 8 4 2 scoring might affect my decision. At
♥J985 matchpoints or nonvulnerable at teams,
♦AQ5 passing is reasonable; while at rubber
♣94 bridge, or if vulnerable at teams, bidding
three no-trump is probably with the odds.
1♣ Pass
1♥ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
“We are easily shocked by crimes which appear at once in their full magnitude, but the
gradual growth of our own wickedness, endeared by interest, and palliated by all the
artifices of self-deceit, gives us time to form distinctions in our own favor.”
— Samuel Johnson
Dealer: North North

Today's deal is a constructed hand. Although the details of Vul: East- ♠AKQJ
the deal's genesis are lost in the mists of antiquity, it is West ♥AK76
♦—
believed that it comes from a par-deal contest dating from ♣ Q J 10 9 8
at least 80 years ago, in which pre-composed deals were West East
♠—
set to challenge competitors' ingenuity. ♠8764
♥ J 10 9 5 4 3
♥Q
2
If you hadn’t seen it before, and just looked at the North- ♦ K J 10 9 6 4 3
♦2
♣7
South cards, you would assume that it was extremely ♣65432
South
easy to make the grand slam on a heart lead. However, ♠ 10 9 5 3 2
you are given fair warning that if you run any unnecessary ♥8
♦AQ875
risk, you are doomed. ♣AK
The best line to bring home your contract requires you to South West North East
protect against as many bad breaks as possible in all four 1♣ Pass
of the suits — I will give you the tip that if East is ruffing 1♠ Pass 4♦ Pass
the opening lead, you are in very poor shape! 5♦ Pass 5♥** Pass
7♠ All pass
The secret is to plan to jettison your club honors — and
*Three key cards, counting the trump
once you decide this is necessary, you can only make that king as a key card
play on winners from dummy. To void yourself of trump, **Showing the spade queen and heart
you win the first heart and ruff a heart high, West king
discarding his club. You lead a low trump to dummy and
Opening Lead: ♥Q
ruff another low heart high, then draw all the trumps,
discarding one top club honor on the fourth trump.
The remaining high heart from dummy takes care of your other high club, and now
dummy’s five club winners can be taken without interference.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Paradoxically, when you showed
South Holds: spades and diamonds and your partner
♠ 10 9 5 3 2 indicated no interest in spades, that made
♥8 your hand better for diamonds. After all, you
♦AQ875 may be able to make a slam in the minor suit
♣AK by ruffing out the spades. Don't commit the
hand to slam though. Bid four diamonds,
South West North East guaranteeing slam interest and a fifth
1 NT Pass diamond, and hope partner can move on
2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
from there.
3♦ Pass 3 NT Pass
?

Under what circumstances do you believe in Someone at our bridge club frequently
playing weak jumps in response to opening opens one no-trump with 14 points. This has
bids or to overcalls? Does it matter whether damaged us more than once. His partner
you are in a competitive auction, or whether always announces 15-17 points. When we
the player who makes the call is a passed call the director, he says that a person can
hand? open one point light of the no-trump range.
My question is why do we have to mark our
— Power Ranger, Midland, Mich. convention cards with our opening no-trump
range, and then announce it, when, in fact,
we don't have to follow the rule?
ANSWER: Facing either an opening bid or
an overcall, I play all new-suit jumps by — Lawful Laura, Cartersville, Ga.
passed hands as natural — decent suits of
five or more cards, promising at least a
decent three-card fit for partner's suit. Jumps ANSWER: Once a partnership has a history
facing an overcall or a weak-two opening by of opening 14-counts, the range becomes
an unpassed hand are probably best played 14-17, not 15-17. Your director should tell
as fit jumps. I like to play jumps by unpassed the player that any time he deviates twice
hands in response to an opening bid as from the system, he has an implied
strong — unless in competition, when they understanding. But — and this is important
become weak. — there is nothing illegal in opening 14-
counts. The bad results you got did not
come because you didn't expect a 14-count,
Dear Mr. Wolff: but because the player judged luckily or well,
or the cards lay well for them. That is
My partner opened one spade, and I held unlucky, but not in any way the subject of a
♠ Q-5, ♥ A-Q-4-3, ♦ A-J-7-6-5, ♣ K-4. After I score adjustment.
responded two diamonds, my partner bid
two spades. What should I have done next?
— Half-Baked, Dodge City, Kan. Dear Mr. Wolff:
Mr. Wolff, I play with a duplicate group and
there is disagreement about how
ANSWER: My instincts are to bid two no- matchpoints are scored when a hand is
trump now, since I'm not looking for a heart passed out. Of course, the raw points would
fit and I do have the unbid suits stopped. be zero for both East-West and North-South
The alternative is to raise to three spades, pairs, but the question is regarding how the
but your partner has not promised a sixth matchpoints are scored.
spade for his suit-rebid facing a two-level
response. So a raise by you should show a — Contrary Mary, Pleasanton, Calif.
third trump here.
ANSWER: In essence, just consider zero for
Dear Mr. Wolff: a passed-out board as better for North-South
than any minus score, worse than any plus
A couple of weeks ago you stated that score. So if all the scores are plusses for
opener's repeating his first suit generally North-South, then a pass-out gets the pair in
shows six. Does the same principle apply question a zero. If all the scores are plusses
when responder bids and rebids a suit? for East-West, then the reverse is true.
— One Short, Little Rock, Ark.
ANSWER: Yes, this rebid strongly suggests

six. There will be hands when you are
absolutely stuck for a call (often with a weak
hand and length in the unbid suit, where you
cannot afford to bid no-trump). You may
have to rebid a really chunky five-carder; but
don't expect partner to play you for this.
“I once knew a man out of courtesy help a lame dog over a stile, and he for requital bit his
fingers.”
— William Chillingworth
Dealer: South North

When today's deal came up at the table West led a top Vul: Both ♠973
spade and East discouraged, hoping his partner would ♥9753
♦ A Q 10 7
find the diamond shift. Instead West (who knew his side's ♣AJ
spades were solid enough) continued with the spade jack West East
♠KQJ8 ♠A542
and a third spade. Declarer ruffed and drew trumps,
♥2 ♥A8
claiming 10 tricks. ♦865432 ♦J
♣85 ♣976432
When East asked his partner if he had considered South
♠ 10 6
shifting, West produced the reasonable response that he ♥ K Q J 10 6 4
had interpreted his partner’s low spade at the first trick as ♦K9
♣ K Q 10
count, suggesting an original holding of ace-third. As West
said, he was worried that if he didn’t cash out the spades, South West North East
one might go on the minors — and East could not 1♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
overtake at the first trick in case the lead was from K-Q-x. 4♥ All pass
As a matter of fact, one of the defenders was grievously at Opening Lead: ♠K

fault here –and it was not West. When West leads the
spade king, East should be able to work out where the defensive tricks are going to come
from — but West cannot see through the backs of the cards. So it is up to East to plan the
defense for his partner. He must overtake the opening lead with the ace and return a
diamond.
The plan is for East to win the first trump with the ace, cross to his partner in spades, and
receive a diamond ruff in return. West will know not to try to cash a third spade, since
East’s defense has made it clear there is a ruff coming.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: On this auction, nobody has
South Holds: really bid clubs. Your partner rates to have a
♠J65 balanced hand with three or four clubs. If he
♥ 10 7 3 2 had more, your LHO might well have had
♦KJ4 enough length somewhere to transfer out of
♣J84 one no-trump. So lead your fourth-highest
heart as your best bet — at least you know
South West North East you have length there.
1♣ 1 NT
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, October 1st, 2013
“Protection is not a principle, but an expedient.”

— Benjamin Disraeli
Dealer: North North

Declaring six no-trump, South appreciated that he needed Vul: Neither ♠ A Q
four diamond tricks for his slam to succeed, but he failed ♥ K Q 10
♦J642
to apply the right safety play. ♣7642
West East
Against the slam West kicked off with the club jack, and ♠ 10 8 7 6 4 ♠J92
♥J862 ♥974
South could count only 10 top tricks, but with the diamond
♦— ♦ Q 10 9 3
suit likely to produce the requisite extra two. On winning ♣ J 10 9 5 ♣Q83
the club lead in hand perforce, declarer continued with the South
♠K53
diamond ace and was brought up short when West ♥A53
showed out — the slam went down the drain. ♦AK875
♣AK
As South bewailed his bad luck, North poured gasoline on
the fire by asking South if he held the diamond eight. 1♣ Pass
When South admitted to that card, North replied that the 1♦ Pass 2♦ Pass
contract was cold. 4 NT Pass 5♦ Pass
5♥* Pass 6♦ Pass
South was still mystified, so North went on to explain that 6 NT All pass
declarer’s only problem would come if East held all four *Asking for the trump queen
missing diamonds. The right line was to enter dummy and
Opening Lead: ♣J
lead a low diamond toward the South hand, covering
whichever card East elected to play. If East played the three, declarer would insert the
eight. Should East play the nine, South would cover. If West showed out, South could now
lead back toward the jack. East would win, but declarer would capture the return, re-enter
dummy, and finesse against the 10.
If it is East who shows out on the first round, declarer could rise with the king and continue
by leading toward the jack, simply surrendering one trick to the queen.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With your side holding the
South Holds: balance of high cards, I can see an
♠A984 argument for a trump lead to try to kill ruffs in
♥Q3 dummy, or for leading the diamond queen to
♦Q5 get our side's tricks going. However there is
♣ J 10 8 4 2 no real reason to jeopardize our potential
trump trick or to get overactive, and a club
South West North East lead looks reasonably safe. I'd lead the jack
1♦ 1♥ because of the presence of the eight.
Dbl. 2♥ Pass 3♥
All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013
“But satire, ever moral, ever new,

Delights the reader and instructs him, too.”
— Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux
Dealer: West North

I am always happy to receive full-deal problems from my Vul: Neither ♠ 9 6
readers. Ray Dufour posed today's declarer-play problem. ♥Q6
♦63
He asked how to play three no-trump on the lead of the ♣AK76542
heart five, and how declarer's strategy would vary, West East
♠ 10 5 3 ♠KQ84
depending on what happened in the early tricks.
♥J985 ♥ A 10 7 3
♦ J 10 4 ♦K972
The first issue is what to play from dummy at trick one. It ♣Q93 ♣8
looks right to put up the queen — if you don’t, you cannot South
♠AJ72
get any use out of that card. Let’s say the queen loses to ♥K42
the ace and the heart three comes back. Now it looks ♦AQ85
♣ J 10
likely that hearts were 4-4, so you win the heart king (for
fear of a spade shift) and run the club 10. If West puts up South West North East
the queen, duck it. If East had returned a high heart spot Pass 3♣ Pass
(so that the suit appeared to be 5-3), duck the second 3 NT All pass
heart, win the third, and try to sneak the club 10 past West
Opening Lead: ♥5
— hoping he will forget to cover if he began with queen-
third of clubs. If he covers, you will need the clubs to split 2-2.
Things are rather more complicated if the heart queen holds the first trick. Your
possession of the heart four and two means that you can assume that if the heart three is
played by East, then hearts are 4-4. So lead a low club from dummy. If you judge from
East’s play to the first trick that hearts are 5-3, then play clubs from the top and hope the
suit breaks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Some play that one should pass
South Holds: over the double with no club stopper and
♠AJ72 wait for your partner to ask again by
♥K42 redoubling. A more mainstream position is to
♦AQ85 pass with moderate clubs, redouble with
♣ J 10 great clubs, and otherwise respond as if the
opponents had not acted. So you would bid
South West North East two spades now and expect your partner to
1 NT Pass 2♣ Dbl. check on a club stopper if he felt the need to
? do so.
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, October 3rd, 2013
“I finally figured out that not every crisis can be managed. As much as we want to keep
ourselves safe, we can't protect ourselves from everything. If we want to embrace life, we
also have to embrace chaos.”
— Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Dealer: South North

Declaring four hearts, South can count eight top tricks, Vul: East- ♠ 10 6
and hopes that the other two will come from ruffing two West ♥6543
♦K832
spades in dummy. But if West has the diamond ace, ♣653
South might score the diamond king and need only one West East
♠QJ982 ♠75
ruff in dummy.
♥ 10 8 7 ♥9
♦J5 ♦AQ9764
It looks like normal technique for declarer to duck the first ♣KQJ ♣ 10 9 8 7
club, then take the club jack with the ace and lead the South
♠AK43
diamond 10 to the jack, king and ace. East now has a ♥AKQJ2
choice of defenses. If he plays a club, then West will win ♦ 10
♣A42
the trick and exit with a top spade. Now if declarer wins
and tries to ruff a spade in dummy without drawing any South West North East
trump, East will be able to overruff dummy and the 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
contract goes down a trick. 2♥ Pass 2 NT Pass
But it costs South nothing to play the heart ace and king
Opening Lead: ♣K
before ruffing a spade. As the cards lie, this means that
East has no trumps left to overruff dummy, so declarer ruffs a diamond back to hand
before ruffing his last spade on the table. He makes two spades, two spade ruffs, five
trumps and the club ace.
Declarer can (and probably should) play precisely one round of trumps at trick three
before leading a diamond to the king. But it is also worth noting that if declarer
erroneously draws two rounds of trumps before playing on diamonds, then West can win
the third club and play a third trump, killing the second ruff in dummy.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your decision as to how much to
South Holds: bid should be influenced by the vulnerability.
♠75 Vulnerable, you could content yourself with a
♥9 simple overcall, since it makes little sense to
♦AQ9764 expose yourself to a big penalty by playing
♣ 10 9 8 7 weak jump overcalls facing a passed
partner. When nonvulnerable, you might pre-
South West North East empt all the way to three diamonds to make
Pass 1♣ the opponents' life that much harder.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, October 4th, 2013
“Coleridge holds that a man cannot have a pure mind who refuses apple-dumplings. I am
not certain but that he is right.”
— Charles Lamb
Dealer: East North

Despite the combined North-South high-card strength, Vul: East- ♠954
three no-trump is a poor contract. But it is hard to stay out West ♥KJ643
♦ 10 7
of, since North should not try to land on a pinhead by ♣AK9
passing two no-trump. So imagine that South declares West East
♠AK8763 ♠2
today's deal in three no-trump, against which West leads
♥ Q 10 7 ♥A98
the spade seven. ♦53 ♦QJ986
♣72 ♣ 10 8 6 5
With one defender holding an established suit, declarer South
♠ Q J 10
can only run seven tricks before giving up the lead, so two ♥52
more tricks must be generated from the hearts. Moreover, ♦AK42
♣QJ43
these extra tricks obviously will have to come from that
suit without letting West obtain the lead. South West North East
Pass
South therefore must assume that East holds the heart 1♦ 1♠ 2♥ Pass
ace and no more spades. To trick two, a heart is led, and 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
if West plays the seven, dummy ducks! East must win the
Opening Lead: ♠7
trick and now declarer regains the lead and plays a heart
to the jack, achieving his goal.
Note: If West produces the heart 10 or queen on the first round, dummy covers cheaply.
At the next opportunity declarer plays a second heart and ducks West’s seven. This line
risks an extra undertrick, but is the only way to come close to making the contract.
Curiously, there IS a defense to three no-trump, but not one that any mortal would find.
West cashes a top spade and leads a second, letting East discard the heart eight. Now
West can follow with a high heart when the suit is first led and can no longer be kept off
lead.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Were you tempted to bid on? I
South Holds: can understand that, but your partner's
♠2 decision to reraise to four hearts — instead
♥A98 of describing his hand with a call of four of a
♦QJ986 minor — leaves him in absolute control here.
♣ 10 8 6 5 You can double or pass, but should never
bid on without freak distribution here.
1♥ 1♠
2♥ 3♠ 4♥ 4♠
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, October 5th, 2013
“Hypotheses, whether metaphysical or physical, whether of occult qualities or mechanical,

have no place in experimental philosophy.”
— Sir Isaac Newton
Dealer: South North

When the club king is led against your spade slam, you Vul: Neither ♠ K J 9
have to find a home for your two club losers. If trumps ♥J32
♦A863
break, you might duck a club, then draw two rounds of ♣762
trump. You could subsequently run the hearts, throwing a West East
♠4 ♠ 10 8 6 2
club from dummy, and ruff a club in dummy for your 12th
♥74 ♥ 10 9 8 5
trick. However, once the unusual no-trump from West has ♦ K Q 10 9 2 ♦J754
told you that the clubs are 5-1, you should be alive to the ♣ K Q J 10 5 ♣3
South
real danger of a bad trump break as well. (West's ♠AQ753
shortness rates to be in spades, not hearts.) ♥AKQ6
♦—
♣A984
The obvious risk is that if you duck an early club, East will
ruff in prematurely. Equally, if you cash a high trump in South West North East
dummy, you may run out of top trumps. In fact, you need 1♠ 2 NT 3♠ Pass
to make all your low trumps in hand when trumps do not 4♣ Pass 4♦ Pass
6♠ All pass
break.
Opening Lead: ♣K
Win the club lead, cross to the heart jack, then cash the
diamond ace, throwing a club, and ruff a diamond. Now a trump to the king is followed by
another diamond ruff. Next, cross your fingers and, without drawing a second round of
trump, play three more rounds of hearts, throwing a club from table. Only then do you
concede a club to West.
It will do East no good to ruff his partner’s winner and return a trump, so he discards his
last diamond, and West plays another club. But you ruff high in dummy and are left with
two master trumps in hand.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have far too good a hand to
South Holds: sign off in three diamonds, but no clear-cut
♠KJ9 way forward. Since you effectively denied
♥J32 spades at your first turn to speak, perhaps a
♦A863 raise to three spades will show your partner
♣762 where your values lie and help him decide
where to go next.
1♦ 1♥
2♦ 2♥ 2♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, October 6th, 2013

I know you are a fan of what some people What should you respond to a one-level
would consider the old fashioned strong opening bid with invitational values and both
jump shift. Many of the newer players pooh- a five-card minor and a four-card major of
pooh it, saying it puts the auction one-level your own? When my partner opened one
higher before enough information has diamond I chose to respond two clubs
passed. I always considered it was essential holding ♠ K-10-8-5, ♥ Q-5, ♦ K-4, ♣ K-10-7-4-
to show the values — but can you comment 2, and I was told that I should have bid my
please? spades first. But how would I get the clubs
into play without overstating my hand?
— Old Fashioned, Los Angeles, Calif.
— Lily Pond, Charlottesville, Va.
ANSWER: The jump shift, as I play it, shows

one of three specific hands. It always ANSWER: The general rule in response to
guarantees a good suit and either real minor-suit opening bids is to introduce any
support for partner (if your next call is to four-card major, on a hand up to invitational
support partner or cuebid), or if you rebid no- strength. Here bid spades first, planning to
trump it shows upwards of a strong no- raise clubs if your partner bids them and to
trump. Finally, if you rebid your suit it shows ignore the suit if partner bids one no-trump.
at least six cards and a semi-solid suit or The tricky question is whether to pass, raise
better. None of these hands are easy to diamonds, or bid two no-trump if you hear a
show unless you jump at your first turn. rebid of two diamonds from your partner. I
think the diamond raise is safest.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
You are South, all vulnerable, at matchpoints
with: ♠ K-Q, ♥ K-Q-10-9-4-2, ♦ K-J-4, ♣ A-6, What is your view on the minimum required
and after opening one heart and hearing a for a two-level overcall? Playing duplicate I
one spade response you jump to four hearts. was dealt ♠ Q-4-3, ♥ K-Q-8, ♦ K-5, ♣ A-J-4-3-
Now partner bids five no-trumps, the grand 2, vulnerable, and heard my RHO open one
slam force. Opener doesn't know whether diamond. Am I supposed to overcall in clubs,
partner has the bare heart ace, or more than to double, or pass?
one card in the suit, does he? At the table
opener settled for the small slam, worried — Tact and Discretion, Casper, Wyo.
about the heart jack. Was this overly
pessimistic?
ANSWER: Few experts would vote for
— Johnny Walker, Muncie, Ind. passing this hand; but many would try an
overcall of one no-trump, and some would
double, since you are playable in all three
ANSWER: Where you have space, the side-suits. A bid of two clubs it too unilateral,
responses to five no-trump should be that and seems an unnecessary risk to me – I’d
reversion to the trump suit is the weakest like a sixth club or more intermediates in the
action. The less you bid the more you have, suit before I make a two-level overcall.
but all calls higher than six of the trump suit
show two top honors. Where opener has
promised a VERY good suit and hand — and
incidentally has neither — he should
nonetheless probably show two trump
honors with a six spade call. Even facing a
singleton ace his chance of running the
hearts is better than 50 percent.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

After opening one diamond and hearing a
one heart overcall followed by a one no-
trump response from your partner, what
should you do next holding: ♠ K-4-3, ♥ K,
♦ A-Q-7-5-4, ♣ A-10-6-4? I was torn between
bidding two clubs and three clubs — but
what do you think?
— Bright Spark, Wilmington, N.C.
ANSWER: Jumping to three clubs invites

game, and seems about right to me. A two
club call would be pessimistic while a two-
heart cuebid would drive to game and be
overly aggressive. There is, though, surely
something to be said for simply inviting with
a call of two no-trump, and putting the clubs
on the back burner.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, October 7th, 2013
“Think no more; 'tis only thinking

Lays lads underground.”
— A.E. Housman
Dealer: East North

The concept of par refers to the result achieved by both Vul: North- ♠864
sides if neither of them makes a mistake. In today's deal, South ♥8643
♦Q6
par for North-South is to play four spades, not three no- ♣A842
trump, since eight tricks are the limit in no-trump on a West East
♠93 ♠A52
diamond lead. Many Souths might prefer to open with two
♥ J 10 5 ♥A972
no-trump or a forcing two-club call, though the lack of ♦J742 ♦ 10 9 8 5 3
aces suggests the one-level opener to me. But whatever ♣ Q 10 6 5 ♣9
South
the opening, the spade game should be reached. ♠ K Q J 10 7
♥KQ
How should South tackle the deal in four spades? ♦AK
♣KJ73
Assume West leads the heart jack and East takes the ace.
He must now resist the temptation to play his singleton South West North East
club — which would facilitate declarer’s task considerably. Pass
Instead he returns a low heart, then wins the spade ace to 1♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
3♣ Pass 3♠ Pass
play a third heart. 3 NT Pass 4♠ All pass
Able to afford the loss of one club trick but not two, South Opening Lead: ♥J
should now make the safety play of the club king to the
first round. When East drops the nine, a low club toward dummy should follow, finessing
the eight if West plays small. If East wins the second club, then the suit has broken 3-2. If
West discards on the second round, declarer can put up the ace from dummy and lead
back a club toward his jack. Most importantly, if West started with four clubs, either the
eight will win, or the ace will capture an honor and the eight and jack will be equals
against the queen.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: My choice would be to lead a
South Holds: spade, even though my RHO bid that suit.
♠K9842 After all, your fifth spade does suggest you
♥K2 might be able to set the suit up eventually.
♦Q64 My second choice would be a diamond —
♣ 10 7 2 both minor suits are equally dangerous but
partner might have been able to double the
South West North East club bid if that were the right lead.
1 NT
Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠
Pass 3 NT All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, October 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on October 22nd, 2013
“Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one.”
Dealer: West North

Since my column started appearing online, my Vul: Neither ♠ A J 10 8 6
correspondents have been writing to me from all around ♥Q6
♦A63
the world. But I believe today's deal may be the first ♣AK2
provided to me by an Indian correspondent. Shantanu West East
♠943 ♠KQ52
Rastogi from Lucknow passed on a deal that arose in the
♥952 ♥ A 10 8 7
finals of the Indian Senior trials in April this year. ♦4 ♦ 10 9 7 2
♣J97543 ♣8
As you can see, six diamonds looks like a very South
♠7
comfortable affair, but North took the precipitous decision ♥KJ43
to leap to the no-trump slam, and East alertly doubled. ♦KQJ85
♣ Q 10 6
This is the Lightner double, named after the American
expert Theodore Lightner, asking for the lead of dummy’s South West North East
first-bid suit. Pass 1♠ Pass
2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass
I could not resist a smile when I read Shantanu’s 3 NT Pass 6 NT Dbl.
All pass
somewhat acerbic description of the West player as a
Godzilla — the same term Zia Mahmood had used to Opening Lead: ♣5
describe a partner more dangerous to his side than the
opponents. Be that as it may, West led a club, and declarer won in dummy and advanced
the heart queen. East took the trick, and found out to his dismay that after the run of all
the minor-suit winners, he could not now protect himself from the spade-heart squeeze
whether he returned a heart or a spade.
As the commentators sagely noted, after the event, the slam still goes down if East
refuses to take either of the first two heart tricks, since declarer no longer has any
communication between his hand and dummy. I’m not sure why this play is hard to spot,
but it is.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand is surely strong
South Holds: enough to drive to game, since even facing
♠KQ52 a minimum balanced hand, your singleton
♥ A 10 8 7 may still leave partner cold for game. That
♦ 10 9 7 2 said, some play mini-splinters (a jump to
♣8 three no-trump over one spade or to three
spades over one heart showing a raise to
South West North East game, with 9-12 points and an unspecified
1♠ Pass splinter). I'll write about this soon in the
? Sunday letters column.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, October 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on October 23rd, 2013
“Fates cannot find out a capacity

Of hurting thee.
From Thee their lean dilemma, with blunt horn,
Shrinks, as the sick moon from the wholesome morn.”
— Richard Crashaw
Dealer: North North

This four-heart contract came along in the Championship Vul: Both ♠ A K J 10 8 2
Swiss Teams, the main event of the Brighton Summer ♥Q3
♦AK43
Congress. West, Catherine Seale, had appreciated from ♣9
the bidding that Nevena Senior, her partner, was likely to West East
♠Q973 ♠654
have a singleton diamond or a void, so she led a low one
♥8 ♥A765
(for suit preference) to the jack and queen. South played a ♦98752 ♦J
heart to dummy's queen and Nevena made the winning ♣AK6 ♣ J 10 8 7 4
South
play of withholding her ace. Declarer next threw two clubs ♠—
on the spade ace and king, then played a club. West ♥ K J 10 9 4 2
♦ Q 10 6
could win and give East her diamond ruff. Senior next ♣Q532
cashed her heart ace, removing dummy's last trump in the
process, then played another club for a second diamond South West North East
1♠ Pass
ruff. Well defended, for two down.
2♥ Pass 3♦ Pass
3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass
Despite the fine lead, declarer could have succeeded. 4♦ Pass 4♥ All pass
Missing the trump ace, South may suspect there is a likely
defensive diamond ruff to come, but there is nothing she Opening Lead: ♦2
can do to prevent it, and she needs club ruffs in dummy,
so she should accept that fact and play a club at trick two.
This puts the defense in an unenviable position. West can win the club and deliver a
diamond ruff. But if the continuation is ace and another heart, declarer is in control. The
last trump is drawn; then three clubs are discarded on the top two spades and fourth
diamond. And if East plays back a low heart to retain control, one club can be ruffed in
dummy and the other two pitched on dummy’s spades.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this position it looks more
South Holds: sensible to respond one no-trump than to
♠Q973 introduce spades (and risk playing an
♥8 unsatisfactory fit) or pass and let partner
♦98752 suffer in a 5-1 fit. While one can introduce
♣AK6 spades here with only four, you would surely
not care to do so with a relatively weak suit.
1♣ 1♥ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, October 10th, 2013
“Eternal law has arranged nothing better than this, that it has given us one way into life,
but many ways out.”
— Seneca
Dealer: West North

The winners of the Midweek Senior Swiss Teams Vul: Neither ♠ Q J 7 6
Championship at the 2010 Brighton Summer Festival of ♥ 10 9 8 3
♦A2
Bridge were Rhona and Bernard Goldenfield, Kath Nelson ♣ 10 8 3
and Jim Luck. Bernard Goldenfield found a loser-on-loser West East
♠ A 10 9 4
play here, which produced an extremely satisfying result. ♠53
♥6
♥A54
♦ K J 10 9 7 4
Against three hearts West led the diamond queen, taken ♦Q8
3
♣KJ9765
in dummy by the ace. A heart to the king was captured ♣2
South
with the ace and West returned his last diamond. On ♠K82
winning, East switched to a club. Suspecting from the ♥KQJ72
♦65
bidding that this was a singleton and that West must hold ♣AQ4
six clubs to the king-jack, Bernard rose with his ace.
There are five potential losers; one in every suit and two 1♣ Pass 1♦
in clubs. But as you can see, the defenders have no 1♥ Pass 2♥ 3♦
Pass Pass 3♥ All pass
communications in any suit except diamonds, and that
lifeline has already been cut. Opening Lead: ♦Q
Declarer drew the rest of the trumps and continued with a low spade to the queen and
ace. East returned the spade 10, won by South’s king. A third spade went to the jack,
West showing out. Had spades split, life would have been easy, but when they did not,
Goldenfield played dummy’s last spade, on which he discarded a club from his hand.
Declarer by now had a complete count of East’s hand, and his club queen was poised to
be jettisoned on East’s forced diamond return. The ruff and discard gave South his ninth
trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Following your responsive
South Holds: double, your partner's cue-bid simply shows
♠QJ76 a good hand. You have been asked to bid
♥ 10 9 8 3 your suits up the line regardless of suit
♦A2 quality, so simply bid three hearts. The
♣ 10 8 3 objective here is to find a 4-4 major-suit fit,
not necessarily the best fit.
1♣ Dbl. 2♣
Dbl. Pass 3♣ Pass
?
“Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.”

— George Bernard Shaw
Dealer: West North

In today's deal North's second-round double promised Vul: North- ♠ 10 9 7 6
three-card heart support. When North decided to leap to South ♥AQ2
♦KJ54
game in hearts, you passed, despite knowing that you ♣Q3
would have only a 4-3 trump fit. West begins with two top West East
♠AKQ83 ♠J42
spades and East follows up the line to indicate a three-
♥87 ♥ 10 9 5 4
card suit. How do you plan to make 10 tricks? ♦973 ♦82
♣J96 ♣K842
If trumps are 3-3, then 10 tricks will be easy. If the trumps South
♠5
are 5-1 or West has four trumps, then there will be no way ♥KJ63
to make four hearts. So the crucial case is when East has ♦ A Q 10 6
♣ A 10 7 5
four trumps, as here.
West, a passed hand, has the spade ace-king plus either Pass 1♦ Pass
the queen or the jack. So this makes East a heavy favorite 1♥ 1♠ Dbl.* Pass
to hold the club king. You should make a plan that will 2♠ Pass 2 NT Pass
produce 10 tricks when East has four trumps, three
spades, and the club king. *Three-card heart support
Opening Lead: ♠K
After ruffing the second spade in hand, you should draw
two rounds of trump with the king and ace, then ruff another spade in hand with the trump
jack. Next, you will play a diamond to dummy’s king, followed by the trump queen, and
continue with your remaining diamond winners. What can East do? If he ruffs at any
stage, he will have to lead away from the club king. If instead East discards on the
diamonds, you will score just one club trick but four diamonds, again bringing you to a
total of 10.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Facing a takeout double, I'd
South Holds: simply bid three clubs rather than two
♠J42 hearts, trusting my RHO to hold the suit he
♥ 10 9 5 4 has bid. If he is an untrustworthy customer,
♦82 maybe a two-heart call would expose his
♣K842 psych — my failure to double one heart
limits the strength of the heart suit I can
South West North East hold. I'm not keen on introducing the three-
1♦ Dbl. 1♥ card spade suit if I can avoid it.
Pass 2♦ Dbl. Pass
?
“Think? Why think! We have computers to do that for us.”

— Jean Rostand
Dealer: East North

Here is another example of how well computers can play, Vul: Neither ♠A76
given the right circumstances. The computer known as ♥A8642
♦ J 10 4
GIB can generally find the best line when it understands ♣J2
the constraints imposed by the bidding. West East
♠ 10 ♠985432
♥7 ♥ 10 5
Today’s deal comes from Deauville, in 1996. Herve Mouiel
♦985 ♦KQ63
won the prize for the best-played hand here, declaring six ♣ Q 10 9 8 7 6 4 3 ♣5
no-trump on a spade lead. So how do you make two South
♠KQJ
diamond tricks in your slam? You can play for a stiff honor ♥KQJ93
somewhere, or a doubleton honor in either hand, but you ♦A72
♣AK
may well have to guess which defender to play for
shortage. South West North East
2♠
The chances of a 5-2 diamond break did not seem Dbl. 3♣ 4♥ Pass
especially good, with both opponents having shown a long 4 NT Pass 5♥ Pass
5 NT Pass 6♣ Pass
suit, so Mouiel played East for both diamond honors.
6 NT All pass
Since he had opened a weak two with such a feeble suit,
he rated to have some side-values. Mouiel cashed two Opening Lead: ♥3
spades, then all five hearts and both his clubs.
At this point dummy was left with a small spade and three diamonds, South had the
master spade and three diamonds. West was irrelevant, and East had to come down to
king-queen-third of diamonds and thus just one spade.
Now declarer played the spade king, stripping East of all but his three diamonds, and next
led a diamond to the 10 to endplay him. Nicely done! At the other table, the French
defender found the devastating lead of the diamond nine. GIB duplicated Mouiel’s line, but
no one gave it a prize.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no point in trying to
South Holds: thread the needle by trying to stay out of
♠A76 game here. Your aces and fifth trump
♥A8642 coupled with your builders in diamonds
♦ J 10 4 make this hand too good for an invitation. It
♣J2 is worth a straightforward jump to game.

1♦ Pass
1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass
?

Please give me a quick synopsis of the Many of the experts at my club play a
Michaels Cue-bid. Does it interact with the convention referred to as Smolensk in
unusual no-trump? response to an opening bid of one no-trump.
I tried to find any details of it, but was unable
— Having a Fit, Galveston, Texas to locate it. Please explain how it works.
— Tattooed Lady, Vancouver, British
ANSWER: The two conventions mesh well. Columbia
A jump in no-trump always shows the two
lower unbid suits, while a Michaels Cue-bid
of a minor suggests both majors, and a cue- ANSWER: It is Smolen, not Smolensk —
bid of a major shows the unbid major and and the convention handles game-forcing
one minor. Responder can ask for the minor hands with 5-4 in the majors, in response to
with a call of two no-trump. With a a one- or two-no-trump opening, transferring
powerhouse (the hand that would have been declarership to the strong hand. With this
suitable for an old-fashioned cue-bid), start pattern, you bid Stayman, then jump in your
by doubling, then take further strong action. shorter major over a two-diamond response.
This allows your partner to play three no-
trump with no fit, or declare the 5-3 major fit
Dear Mr. Wolff: from the stronger side, while making
declarer the hand whose shape is unknown.
I have always been a fan of penalty doubles
when the opponents overcall. But all the
people I play with tell me they are outdated. Dear Mr. Wolff:
Are there still positions where penalty
doubles are appropriate? Playing social rubber bridge, I picked up ♠ J-
10-4-2, ♥ K-10, ♦ K-9-2, ♣ K-10-8-3 and after
— Lost Boy, West Palm Beach, Fla. a one-heart overcall of my partner's opening
bid of one club, I doubled to show four
spades. When my partner rebid two clubs, I
ANSWER: Clearly in the middle or at the raised to three, then heard my partner bid
end of the auction one often wants to double three diamonds. What would you expect that
the opponents for penalty. Equally clearly, at to show and what should I have done next?
your first turn to speak or when the
opponents bid and raise a suit, double is — Sucker Punch, Selma, Alaska
normally takeout. Here are some exceptions:
Double of a no-trump opening or overcall, or
any double when your partner has opened or ANSWER: Your partner appears to be
overcalled with a pre-emptive action and making a game-try based on length, so it
thus defined his hand very precisely, should feels right to bid three no-trump now.
be for penalty. Consider that you might make game facing
six clubs to the ace and the diamond ace
and nothing else at all!
Dear Mr. Wolff:
My partner accused me of cowardice here.
Was he right? I held ♠ Q-10-4, ♥ A-K-Q-10-7-
3, ♦ Q-4, ♣ J-4, and when my partner
responded with a forcing one no-trump to my
one-heart opening bid, I tried two hearts. He
raised to three hearts — were my solid
hearts enough reason to bid on? I passed
and made 10 tricks when hearts split 3-3.
— Forever Amber, Londonderry, N.H.
ANSWER: My view is that you do have

enough to bid on. However, I would seriously
consider bidding three no-trump now, rather
than four hearts. After all, my hand is likely
to play well enough in no-trump, given my
source of quick tricks and soft values
outside. Partner can always put us back to
four hearts if he thinks it wise.
“Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity,

When I give I give myself.”
— Walt Whitman
Dealer: South North

A few years ago a charity bridge event was held at Vul: East- ♠7
Mosimann’s Restaurant in London in aid of the Variety West ♥ A K 10 7 6 3
♦AJ74
Club. The total raised for the charity was £30,000. ♣KJ
West East
On the morning of the event Zia Mahmood was sick and ♠ K Q 10 8 5 2 ♠64
couldn’t play. His replacement, Nicola Smith filled in, and ♥Q9 ♥J8542
♦98 ♦6
she and her partner won their section. The following slam ♣ Q 10 5 ♣A7643
caused her no problem. While the play should be South
♠AJ93
straightforward, it floored a number of players. ♥—
♦ K Q 10 5 3 2
Although South has only 10 high-card points, his hand is ♣982
strong in distribution and well worth an opening bid. (A
two diamond opening would be wildly misleading.) After 1♦ 1♠ 2♥ Pass
that start, there would be no stopping North, and the final 3♦ Pass 4 NT Pass
contract would be six diamonds after the obligatory use of 5♦ Pass 6♦ All pass
Blackwood.
Opening Lead: ♠K
On a spade king lead, declarer needs to set up dummy’s
hearts, using trumps as entries. The simplest line is to win the lead, play a trump to
dummy and ruff a heart, play another trump to dummy and ruff another heart. Now ruff a
spade and try the ace and king of hearts (discarding a spade and a club). If hearts break,
declarer can claim the rest. On the actual layout declarer ruffs another heart, setting up
dummy’s 10, which he can reach with a second spade ruff. The remaining heart winner
allows declarer to discard a second club, and the slam is made without needing to guess
which opponent holds the club ace.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The choice of leads is between
South Holds: the singleton diamond and a fourth highest
♠64 heart. I'm going for the singleton lead — now
♥J8542 the route to the target of four tricks is
♦6 somewhat easier to predict, while finding
♣A7643 partner with good hearts is not necessarily
sufficient to beat the game.
1♦ Pass 1♠
Pass 1 NT Pass 3♠
Pass 4♠ All pass
“I am not a pessimist; to perceive evil where it exists is, in my opinion, a form of optimism.”
— Roberto Rossellini
Dealer: South North

Plan the play in a team game if you declare three no- Vul: Both ♠QJ63
trump on the lead of the club six. ♥A87
♦ Q 10
♣KJ42
The only danger to your contract is if the clubs are 5-2. If West East
the suit is 4-3, you should be able to survive almost any ♠72 ♠ 10 9 8 4
♥9652 ♥ K 10 4
misguess. But if clubs are 5-2, there is a chance that you
♦A4 ♦7653
may lose four club tricks and the diamond ace. If you put ♣ Q 10 8 6 5 ♣A9
in the club jack at the first trick, then, if East wins the trick South
♠AK5
with a doubleton queen or ace, he can simply return the ♥QJ3
suit. Now, whenever West has the diamond ace, he will ♦KJ982
♣73
get in and cash out his five winners.
Much better is to go up with the club king at trick one. 1 NT* Pass 2♣ Pass
Now, if East has the doubleton club queen, the defenders’ 2♦ Pass 3 NT All pass
club holding is completely blocked, and declarer can set *14-16
up the diamonds in comfort. But as the cards lie today,
with East holding the doubleton club ace, this play would Opening Lead: ♣6
not succeed. East would capture the club king with the
ace and set up the suit for his partner, so long as West overtakes the club nine on the
second round.
The only way to be certain of avoiding that fate is to play low from dummy at trick one.
Play it through and see for yourself. East can win the first club cheaply but cannot
continue the suit effectively, and declarer has time to set up the diamonds.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: In this auction it is not clear that
South Holds: three spades would be forcing — although
♠AK5 maybe it should be, since with a limit raise
♥QJ3 you might have shown it at your first turn.
♦KJ982 Regardless, with no great slam potential
♣73 facing a hand that cannot bid over three
clubs, you might as well simply drive to four
South West North East spades by bidding it directly.
1♠ 2♣
2♦ 3♣ Pass Pass
?
“I notice that most of the men who tease me about my hair, don't have any.”
— Holland Taylor
Dealer: West North

When England play the Netherlands it is always an Vul: Both ♠Q8632
enjoyable encounter for both teams. The Dutch speak ♥8
♦J92
English as well as we do, and their exciting bidding makes ♣7653
for interesting auctions. West East
♠9 ♠ A 10 7 4
♥KJ962 ♥ 10 5 3
In Beijing the English Under-21 team faced the
♦ 10 5 3 ♦AKQ8
Netherlands in the round robin towards the end when ♣K942 ♣J8
England were securing their place in the top two and the South
♠KJ5
Dutch were struggling to make it into the top eight. ♥AQ74
♦764
On the deal below it was the English pair who created the ♣ A Q 10
swing, with a calculated risk in the bidding.
Pass Pass 1♦
Ed Jones, sitting East for England, opened one diamond
1 NT Pass 2♥ Pass
after two passes and the Dutch South, perhaps 2♠ Dbl. All pass
surprisingly, overcalled one no-trump. Tom Paske, West,
made a disciplined pass, and North transferred to spades Opening Lead: ♦3
by bidding two hearts. When South completed the transfer
by bidding two spades Tom sprang to life and doubled for take-out. East now had a tricky
bid to make but he reasoned that his partner would not have four diamonds since he had
not supported the suit, and that consequently his A-K-Q would pull their weight in defense.
So he decided to pass the double, converting it into penalties.
Tom kicked off with a diamond, and after cashing three rounds Ed switched to the club
jack, to the queen and king, and Tom returned a club. South could now draw trump (losing
two tricks to Ed’s ace and 10 in the process) but he had nowhere to put his fourth club and
ended up losing three diamonds, two clubs and two trumps for two down and 500 points
to England. Since the other table had played peacefully in three diamonds and gone two
down that was a good swing of 12 IMPs to England.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a forcing auction, and you
South Holds: can bid two spades over two hearts without
♠Q8632 showing any values, as opposed to spade
♥8 length. Your partner may hope for more but
♦J92 he has no reason to expect it (though if you
♣7653 had bid three clubs here it would be a
second negative, and you might take that
South West North East call with five small spades).
2♣ Pass
2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
?
“That we who live by honest dreams

Defend the bad against the worse.”
— Cecil Day-Lewis
Dealer: South North

In today's deal South drove to game by showing his two- Vul: East- ♠AQ8432
suiter, then guessed to rebid four clubs rather than West ♥94
♦95
gamble out three no-trump, and was raised to five. ♣872
West East
The defenders led two rounds of hearts, then East exited ♠ J 10 7 ♠K96
passively with a small diamond. Declarer won in hand ♥ 10 8 7 3 2 ♥AK65
♦8732 ♦ 10 4
cashed two top clubs, then crossed to the spade ace and ♣ 10 ♣J543
took the club finesse and claimed the rest when diamonds South
♠5
behaved. ♥QJ
♦AKQJ6
While East was telling his partner that there was nothing ♣AKQ96
he could have done, West was wearily shaking his head in
a successful effort to irritate East; can you see why? 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
3♣ Pass 3♠ Pass
There is a defense to five clubs, though it is hard to find. 4♣ Pass 5♣ All pass
After winning two heart tricks, East can see that the main
hope to defeat the contract is by winning a club trick. He Opening Lead: ♥3
should also realize that, given the chance, declarer will
lead two rounds of clubs and find out East has the guarded club jack, then cross to
dummy, and finesse the jack. To prevent this, East must shift to a spade at trick three and
remove declarer’s side-entry to dummy before he finds out about the four-one club split.
The bidding indicates the likelihood of South having solid diamonds (and shifting to a
spade would not help declarer avoid a diamond loser if he has one).
Even if South were void in spades, and had 100 honors in trumps, it would take an iron
nerve (or a peek) to finesse against the jack on the first round.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: With three-card support for
South Holds: partner, you should simply raise to four
♠AQ8432 clubs. Even though your partner did not
♥94 relay with a call of two no-trump, you should
♦95 play the bid of three clubs as natural and
♣872 forcing. That being so, you can raise and let
partner revert to spades if he sees fit.
2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
by Bobby Wolff on November 1st, 2013
“'It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,' the Queen remarked.”
— Lewis Carroll
Dealer: South North

Transport yourself back in time, to play four spades, after Vul: East- ♠Q864
an idiosyncratic auction, with 1954 Bermuda Bowl West ♥ 10 9 5
♦K86
Champion Doug Steen in the East seat. West leads the ♣K54
club eight, which places East with the club ace and West West East
♠J3 ♠ 10 7 5
with virtually all of the other high cards. You play low from
♥AQJ83 ♥K642
dummy and Steen inserts the jack. Play on. ♦AQJ5 ♦932
♣83 ♣AJ6
The original declarer drew trumps in three rounds and led South
♠AK92
a club to the king, which Steen allowed to win. When ♥7
Steen took the third round of clubs he then carefully ♦ 10 7 4
♣ Q 10 9 7 2
shifted to a diamond, allowing his partner to set up two
winners in the suit. Declarer could not reach his hand South West North East
except by overtaking the trump eight with the nine — and Pass 1♥ Pass 2♥
that would have exhausted his trumps. So he had to lose 2♠ 4♥ 4♠ Dbl.
All pass
three tricks in the red suits; down one.
Opening Lead: ♣8
Did you spot declarer’s mistake? After drawing two rounds
of trumps with the ace and queen, he should have thought back to the bidding. West
appeared to have a doubleton club, as East did not try for a ruff, so West’s most likely
shape was 2=5=4=2 (he would not leap to game on a 14 or 15 point 5332 shape). Thus,
after the second round of trumps, declarer should have played on clubs. East could hold
up the club ace until the third round, but the trump king would be the entry to the
established clubs. On this approach, declarer would have made four trumps, a diamond,
four clubs and a red-suit ruff.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There are no good answers here.
South Holds: Partner has asked you to provide a spade
♠ 10 3 stopper, club support, or show extra shape
♥AQJ83 in your bid suits — but you have none of
♦AQJ5 these. You could pretend the spade 10 was
♣83 a spade stopper or that two small clubs
represented support, but my choice would
South West North East be to lie about having a fifth diamond and
1♥ Pass 2♣ Pass rebid three diamonds rather than repeat my
2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass hearts.
?
by Bobby Wolff on November 2nd, 2013
“There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an
insurance salesman?”
— Woody Allen
Dealer: South North

Against your contract of four spades West leads the heart Vul: Both ♠QJ5
10, East overtaking with the jack and continuing with the ♥852
♦A
heart ace, which you ruff, as West follows with the six. ♣ K 10 8 5 4 2
How do you plan to insure your contract? West East
♠8 ♠ 10 9 7 4
If spades and diamonds are both 3-2 you could make 12 ♥ 10 9 6 ♥AKQJ73
♦ J 10 8 5 ♦3
tricks. However, as you are in four spades it will pay you ♣AJ963 ♣Q7
to focus your attention to the possibility that either one or South
♠AK632
both of these suits could be 4-1. ♥4
♦KQ97642
After ruffing the second heart, you should play a diamond ♣—
to the ace, followed by a trump to the king. Next you ruff a
low diamond with the jack, setting up the suit against a 1♦ Pass 2♣ 2♥
possible 4-1 break. Even if a defender shows out on this 2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass
trick, the diamonds are now established — but how do 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
you get back to hand to run the suit?
Opening Lead: ♥10
The answer is relatively simple, when you think about it.
You must overtake dummy’s bare trump queen with the ace to return to your hand and run
the diamonds without forcing yourself. These plays have given the defenders at least one
natural trump trick — indeed on today’s lie of the cards East has two trump tricks now. But
in return you have retained control of the trump suit.
When you run the diamonds, East will ruff in and play a heart. However, you simply trump
and continue the avalanche of diamonds. All you will lose is two spade tricks and one
heart.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand falls into the gray area
South Holds: between a simple heart raise and a cuebid
♠QJ5 raise to three diamonds (remember, a jump
♥852 to three hearts is shapely and weak). On this
♦A hand despite the singleton in the opponent's
♣ K 10 8 5 4 2 suit my bad trumps suggest going low, so I'd
simply raise to two hearts. But if my partner
South West North East had overcalled in spades I'd upvalue my
1♦ 1♥ 2♦ hand and take the more aggressive position.
?
by Bobby Wolff on November 3rd, 2013

My wife and I belong to three rubber bridge Recently I was in fourth chair and held ♠ 10-
groups and we enjoy reading your bridge 5, ♥ A-Q-6-2, ♦ A-4-3, ♣ Q-6-4-3 and
column in the Dallas Morning News. In every reopened when my opponents had bid
group most of the people say they don’t unopposed: one spade – one no-trump – two
focus on the bidding in your articles as diamonds – two spades. Was I wrong to
opposed to the play because it is from world balance — and would it have been
tournaments where they have many special acceptable to balance with this hand in the
bidding conventions we don’t use. Have you pass-out seat?
considered changing the auctions in such
instances? — Lady Day, Sioux Falls, S.D.
— Bob and Carol, Sparta, Wis.
ANSWER: Most people balance too little,
not too much. On this hand, however, it was
ANSWER: I apologize for aiming over dangerous to reopen because the opponents
people’s heads some of the time. I hope that had not announced a real fit and your LHO
isn’t the case on every deal. When the could still have a very good hand. But it
experts bid a hand playing largely natural could easily have been right to bid if the
methods I normally quote their auctions. So opponents had come to a stop in two
when a gadget comes up, I normally leave it spades, or if they had definitely located an
in – or explain it, in case it will prove useful eight-card spade fit.
one day! But I recognize your point and will
try to do better…
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Dear Mr. Wolff: I know how negative doubles work, but can
you comment on how to cope with an
What is the logic behind the lead style that is opponent's delayed entry into the auction?-
sometimes described as third-and-fifth or as Our side began one club – one spade – one
third-and-low? Is it better or just different no-trump, and then an opponent overcalled
from fourth-highest leads? either two clubs or two diamonds. Would a
double here be negative or takeout?
— Spotty Muldoon, Durham, N.C.
— Warning: Intruder, Grenada, Miss.
ANSWER: The rationale behind third and

lowest leads (the methods only differ in what ANSWER: Few partnerships discuss this
one leads from a six-card suit) is that you sequence in advance. I can see both sides
lead low from an odd number and high from of the case, but I'd say if your partner has
an even number, and thus hope to be able to rebid one no-trump (and thus defined his
differentiate holdings that are one card hand relatively precisely), then a double is
different. Normally the auction will allow you penalty. In all other cases your double is
to judge whether a four-card or six-card cards, leaving it up to partner to decide what
holding in your partner's hand is more likely. to do.
The method has a slight edge over fourth-
highest, where you often have difficulty
telling a four-card holding apart from either a
three- or a five-card holding.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

After I opened one club, I made a limit raise
of three spades to my partner's response of
one spade with ♠ Q-7-4-2, ♥ A-Q-4, ♦ A-J-3,
♣ K-Q-3. My partner told me I should have
bid four spades instead. What do you think?
— Flat Broke, Staten Island, N.Y.
ANSWER: I strongly agree with your choice.

With a balanced 18-19 points one normally
bids four of partner's major, but here you
took off a point for the balanced shape, and I
agree with your action. Imagine that partner
has as good a hand as four spades to the
ace-king and three cards in each of the other
suits. You might go two down in three
spades!
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, October 21st, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on November 4th, 2013
“The great source of pleasure is variety.”

— Samuel Johnson
Dealer: East North

I suspect many of my readers have never tried to make a Vul: East- ♠8652
contract on a squeeze — especially one where the count West ♥A95
♦8653
has not been rectified (an arcane way of saying that a ♣K3
trick still has to be lost after the squeeze has bitten). It is West East
♠ Q 10 9 4 ♠J
time to rectify that position.
♥ Q J 10 2 ♥8763
♦ J 10 9 ♦KQ742
In today’s deal South has done well to avoid making the ♣96 ♣854
weak spade suit trump, and instead has to play the hand South
♠AK73
in six clubs, against which West leads the heart queen. ♥K4
♦A
With 11 top tricks, South should see no reason to delay ♣ A Q J 10 7 2
drawing trumps. After this, he might feel a need to
improve his chances of a potential squeeze by conceding Pass
an early spade trick. Clearly he must lose one spade trick 2♣ Pass 2♠* Pass
whatever he does, and it is almost always easier to 3♣ Pass 3 NT Pass
5♠ Pass 6♣ All pass
execute a squeeze if you need the rest of the tricks, rather
than the rest but one. *An ace and a king, or three kings
Opening Lead: ♥Q
However, closer analysis should reveal the futility of
ducking a spade, since if given the lead, East or West can play another heart and thus
remove the last entry to dummy. So, instead, after playing the two top spades to ascertain
that the suit will not break, South plays off all his remaining trumps.
In the four-card ending, West is down to two spades and two hearts, as is dummy. But
what does West pitch on the diamond ace? If a heart, dummy’s nine is good. If a spade,
declarer pitches the heart nine from dummy and sets up the long spade.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When partner passes out a
South Holds: takeout double and decides to play for
♠ Q J 10 penalties, you must lead a trump to stop
♥KJ3 declarer from scoring his small clubs. You
♦AK742 know partner has a trump stack, so work on
♣54 letting him draw trump.

1♣
Dbl. All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013
“Life always gets harder toward the summit — the cold increases, the responsibility
increases.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Dealer: East North

In today's deal North's three-diamond cue-bid showed a Vul: North- ♠ K 10 8 7 4
spade raise. Later, when South made a forcing pass of South ♥AK9
♦A42
five clubs, North's five-diamond call showed the diamond ♣63
ace and suggested slam interest. That was all South West East
♠5 ♠96
needed to take a shot at the spade slam.
♥86 ♥ J 10 5 2
♦KJ853 ♦ 10 6
On the top-club lead declarer realized he was short of ♣ K Q J 10 5 ♣98742
intermediates in the diamond suit, but he appreciated the South
♠AQJ32
significance of the fact that West was a Scotsman. The ♥Q743
diamond nine, traditionally known as the Curse of ♦Q97
♣A
Scotland, would play a n important part in South’s plans.
South won the club lead in hand and drew trump in two Pass
rounds, ending in dummy, then ruffed a club, cashed the 1♠ 2 NT 3♦* 5♣
three top hearts, and ruffed a heart. He now had three Pass Pass 5♦ Pass
6♠ All pass
diamonds and two trumps in each hand, with the lead in
North. *Limit-raise or better in spades
Opening Lead: ♣K
Declarer called for a low diamond from dummy, and when
East played low, he put in the diamond nine, endplaying West either to lead a diamond
back around to South’s queen, or to give him a ruff and discard, whereupon the diamond
loser would go away. It would have done East no good to hop up with his diamond 10 on
the first round (though this is the best defense. (What if the diamond nine and eight were
switched?). Had East gone up with the 10, South would have covered with the queen, and
his possession of the diamond nine would have brought about an identical endplay on
West.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Here a jump to four no-trump is
South Holds: unusual, suggesting this pattern and
♠5 approximately these values. You may not be
♥86 able to make game, or you may be cold for
♦KJ853 slam, but you don't have to decide that. Let
♣ K Q J 10 5 your partner make the decision on where to
play and at what level, once you have told
South West North East him what you have.
Pass 1♥ Dbl. 3♥
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013
“Against this coming end you should prepare.”

Dealer: South North

It is not immediately clear what is the best slam for North- Vul: Both ♠8642
South to reach with today’s cards. The bidding has ♥6543
♦A3
several points of interest since North has enough for a ♣A75
positive response to the two club opening but no West East
♠ Q 10 ♠J9753
convenient suit to bid. South might rebid three diamonds
♥ J 10 9 ♥K87
rather than two no-trump. Once he treats his hand as ♦ 10 9 6 2 ♦J
balanced, the highest-scoring small slam is reached. ♣J986 ♣ 10 4 3 2
South
♠AK
The lead of the heart jack gets declarer off to a friendly ♥AQ2
start, but how should one play the hand — either at teams ♦KQ8754
♣KQ
or matchpoints? Clearly if diamonds divide 3-2, South has
13 top tricks. He must, however, guard against a 4-1 South West North East
diamond split, a break that occurs almost one time in four. 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
2 NT Pass 3♣ Pass
If South unblocks his clubs and leads to the diamond ace 3♦ Pass 4 NT* Pass
6♦ Pass 6 NT All pass
to cash the club ace, the 4-1 diamond split may defeat
*Quantitative
him. (The opponents may cash one club or more when
they gain the lead with the fourth diamond.) Opening Lead: ♥J
To overcome this difficulty, declarer must give up a diamond trick before he uses up his
diamond-ace entry to dummy. He must, of course, cash his king and queen of clubs at
tricks two and three before making the essential move of conceding a diamond trick.
This line of play guarantees the contract unless diamonds are 5-0. Declarer wins the
return and uses the diamond ace as his entry to dummy to cash the club ace and discard
his heart loser.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your choice is to jump to three
South Holds: diamonds, suggesting about eight playing
♠AK tricks in diamonds and inviting your partner
♥AQ2 to bid on if he has a trick. Or you can rebid
♦KQ8754 at no-trump (a call of one no-trump shows
♣KQ 18-20, two no-trump shows 21-22). I prefer
the diamond bid. With no quick tricks in your
South West North East hand and with such a broken diamond suit,
1♣ I’d be worried about the clubs running
Dbl. Pass 1♠ Pass
against me.
?
“People who like this sort of thing will find it the sort of thing they like.”
— Abraham Lincoln
Dealer: West North

The following example of a double throw-in is not Vul: Neither ♠ K 9 6
especially complex, but the satisfaction that derives from ♥A654
♦K76
being able to offer both opponents an unpalatable choice ♣ A 10 5
is a rich one. West East
♠ Q J 10 8 7 2 ♠5
♥Q83 ♥J7
If you had reached three no-trump after West’s weak-two
♦J82 ♦Q953
opening bid, there would have been no story of course, ♣7 ♣QJ9643
since nine tricks are easy enough. But in four hearts on a South
♠A43
spade lead, you win in hand and play a heart to the ace, ♥ K 10 9 2
then take two more rounds of trumps. West exits with ♦ A 10 4
♣K82
another top spade, and you take it in dummy. What now?
Since West has nine cards in the majors, you are actually 2♠ Pass Pass
guaranteed to make your contract in very straightforward Dbl. Pass 3♠ Pass
fashion. The solution is very simple; simply cash the ace- 4♥ All pass
king in both minor suits.
Opening Lead: ♠Q
When you cash the minor-suit winners, if West follows
twice in both minors, you can take your choice of plain-suit cards to lead now — they all
work. But if, as here, West turns up with a singleton club, you simply exit by leading a
diamond (and vice versa).
If West is allowed to score his diamond jack, he can also cash a spade trick, but must
then play another spade and allow your club loser to vanish. If East overtakes the
diamond jack to cash a club, then he is left with only minor-suit cards to play, and the
defenders never get their spade winner. Either way, one opponent is going to be left
feeling very irritated!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Cue-bid three spades, planning
South Holds: to follow up with a bid of four diamonds over
♠A43 a three no-trump bid from your partner. You
♥ K 10 9 2 are certainly going to go to at least six
♦ A 10 4 diamonds, but you would like partner to take
♣K82 control — you have a much better hand to
answer questions than ask them, since your
South West North East hand is all controls.
1♦ Pass
1♥ 1♠ 3♦ Pass
?
“In the meantime, in between time,

Ain’t we got fun?”
— Gus Kahn and Raymond Egan
Dealer: South North

How do you plan to play this adventurous grand slam after Vul: Neither ♠ 5 3
West leads the club jack to your ace? ♥7532
♦ K Q J 10
♣Q42
If both spades and trumps are going to break 3-2, it will be West East
easy to make 13 tricks. The best plan is to draw two ♠4 ♠ Q J 10 7
rounds of trumps, then cash the spade ace and king. ♥86 ♥J94
♦976532 ♦84
When all follow to the spades, draw the last trump, cash ♣ J 10 9 6 ♣K873
the diamond ace and ruff a spade. After throwing your South
♠AK9862
remaining club on a good diamond, your hand will be ♥ A K Q 10
high. ♦A
♣A5
This approach may even allow for a recovery when East
has four spades and three trumps. For example, when 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
West shows out on the second spade but is unable to ruff 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
the spade king, the simplest plan is to ruff a spade, return 3♥ Pass 4♥ Pass
7♥ All pass
to hand with the diamond ace and ruff another spade.
Then you throw a club on the diamond king, ruff a club Opening Lead: ♣J
with the trump 10 and cash the trump queen. Your last two
cards will be high spades.
What would happen if trumps broke 4-1? Then you would need East either to hold four
hearts and three spades, or a singleton heart jack and two spades. In either eventuality,
after cashing the diamond ace you would be able to ruff the spades good, throw a club on
the diamond king, and if that held, draw trumps and claim the balance.
Just for the record, the likelihood of both majors splitting has only about a 50 percent
probability.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Different partnerships use
South Holds: different methods over one no-trump, some
♠4 transferring into diamonds via a two spade
♥86 call, some via two no-trump, some via three
♦976532 clubs. I am not going to tell you which is
♣ J 10 9 6 best, but I strongly encourage you to make
the transfer here; this hand will almost
South West North East always play much better in diamonds than in
1 NT Pass no-trump. The bid does not imply values,
? just a long suit.
“Nobody works better under pressure. They just work faster.”

— Brian Tracy
Dealer: North North

Declaring six spades, you duck East's heart jack. He Vul: Neither ♠ J 8 4 2
returns the heart king to your ace. Obviously East will ♥642
♦AK62
have the spade king; if it is singleton or doubleton, making ♣A6
12 tricks will be easy enough. What is your plan for West East
♠6 ♠K73
overcoming the cases where he has three or four trumps
♥ 10 5 3 ♥KQJ97
to the king? ♦ 10 7 5 4 ♦QJ8
♣J9543 ♣Q7
After winning the heart ace, cross to table with a club and South
♠ A Q 10 9 5
run the trump eight. When that wins, lead the trump jack. ♥A8
East covers, and now you draw East’s last trump with the ♦93
♣ K 10 8 2
queen.
East’s most likely shapes in the minors are either 2-3 or 3- 1♦ 1♥
2. Thus West has to keep at least four cards in each 1♠ Pass 2♠ Pass
minor. To exert some pressure on his minor-suit holdings, 3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass
3♥ Pass 4♠ Pass
you cross to dummy in a minor suit, say clubs. When you
6♠ All pass
ruff the heart six, what can West do?
Opening Lead: ♥3
You should assume that he will probably discard first from
his five-card suit. If West discards a second club, you will cash the club king and ruff a
club before returning to hand with a diamond ruff to cash the good club. If West discards a
diamond, a diamond to the ace and a diamond ruff will establish a long diamond, and the
club ruff is the entry to reach it.
Finally, if East had turned up with four trumps, you would need him to have begun with a
4-5-1-3 distribution. This would allow you to ruff a club in dummy and then squeeze West
in the minors.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is certainly a case for
South Holds: using two diamonds as natural here and two
♠J842 hearts as a raise of spades. Regardless, two
♥642 hearts seem to be the most unambiguous
♦AK62 way to show a constructive spade raise
♣A6 while keeping the partnership at a safe level.
You would make a simple raise to two
South West North East spades with a small diamond instead of the
1♦ ace.
Pass 1♥ 1♠ Pass
?

I used to have instructions about putting One of the areas that has always worried me
together a Bridge hand (I think it was called is how to judge when an opponent's action
something like: Mississippi Riverboat takes you off the hook, in a situation where
Gambler hand) that looked unbeatable, and you might have responded or raised partner.
the bidder thought it would make a Grand Two examples: When the opponents double
Slam, but it usually didn't. Do you have partner's minor, when do you pass on a hand
something like that? where you would have bid in an uncontested
sequence? And when do you pass when you
— Poker Player, Berkeley, Calif. would have raised partner's major?
— Paso Doble, Union City, Tenn.
ANSWER: Do you mean a deal referred to
as 'The Mississippi Heart Hand'? You can
find details here. ANSWER: When you are minimum (in the
range of 5-7) with a balanced hand or a
The dealer has six solid hearts and seven weak four-card major, you do not have to bid
top winners in the other suits with a void in one no-trump or introduce the major after a
diamonds, but his LHO has the other seven double on your right of partner's opening bid.
hearts and six winning diamonds, so Equally, when you have a minimum
declarer scores only his six trump tricks. balanced hand with three weak trumps and
Please don’t use it on your friends… what appear to be defensive values, you do
not have to raise your partner's major in
competition. Otherwise, I suggest you ignore
Dear Mr. Wolff: the opponents' actions.
My wife and I played duplicate for several
years and found that we frequently finished
near the bottom for a given evening. I have Dear Mr. Wolff:
concluded that we are way too much into I was faced with a lead problem in our social
evaluating our hands by ONLY counting game where my partner told me that I should
points. Can you recommend any reading have known what to do. My LHO opened
material that would help us evaluate our one diamond, my RHO responded one no-
hands better? trump, and my LHO jumped to three no-
— Out for the Count, Willoughby, Ohio trump. My partner doubled and I held jack-
fifth of hearts, jack-third of spades, a small
doubleton diamond and three clubs to the
ANSWER: Hand evaluation is truly one of jack. What should I have led?
the more complex areas of the game. — Mother Jones, Springfield, Mass.
Evaluating trumps is well discussed by Larry
Cohen in the "Law of Total Tricks"; "The
Secrets of Winning Bridge" by Jeff Rubens is ANSWER: When your partner doubles a
also very thought-provoking. Either of these contract in a nncompetitive auction it tends
might help, though both are moderately to be lead-directing. The principle espoused
advanced. Mike Lawrence on hand by Theodore Lightner is that it asks for
evaluation is also excellent (and see the dummy's first-bid suit, so you should lead the
Wikipedia article on hand evaluation for top of your doubleton diamond, expecting
further suggestions). partner to have a penalty double of
diamonds.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
What is the most efficient style of responding
to a weak two-bid when the next hand
overcalls? Are new suits forcing or
invitational? And does what you should do
vary depending on whether the opponents
double or bid a suit?
— Changing Up, Pittsburgh, Pa.
ANSWER: Many play new suits as non-

forcing after an overcall, with doubles being
penalty. However, after a double, the
priorities change since partner will probably
end up on lead. A common treatment called
McCabe allows new suits to be natural at the
two-level, but lead-directional at the three-
level, showing tolerance for partner.
Redouble is strong and jump bids are natural
but guarantee fit for partner. To sign off at the
three-level, bid two no-trump as a puppet to
three clubs, then pass or correct to your suit.
“Why, what a very singularly deep young man this deep young man must be!”
— W.S. Gilbert
Dealer: South North

It is almost three decades since the death of one of the Vul: North- ♠Q43
world's stars, Oswald Jacoby. Ossie played in the first South ♥AJ987
♦ 10 9 7 6 4
Culbertson challenge match in 1929, but continued to win ♣—
national titles into the 1980s, when dying from cancer. West East
♠AK982 ♠ 10 7
♥Q53 ♥ 10
Not only was Jacoby the youngest-ever actuary, but his
♦Q ♦J8532
skill with numbers led to his being referred to as a human ♣9543 ♣ A 10 8 6 2
computer. He lied about his age in order to serve in World South
♠J65
War I, and re-enlisted to serve in counterintelligence in ♥K642
both World War II and the Korean War. ♦AK
♣KQJ7
The following hand demonstrates his skill, and illustrates
the danger of a defender painting too clear a picture of his 1 NT Pass 2♦* 2 NT
hand. 3♥ Pass 4♥ Pass
Pass Dbl. All pass
North’s two-diamond bid showed hearts, allowing Jacoby *Jacoby(!) Transfer to hearts
as South to volunteer a bid at the three-level over East’s
revealing two-suiter bid. The defense against four hearts Opening Lead: ♠K
started well enough with two top spades and a ruff, and
East switched to a diamond. Jacoby won the ace and made the essential play of a heart
to the seven, East pitching a club. This was followed by the heart ace, East discarding a
second club.
When Jacoby led a trump to his king, East could see that if he discarded a diamond,
declarer would be able to ruff out his diamond honor, so he let a third club go. Declarer
ruffed a club in dummy, came to his diamond king, ruffed a second club, dropping the ace,
and his hand was now high.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Today's hand looks as if it might
South Holds: belong in a club slam; but if partner does not
♠J65 have a spade control, you might not be able
♥K642 to make any game at all. Start with a cue-bid
♦AK of two spades to ask partner to define his
♣KQJ7 hand in terms of spade stoppers. After that,
you can bid or jump in clubs.
1♦ 1♠
Dbl. Pass 2♣ Pass
?
“There be triple ways to take, of the eagle or the snake,

Or the way of a man with a maid.”
— Rudyard Kipling
Dealer: South North

When the three bears returned from the duplicate club, Vul: East- ♠975
Goldilocks did not have to ask how things had gone, since West ♥ K 10 8 3
♦ J 10 3 2
Mama Bear immediately thrust the hand records in front of ♣KQ
her and asked for sympathy. West East
♠ K 10 8 6 4 ♠A2
In today’s deal she had sat West and had led a spade ♥AJ ♥64
♦K98 ♦Q76
against two hearts. The defenders took their ruff, but ♣985 ♣J76432
Mama had led back a high spade to the third trick to ask South
♠QJ3
for a diamond. Her partner obliged, but the defenders ♥Q9752
could now take only one diamond and one heart trick, so ♦A54
♣ A 10
the contract came home. Had Mama signaled for a club,
the defenders could have avoided any endplay — so long South West North East
as Mama subsequently hopped up with the heart ace and 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ All pass
exited in that suit.
Opening Lead: ♣9
At another table Papa Bear had declared two hearts on a
club lead. He won in hand and led a heart; West took her ace, then gave her partner the
spade ruff, and East thoughtfully exited with a second club. Now declarer had to lose two
diamonds whatever he did.
Goldilocks noted that Baby Bear was waiting impatiently to be asked what he had done on
the deal. “I was declaring two hearts on a club lead and cashed both clubs, ending in
hand. Then I led a heart up, and West won and played for the spade ruff. The difference
was that when East ruffed the third spade, he had no choice but to give me a ruff-sluff with
a club, or open up diamonds to my advantage.”
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's double is for
South Holds: takeout, suggesting the unbid suit and
♠QJ3 values. You have a straightforward call of
♥Q9752 one no-trump, which simply suggests a
♦A54 balanced hand, typically one with a little
♣ A 10 something in both black suits. Of course,
you will not always be dealt a hand with
South West North East such ideal holdings in spades and clubs.
1♣
1♥ 1♠ Dbl. Pass
?
“Watchman, doth its beauteous ray

Aught of hope or joy foretell?
Traveller, yes! It brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.”
— Sir John Bowring
Dealer: North North

With such excellent fits in hearts and clubs, East-West Vul: East- ♠A
had little difficulty in reaching their heart slam when South West ♥ 10 6 4 3
♦ Q 10 6
relayed for shape and found first extra shape, then a ♣AQJ53
spade control. The auction was accurate and efficient, the West East
♠ Q 10 9 7 ♠K8643
play less so.
♥J752 ♥9
♦K842 ♦J97
When West led the spade 10, declarer won in dummy and ♣9 ♣8762
crossed to a trump to ruff a spade, crossed to a top club to South
♠J52
ruff a second spade, then took a second top trump and ♥AKQ8
found the bad news. ♦A53
♣ K 10 4
With no tricks available to him, he could do little but exit
with two more rounds of trumps, hoping West had started 1♣ Pass
with only three spades. But that player could win and cash 1♥ Pass 2♥ Pass
out the spades to set the slam. 2 NT* Pass 4♣ Pass
4♦ Pass 4♠ Pass
When in with the spade ace, declarer can count 13 tricks 6♥ All pass
without a finesse if trumps split 3-2, but he should take *Forcing

precautions against a 4-1 break — after all, that happens
Opening Lead: ♠10
frequently enough to make it worthwhile to give up on the
chances of an overtrick.
By leading a trump from dummy and ducking East’s nine, South then has sufficient entries
and trumps to win 12 tricks without the risk of playing on diamonds. After a diamond
return, South wins and ruffs a spade in dummy, comes to the club king to ruff a second
spade, then draws trump, pitching diamonds from the board. He can now run the clubs
and score his three top trumps, two aces, five clubs and two spade ruffs for his 12 tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A two-club rebid is acceptable
South Holds: given the quality of the clubs. That call
♠A suggests six clubs rather than five, but in an
♥ 10 6 4 3 emergency the bid can be made with five.
♦ Q 10 6 However, when you hold a singleton honor
♣AQJ53 in partner's suit, an argument can be made
for rebidding one no-trump. Even if partner
South West North East opts to play spades with a chunky five-card
1♣ Pass 1♠ Pass suit, the bare ace is as good support as a
?
small doubleton.
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, October 31st, 2013
“Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked.”
— Warren Buffett
Dealer: East North

When South heard his partner show a strong hand he had Vul: Neither ♠874
a way to make a mild slam try in spades, and North was ♥AKJ
♦AQ53
happy to accept. ♣AQ8
West East
Declarer won the opening diamond lead and drew two ♠ Q J 10 ♠3
♥ 10 8 6 3 ♥974
rounds of trump, then crossed to a top heart and ruffed a
♦97 ♦ K J 10 6 4 2
diamond, stripped off the hearts and exited with a third ♣K943 ♣ 10 7 2
spade, hoping to receive a club shift. However, West had South
♠AK9652
a safe exit with his fourth heart, and declarer had to ♥Q52
concede a club trick in the end. ♦8
♣J65
Instead of exiting with a trump at trick eight, declarer
should ruff another diamond in hand. Now West must 3♦
pitch a club — if he overruffs he is endplayed, either to Pass Pass 3 NT Pass
lead a club, or to give declarer a ruff and discard. 4♣* Pass 4♦ Pass
At this point declarer finesses in clubs and ruffs the last *Stayman
diamond, and now West is caught in an unusual squeeze.
Opening Lead: ♦9
While West has no real need to retain his last heart, if he
discards it, declarer exits with the last spade. West is endplayed and must lead clubs
round to declarer, and the defense’s sure trick has vanished.
West’s only chance here is to bare his club king instead of throwing the 13th heart — now
South may misread the position, by leading his last trump and trying to endplay West with
his trump trick. Then West would have the 13th heart to cash.
Of course declarer may not misguess the position, but you have to give him the chance to
go wrong!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: While you would not have
South Holds: considered any action other than a one heart
♠ Q J 10 call had East passed, here you should not
♥ 10 8 6 3 introduce a weak four-card suit when you
♦97 are distinctly at the lower end of the range
♣K943 for a response. I'd suggest passing initially,
with a view to balancing with one no-trump if
South West North East the opponents come to rest in one spade.
1♦ Dbl.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, November 1st, 2013
“It doesn't matter if you're born in a duck yard, so long as you are hatched from a swan's
egg!”
— Hans Christian Andersen
Dealer: North North

Facing anything but a third-in-hand opening, North would Vul: Both ♠KJ87
have enough to drive to game over South's opening bid. ♥AQ532
♦ 10 4
But as a passed hand, he can, if he wants, describe his ♣96
values precisely with a fit-jump, showing spades and a West East
♠32 ♠4
source of tricks in hearts.
♥K9 ♥ J 10 7
♦KQ6532 ♦J87
After West leads a top diamond against four spades, ♣AQ4 ♣ 10 8 7 5 3 2
South must duck the opening lead, playing the diamond South
♠ A Q 10 9 6 5
nine from his hand (so West will not later have the ♥864
opportunity of underleading his diamond queen). He must ♦A9
♣KJ
then attempt to establish dummy’s heart suit for discards
without allowing East to gain the lead for the fatal shift to a South West North East
club. Pass Pass
1♠ 2♦ 3♥* Pass
When West leads a second diamond, South should win, 4♠ All pass
draw two rounds of trump, and lead a heart toward *Fit-jump: a raise to three spades with
a heart suit
dummy. Now if West plays the heart king, declarer must
duck. If West plays a low heart, declarer may play either Opening Lead: ♦K
the queen or ace (the ace may be a slightly better play,
guarding against East’s having a singleton king). However, assuming South finesses the
queen successfully, he must next return to his hand with a trump and lead another heart
toward dummy and duck when West plays the king. If West discards the heart king on the
third trump, declarer must cash dummy’s remaining high heart and lead a club to the jack.
West will have two clubs to cash, but then must concede a ruff-sluff.
Just for the record, if West leads the heart king at trick two, South must also duck this
trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: A simple jump to three spades
South Holds: would merely invite game — the same hand
♠ A Q 10 9 6 5 with a small diamond instead of the ace.
♥864 Since you are too strong for that action, you
♦A9 should cue-bid three diamonds, planning to
♣KJ rebid three spades over three hearts. If you
doubled two diamonds, it would be for
South West North East takeout, but the cue-bid is clearer.
1♣ 1♦
1♠ 2♦ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, November 2nd, 2013
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Dealer: East North

Against four spades West leads the heart two, his Vul: Both ♠A74
conventional agreement being partner leads low from any ♥QJ74
♦632
three-card holding. How should you plan the play? ♣AQ2
West East
At the table declarer put up the jack, and East won his ♠632 ♠5
♥862 ♥ A K 10 9 5
king and shifted to the diamond jack. South tried for an
♦Q975 ♦ J 10 4
endplay by playing three rounds of diamonds after ♣J76 ♣ K 10 8 5
drawing trumps, but West won and played the heart eight South
♠ K Q J 10 9 8
through. Whether declarer covered or not, the defenders ♥3
had safe exits in the heart suit. In the end South could do ♦AK8
♣943
no better than take the club finesse for his contract. It lost.
Declarer can do better — but he must play low from 1♥
dummy at trick one. East wins the heart nine and shifts to 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
the diamond jack. Declarer takes the ace and king, East 4♠ All pass
unblocking the 10 and indicating an original two- or three-
Opening Lead: ♥2
card diamond suit in the process.
Next, declarer cashes the spade king and queen, then exits with the diamond eight. West
wins and has no palatable choice. A trump to dummy’s ace sees declarer win and then
endplay East with the heart queen by discarding a club from hand. Declarer makes the
same play if West shifts directly to hearts. A diamond by West gives a ruff-sluff, while a
club is no better. If he plays a low club, dummy also plays low and East is endplayed. If he
shifts to the club jack, dummy’s queen is played and East wins his king, but must then
concede the 10th trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is a forcing auction, and you
South Holds: have no reason not to bid your four-card
♠632 suit. A double by you would now be takeout
♥862 and might work if partner wanted to play for
♦Q975 penalties, but would not be a good idea if
♣J76 your partner played you for four hearts.

2♣ Pass
2♦ 2♠ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, November 3rd, 2013

Holding ♠ 10-9-8-4-3, ♥ A-J-10, ♦ K-J-9, ♣ Q- I was faced with a problem as to what to
10, I heard my partner open one club. I lead after my opponents bid two no-trump –
responded one spade, of course, but was three no-trump and my partner doubled. I
not sure what to do over a two-club rebid. had been dealt ♠ 7-6-2, ♥ J-4-2, ♦ J-7-6-3,
Any ideas? ♣ Q-3-2 and guessed badly on lead. What
are your thoughts? If the hand that is not on
— Clubbed to Death, Holland, Mich. lead doubles in a blind auction, should his
partner lead a specific suit, or is there some
other sensible agreement to have?
ANSWER: While no one would ever pass
now, my proposal might surprise you. The — Floundering, Naples, Fla.
choice would seem to be a simple raise to
three clubs, or the more ambitious call of two
no-trump. But I would guess it was right to ANSWER: Without specific discussion I
bid three no-trump; my club builders and believe that sequence asks opening leader
side aces mean I might be able to make to lead either his weakest or his shortest
game facing as little as seven clubs to the suit. I do know some use this to call for
ace-king and the spade jack. hearts (or spades!), or for the shorter major.
Here I think you have to guess which
semisolid or solid major your partner has (I
Dear Mr. Wolff: vote for spades).
Recently you encouraged a player with 10
points and 4-4 in the red suits to respond Dear Mr. Wolff:
one heart to a one-club opening. I've seen
players miss diamond fits after this start. So Though North should be the person to keep
what are the advantages of your method? score in our game, we have a player that
grabs the scorecard from North and turns it
— Wonder Horse, Newport News, Va. around and moves the other players around
so that he can be the one to keep score.
Another called one of her friends over to bid
ANSWER: The logic behind bypassing for me when she made a strong forcing bid
diamonds is to agree that opener's rebid of (incidentally, the friend passed!) I had
one no-trump over one diamond may thought of quitting bridge, but enjoy being
conceal majors. That makes it harder for with my friends too much. What should I say
your opponents to defend the hand. to those two?
Additionally, opener's bid of a major over one
diamond always shows a semibalanced or — Off to See the Wizard, Kansas City,
unbalanced hand. Incidentally, responder's Kansas
rebid of two of a major over one no-trump is
strong and natural, so you really should still
find your fits when you need to. ANSWER: This is an interesting problem. I
think this is not really a bridge issue but an
etiquette question. I'd ask Dear Abby but I
Dear Mr. Wolff: understand it may be too late… So I tried the
next best thing, asking my wife, Judy. She
I've heard it suggested that the range for a said that it might be best to have a private
one-no-trump or two-no-trump overcall word with these two players to say how
should change in balancing seat compared upset you were, rather than making it into a
to the call in second seat. Is that true, and if federal case. I concur.
so, why?
— Balancing Act, Phoenix, Ariz.
ANSWER: Most people use a direct overcall

of one no-trump to show 15-18. However, in
the balancing position the range is closer to
11-15 for a one-no-trump call and 14-16 for a
balancing call over a weak two-bid. The
reason is that second hand is supposed to
pass with a flat minimum opening, which
cannot double. Thus if fourth hand is not
permitted to reopen with a moderate
balanced hand, your side may miss out on
partscores or even games. Just for the
record: a jump to two no-trump in balancing
seat shows 18-20.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, November 4th, 2013
“Every exit is an entry somewhere else.”

— Tom Stoppard
Dealer: North North

After South suggests a slam by cue-bidding five Vul: Both ♠A2
diamonds, North should suggest a choice of slams, no- ♥ A K J 10 7 6
♦J7
trump being a plausible option from his perspective ♣ K Q 10
because of his club holding. But South should prefer to West East
♠9 ♠6543
bid the slam in his solid trump suit with the lead coming up
♥94 ♥Q82
to his diamond ace-queen, rather than risking playing in ♦ K 10 5 4 3 2 ♦986
no-trump with no honor in North's diamond suit. ♣6543 ♣AJ2
South
♠ K Q J 10 8 7
Against the heart slam, West might lead the club six to ♥53
deny an honor, but let us say that West leads the club ♦AQ
♣987
three, the partnership playing fourth-highest leads. When
declarer plays the queen from dummy, East must plan his South West North East
defense carefully. 1♥ Pass
1♠ Pass 3♥ Pass
West’s lead marks South with at least three clubs, and the 3♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
5♦ Pass 5 NT Pass
bidding indicates that South has strong spades and the
6♠ All pass
diamond ace. East must therefore resist the temptation to
take his club ace, thus preventing declarer from obtaining Opening Lead: ♣3
a sure later entry to dummy’s heart suit.
Instead, East should follow to trick one with his small club. After East ducks the opening
club lead, South can establish the heart suit but cannot return to dummy to use it for
discards. He will lead up to dummy’s club holding, but will not be able to guess the suit
successfully, so the slam will fail.
Of course, if South tries to run the heart suit by means of finessing against the queen,
East can win the heart queen and cash the club ace to set the contract.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Lead the club two. Given the
South Holds: auction, both diamonds and hearts seem to
♠974 be lying well for declarer. So it feels right to
♥ 10 3 2 make the aggressive play rather than sit
♦Q653 back and wait for your tricks.
♣K82

1♥
Pass 2♦ Pass 3♥
Pass 4 NT Pass 5♥
Pass 6♥ All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, November 5th, 2013
“Sleep, gray brother of death,

Has touched me,
And passed on.”
— Joseph Campbell
Dealer: East North

Today's deal poses the sort of problem to which there is Vul: East- ♠ K 10 7 6 5
no good answer. South should make a response with five West ♥J42
♦ 10 4 2
high-card points, taking a chance of getting too high, both ♣ J 10
in the hope of finding a spade fit and to avoid making it West East
♠Q3 ♠J92
easy for the enemy to compete. On the next round, he
♥ 10 6 5 ♥Q987
should use his discretion to end the auction by passing ♦Q3 ♦K987
two no-trump, since unless playing the Wolff signoff it may ♣AQ9632 ♣87
South
not be possible to stop in three spades. More on that later. ♠A84
♥AK3
When West leads the club six against two no-trump, ♦AJ65
♣K54
South wins dummy’s club 10 and leads the spade five.
East should now think before automatically playing low. South West North East
He should work out that it may be advantageous (and Pass
cannot cost anything) if he can be the defender to lead the 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
2 NT All pass
second round of clubs. He should therefore split his spade
honors to prevent declarer from ducking the trick to West. Opening Lead: ♣6
Equally, if declarer wins the spade ace, West must also
avoid the automatic play of following with his small spade. He must unblock his queen, so
that declarer cannot duck the next lead in spades to him, thereby preventing his partner
from leading through declarer’s vulnerable club king. After each defender sacrifices a
spade honor at his first turn, the contract is doomed.
The Wolff signoff, by the way, is a call of three clubs over the two no-trump rebid, after
which a three-spade call by responder at his next turn is an attempt to play there.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The best way to get your values
South Holds: across is to bid two no-trump now. This
♠A84 shows more than an overcall of two no-
♥AK3 trump, hence about 18-20 high-card points.
♦AJ65 Let partner go from there in whichever
♣K54 direction he sees fit. The important thing is
that you have transferred captaincy to him
South West North East by describing your hand accurately.
2♥
Dbl. Pass 2♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
“When is the perfect time? Who can say, but probably somewhere between haste and
delay — and it's usually most wise to start today.”
— Rasheed Ogunlaru
Dealer: South North

In the play of the hand it is generally sound technique to Vul: Neither ♠ A 9 4
leave the best prospect till last. My experience has been ♥ A 10 7
♦ K 10 8 4
that if a suit is breaking at the start of the hand, it will still ♣754
be breaking toward the end of the deal; and even the best West East
♠ 10 7 ♠QJ852
defenders sometimes let the wrong things go early in the
♥92 ♥QJ86
play. ♦J976 ♦52
♣QJ982 ♣A6
In today’s deal when South opened a strong no-trump and South
♠K63
North raised to game, West led the club queen to East’s ♥K543
ace. South ducked the club return but won the next, ♦AQ3
♣ K 10 3
perforce, East discarding a spade. There are now eight
top tricks and the ninth could come from any of the other South West North East
three suits. The best suit to play on is not diamonds but 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
hearts, and declarer duly led a low heart to dummy’s 10
Opening Lead: ♣Q
and East’s jack. Back came a low spade, taken in hand.
There was now time to test hearts for a 3-3 break. When the suit broke 4-2, South threw
East in with the fourth round of the suit and East exited with the spade queen, on which
West followed with the 10.
Declarer now knew that West had started with five clubs, and East appeared to have
begun with five spades — the clue being his spade discard at trick three. Accordingly,
South decided West had a doubleton in each major and thus four diamonds. So he
continued with the diamond ace and queen. When both opponents followed, he finessed
against West’s diamond jack for his ninth trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: What defense do you have when
South Holds: the opponents open one no-trump? No
♠QJ852 matter what convention you use, the
♥QJ86 number-one priority is to be able to show
♦52 both majors with a method such as Landy,
♣A6 where a call of two clubs is artificial and
shows the majors. As a passed hand I would
South West North East act — if necessary bidding two spades,
Pass 1 NT Pass Pass should two clubs not be available to me for
?
the majors.
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, November 7th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on November 21st, 2013
“My limbs are wasted with a flame,

My feet are sore with travelling,
For calling on my Lady’s name
My lips have now forgot to sing.”
— Oscar Wilde
Dealer: East North

With great intermediates and excellent honor Vul: Neither ♠A42
combinations, South evaluated his hand to be worth at ♥AKJ2
♦KQ2
least 15 points and thus opened the bidding with one no- ♣Q64
trump. However, even if South had chosen not to open West East
♠ Q 10 8 ♠9753
no-trump, six no-trump would still probably have been
♥Q5 ♥9876
reached on this sequence: one club — one heart — one ♦9876 ♦543
no-trump –four no-trump — six no-trump. North's four-no- ♣9875 ♣K2
South
trump bid is not Blackwood, but invites South to bid six ♠KJ6
no-trump with a maximum for his previous bidding. ♥ 10 4 3
♦ A J 10
♣ A J 10 3
The key to the play in the slam is that South needs to
bring in either the club or the heart suit without loss. In South West North East
theory each suit involves a finesse, but there is more to it Pass
than that. The play of the honors is usually critical, but 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
today South must be cautious about the possible waste of
his valuable intermediate cards. There is no merit in Opening Lead: ♦9
leading the club queen or heart 10 on the first round of the
suit in order to take either of the finesses. Instead, declarer must lead a low card toward
his honors at every opportunity.
Note that South can make four club tricks if he leads low from dummy twice, but only wins
three club tricks if he leads the queen for East to cover. In hearts, declarer should cash
dummy’s ace or king before taking a finesse, but when he does attempt the heart finesse,
he should lead low from his hand.
This way he emerges with 13 tricks, not 11.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your spade guard strongly
South Holds: argues for bidding no-trump here. There are
♠KJ6 two clear downsides to that action: The
♥ 10 4 3 opponents may be able to cash out hearts
♦ A J 10 against you, and if partner has real extras,
♣ A J 10 3 you may miss a slam. But you cannot cover
every eventuality. When three no-trump
South West North East looks like a sensible contract, just up and bid
2♠ it.
Pass Pass 3♦ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, November 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on November 22nd, 2013
“If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere.”
— Marilyn Monroe
Dealer: North North

One of the big no-no's of defense is to give declarer a ruff Vul: Neither ♠ A K
and discard, but when you know there are no more ♥AJ853
♦AKQJ
defensive tricks outside of trumps, it is often the most ♣J3
challenging play. West East
♠ Q 10 8 4 ♠73
♥Q6 ♥ K 10 7 4 2
In today’s deal, West was not hard-pressed to start with a
♦ 10 4 ♦65
low club to East’s ace, and a club came back to the king. ♣ K 10 7 4 2 ♣A965
Now suppose West gets off lead with a “safe” spade. South
♠J9652
Declarer wins in dummy, draws trump, cashes the other ♥9
top spade, then plays the heart ace and ruffs a heart. ♦98732
♣Q8
Declarer can crossruff spades and hearts until eventually
all declarer has in hand is a good trump and a good South West North East
spade, so the game rolls in. 2♣ Pass
2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
At first glance it doesn’t look as if there is anything the 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
5♦ All pass
defense can do, but look at what happens if West
continues with a third club at trick three. Let us first Opening Lead: ♣4
suppose that declarer ruffs in dummy, discarding a spade
from hand. It is relatively clear to see that this line will not succeed, because there are no
longer enough trumps in dummy to ruff both spades. (If declarer does not draw trump, it
will not be long before West scores his diamond 10.)
The alternative is for declarer to discard a heart from dummy and ruff in hand. But this
does not work either, because although he has enough trumps in dummy to ruff the
spades good, he will not have a trump left in hand for the entry to the established spade.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Where you have huge support
South Holds: for your partner, showing that should take
♠J9652 precedence over limiting your hand by
♥9 defining your high cards. So here I would
♦98732 jump to four hearts, a splinter bid promising
♣Q8 short hearts and spade support. With only
four trumps, I might refrain from making a
South West North East slam-try.
2♣ Pass
2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, November 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on November 23rd, 2013
“Lottery tickets are a surtax on desperation.”

— Douglas Coupland
Dealer: East North

The following deal came from the under-25 encounter Vul: North- ♠ 10 6 3
between Norway and Poland at the White House Junior South ♥62
♦J9865
Championship, played this spring in the Witte Huis in ♣K87
Amsterdam. West East
♠K54 ♠97
♥ 10 3 ♥AJ97
Against four spades West led the club nine, which
♦AQ42 ♦ K 10 7 3
systemically meant either that the club nine was a ♣ 10 9 6 4 ♣A32
singleton or that West had the club 10 as well. (With nine- South
♠AQJ82
doubleton, West would have led his lower card.) ♥KQ854
♦—
Since there was only one club entry to the dummy for a ♣QJ5
single heart play toward the South hand, the contract was
in theory unmakeable. But declarer spotted a chance 1♣*
when he dropped his jack under East’s club ace. 1♠ 1 NT 2♠ Pass
4♠ All pass
East shifted to a low diamond, ruffed by South. Now *Two-plus cards, balanced, or clubs
declarer led his low club and finessed dummy’s eight.
When that held, South played a heart to his king, overtook Opening Lead: ♣9
his club queen with dummy’s king, and called for another
heart. East rose with his ace and led another diamond, but declarer ruffed and played his
heart queen, ruffed low by West and overruffed by dummy.
South trumped a diamond in his hand and ruffed a heart on the board (West discarding
his diamond ace) and ruffed a diamond with his spade ace. Finally he led his last heart to
guarantee one more trump trick, his 10th winner.
West had missed an opportunity to defeat the contract. When South led his low club at
trick three, West had to put in his 10. This is a play that is rare in theory, and even less
frequently found at the table.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The cue-bid in response to a
South Holds: takeout double is normally looking for a
♠97 major-suit fit, so I would bid three hearts
♥AJ97 here, rather than three diamonds. The cue-
♦ K 10 7 3 bid is not a game-force at the two-level, but
♣A32 is forcing to suit agreement. But here, since
you can hardly agree on a suit and stay out
South West North East of game, the cue-bid becomes a game-
1♠ force.
Dbl. Pass 2♠ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, November 10th, 2013
ANSWER: This method is very popular on

the East Coast, and for what it is worth, I've
Dear Mr. Wolff: heard it referred to as seven-way transfers.
I have been playing for three years and I am This is the term used at the Regency Bridge
not sure if I know what I am doing, but I am Club in New York, so if you prefer Regency
past the frustration-stress stage now. I think transfers, so be it! One other wrinkle I've
that a bridge guru like you could really help encountered is for players to use the three-
explain to us newbies how to think like a club call as Puppet Stayman to check for 5-3
bridge player. As a suggestion, would you fits.
please include one beginner-intermediate
question-and-answer in your column?
Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Back to Basics, White Plains, N.Y.
Please tell me what I should have done after
my LHO opened three clubs and my partner
ANSWER: Good idea. I can't guarantee to doubled. (I held ♠ K-4, ♥ A-Q-3, ♦ A-Q-10-5-
do as you so nicely ask — but I hear you 4, ♣ 7-3-2.) I tried five diamonds, and without
and will try to remember. So let me start by going into details, this was not a success
giving you a piece of general advice. When facing a 4-5-2-2 hand.
you are in the range for a one-no-trump — Lost in Yonkers, The Bronx, N. Y.
opening but have a five-card suit, treat the
hand as balanced and do open one no-
trump. Equally, don't worry about a small
doubleton. If your hand is balanced and that ANSWER: This is a nasty kettle of fish. I
is the only flaw, start with one no-trump. might well double with a hand like your
partner's. And I might well do what you did
here! If you cue-bid four clubs, are you
supposed to pass a four-heart response?
Dear Mr. Wolff: You might well be cold for slam in diamonds.
When I was dealt ♠ K-J-9-3, ♥ A-K-Q-3, ♦ 10- This looks like a result where no one was
8-5-4-2, ♣ –, I opened one diamond and was really to blame.
faced with a rebid problem over my partner’s
call of two clubs. Would your decision about
what to do differ depending on whether this Dear Mr. Wolff:
was a game force or not?
As a director, I had always thought that in a
— Four Square, Montreal, Canada pairs game, North fills in the score at the end
of the played board. East or West then
checks and agrees to the score, gives the
ANSWER: If two of a major shows extra traveler back to North, who then inserts it
strength here (and I believe it should), then into the board. We have a pair who will not
two diamonds could be played simply as a initial and who will not return the traveler to
catch-all with five plus diamonds, regardless North. They just cram it into the board, which
of strength. I don’t have a good answer for makes it very unpleasant.
you here, though, since the diamond suit is — Bridge in the Menagerie, Wausau, Wis.
so weak. I might lie by bidding two hearts
(planning to raise a bid in the fourth suit of
two spades to three to show my
length/strength). I’d rebid two no-trump with ANSWER: Thanks for your letter. My
a 4-4-4-1 pattern, by the way, but not here. experience is that it is somewhat unusual for
pairs to initial scores anymore. They tend
simply to look and then agree orally. I would
not get too hung up on the etiquette here.
Dear Mr. Wolff: Times have changed, and we must change
In an earlier column this year you briefly with them.
described a conventional response to
partner's no-trump opener. Three clubs
showed both minors, invitational, while three
diamonds was forcing with both minors, and
three of a major showed shortage in the
other major and 5-4 in the minors. This
sounded promising and I would like to read
more about it. What is the name of this
convention?
— Name It and Claim It, Columbia, S.C.
“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.”

— Joseph Addison
Dealer: North North

On the second round of bidding in today's deal, South Vul: East- ♠A
must choose between raising clubs and bidding no-trump. West ♥Q87
♦ K J 10 6 5
With strong stoppers in the unbid suit and mediocre ♣A942
support for clubs, he should go for the nine-trick game West East
♠K9865 ♠ J 10 4
rather than the 11-trick game. Of course this is an auction
♥J43 ♥9652
where North can always repeat his clubs at his next turn if ♦432 ♦A87
his hand is unsuitable. ♣J8 ♣KQ3
South
♠Q732
The appearance of dummy after West’s spade lead ♥ A K 10
should indicate to East that the contract can be defeated ♦Q9
♣ 10 7 6 5
only if the defense can run the spade suit when it gains
the lead with the diamond ace. East knows that his South West North East
partner cannot hold much more than a queen outside 1♦ Pass
whatever spade honors he may have, 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
Since the spade suit may become blocked unless East
Opening Lead: ♠6
retains his small spade, he must jettison an honor (the
jack is clearly the right card) under dummy’s spade ace. East can then obtain the lead
with his diamond ace and will next lead his remaining spade honor through declarer. Even
if declarer ducks, East’s last spade will put West on play to cash out the suit.
The defense can thus win one diamond and four spade tricks to defeat the game. But if
East parsimoniously plays small at trick one, the spade suit blocks and the defenders
cannot take more than two tricks in the suit whatever they do. South emerges with four
diamond tricks, three heart tricks, and the black aces for nine tricks.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Just because your opponents
South Holds: have announced a stopper in your suit
♠ Q 10 7 3 should not be enough on its own to put you
♥K752 off leading it. But you have an attractive
♦97 alternative in your spade suit. Yes, declarer
♣J73 rates to have four, but so does your partner,
and as long as he has any of the three
South West North East missing top spades, you should be able to
Pass 1♦ Dbl. 1♠ set the suit up for your side.
2♥ Pass Pass 2 NT
All pass
“I know that I shall meet my fate

Somewhere among the clouds above.
Those that I fight I do not hate.
Those that I guard I do not love.”
— W.B. Yeats
Dealer: South North

At the Dyspeptics Club the players always prefer to Vul: Both ♠KQ4
attribute a poor result to fate rather than to their own ♥K5
♦J97
incompetence. ♣ A 10 8 7 3
West East
In today’s deal, after going down in his spade game, ♠96 ♠732
♥ 10 7 6 4 2 ♥AQ9
South claimed that there was nothing he could have done
♦Q865 ♦K432
to improve his result. He had not chosen the right partner ♣54 ♣K62
who would substantiate that claim. South
♠ A J 10 8 5
♥J83
As North said, against four spades West had been faced ♦ A 10
with an awkward lead. If he had chosen a heart and East ♣QJ9
had switched to diamonds at either the second or third
trick, North admitted that he would have been forced to 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
agree with South’s comment, but in practice West had 3♣ Pass 4♠ All pass
chosen the diamond five for his opening salvo.
Opening Lead: ♦5
Declarer won East’s king with his ace, drew trump, and
finessed in clubs. Everything was wrong — the club finesse lost, West was put in with the
diamond queen, and now when he returned a heart, there was no winning guess available
to declarer, who had to go one off whatever he did.
Yes, South was unlucky — all the missing high cards were badly placed for him — but can
you see a much better line of play that would practically have guaranteed his contract? Try
letting East’s diamond king win the first trick.
This gives up a second (but irrelevant) natural winner in diamonds, but the point is that
West is now kept out of the lead and can never make the punishing heart switch. After this
play, declarer would have made 10 tricks painlessly.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: At your partner's previous turn,
South Holds: two no-trump would not have been forcing.
♠KQ4 But how much does your partner have in the
♥K5 way of extras? This is unclear in Standard
♦J97 American. I'd expect him to hold about a
♣A9873 strong no-trump. With more, he would have
cue-bid first. So it seems that you do not
South West North East have enough extras to raise to four no-
1♦ 1♠ trump, quantitative. Give me the diamond
2♣ Pass 3 NT Pass queen instead of the jack, and I would bid
?
on.
“You should not honor men more than truth.”

— Plato
Dealer: South North

Generally speaking, when you have two or more touching Vul: Both ♠Q753
honors in a suit, it is normal to lead one of them, while you ♥Q
♦K74
tend to lead low when you have only a single honor. But, ♣AQ652
as always, using your brain rather than blindly following West East
♠J98 ♠ A K 10
rules is a better idea.
♥87642 ♥J93
♦98 ♦A65
When West decided to lead a spade, he did not expect to ♣ 10 9 4 ♣K873
be on lead again, so he intelligently started with the jack. South
♠642
When this held the trick, he continued with a second ♥ A K 10 5
spade to East’s king. East switched to a low heart, won, ♦ Q J 10 3 2
♣J
revealingly, with dummy’s queen.
Declarer next played a diamond to his queen, and could 1♦ Pass 2♣ Pass
have succeeded now by cashing his hearts before 2♦ Pass 2♠ Pass
continuing with diamonds. After taking his diamond and 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
spade aces, East would have been endplayed to lead into
Opening Lead: ♠J
dummy’s club tenace for the ninth trick. However,
expecting that this line would set up too many winners for the defense, declarer decided to
hope for a doubleton diamond ace. So he continued with a diamond to dummy’s king and
then another diamond to East’s ace. East cashed the spade ace, but then had nothing left
but clubs and hearts.
East could see that it was important now not to let declarer into his own hand. Covering all
his bases, East shifted to the club king, and declarer had to go two down. Note that if he
had instead played a low club, declarer would have won the trick with the jack, and he
would have claimed the rest.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's call of two
South Holds: diamonds is the fourth suit, a forcing inquiry.
♠Q753 It asks you to show support for your partner,
♥Q rebid no-trump with a stopper in the fourth
♦K74 suit, or to show extra shape in either of your
♣AQ652 two long suits. Here, your diamond stopper
is more than sufficient for a call of two no-
South West North East trump. For the record, a bid of three no-
1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass trump would have shown 15-17.
1♠ Pass 2♦ Pass
?
“Traffic signals in New York are just rough guidelines.”

— David Letterman
Dealer: South North

Today's deal demonstrates an unusual use of the suit- Vul: Both ♠AJ7
preference signal. I am sure you are all broadly familiar ♥J874
♦ Q 10 9 5
with the concept of issuing suit-preference signals when ♣J2
giving partner a ruff: You play a low card to get him to West East
♠Q54 ♠9832
switch to the lower outstanding suit, and a high card when
♥KQ92 ♥ A 10 6
you prefer the higher suit. But today's signal showed a ♦A8 ♦J7632
different position. ♣8754 ♣ 10
South
♠ K 10 6
North-South quickly bid to game after South had opened a ♥53
somewhat idiosyncratic strong no-trump. With all his ♦K4
♣AKQ963
side’s defensive strength, West started with a top heart,
and continued with a heart to East’s 10. East cashed the South West North East
heart ace and had to decide which suit to play now. The 1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
natural switch was to a club, and now declarer had nine 2♦ Pass 3 NT All pass
tricks when he ran his clubs and read the ending

Opening Lead: ♥Q
accurately.
What has this got to do with suit-preference signals? you might ask. The point is that West
should have shifted to the higher of his two small hearts at trick two, for suit-preference
reasons. If East had seen him play the heart nine, then the two, this would have warned
East that his partner wanted a play other than a club switch and should have alerted him
to the possibility of a layout in which South had a running club suit, similar to the one that
existed. If that was the case, a diamond switch would be the only hope at trick four.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your hand looks as if it is worth a
South Holds: second call, since you might well find that
♠ K 10 6 your side can make nine tricks in clubs while
♥53 your opponents could make eight tricks in
♦K4 whichever red suit they settle in. While a
♣AKQ963 double here would be takeout, you should
only make that call with four spades, or with
South West North East better spades and worse clubs than this. A
1♥ simple call of three clubs looks right.
2♣ Dbl. Pass 2♦
?
“Times go by turns and chances change by course,

From foul to fair, from better hap to worse.”
— Robert Southwell
Dealer: East North

With 26 high-card points and no substantial trump suit, Vul: Neither ♠AKJ32
North-South should reach the no-trump game. South's ♥754
♦75
two-no-trump rebid indicates an 18-19 count, and now ♣532
North has more than enough to continue to game. He West East
♠ 10 9 7 6 ♠Q8
could explore for a 5-3 spade fit, but it looks so much
♥ Q J 10 9 ♥862
better for South to be declarer here that he might as well ♦J94 ♦ Q 10 8 6
simply drive to the no-trump game. ♣Q9 ♣KJ84
South
♠54
Against this contract West leads the heart queen. Declarer ♥AK3
can either win or duck the trick, but when he gains the ♦AK32
♣ A 10 7 6
lead, he should know that success or failure in three no-
trump will hinge on the play of the spade suit. What are South West North East
the options? Pass
1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
Since the club suit provides too remote a chance for extra 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
tricks, declarer must attempt to take four spade tricks, and
Opening Lead: ♥Q
there are no side entries to dummy. By ducking the first
spade trick completely, then leading a spade to the ace when he regains the lead, South
will garner the necessary tricks if the spades divide 3-3 or if either opponent holds a
doubleton queen. This line of play gives a better chance than any other method of
managing the spade suit, since the chance of a 3-3 break or the queen coming down in
two rounds is approximately 50 percent. By finessing first and then cashing the ace and
king, you would hold yourself to at most three spade tricks unless the suit breaks 3-3, and
that happens only one third of the time.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When our side has bid hearts
South Holds: and theirs spades, it makes sense to me for
♠Q8 your partner's call of four clubs to show
♥862 hearts and clubs — in order to help with the
♦ Q 10 8 6 decision over the almost inevitable call of
♣KJ84 four spades. On this occasion, your clubs
are good but your trumps feeble, and you
South West North East have soft cards in the other two suits, thus
1♥ 1♠ no idea what to do. When you don't know
2♥ 3♠ 4♣ 4♠ what to do, pass and let partner decide.
?
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

— Confucius
Dealer: North- North

Over the course of the last few years, money South
tournaments, in particular Invitational Pairs and Auction Vul: East ♠J2
♥754
Pairs, seem to have sprung up all over the world. P.G. ♦KQ4
Eliassen of Sweden was playing in one of these events ♣A8752
West East
when he declared a deceptively simple hand, which
♠ K 10 7 5 ♠AQ9843
nonetheless illustrates a useful theme. ♥ Q 10 6 2 ♥J98
♦7 ♦J52
Against five diamonds, West led a spade to the ace, and ♣ Q 10 9 3 ♣J
South
East switched to a heart, which Eliassen won in hand. The ♠6
important message to bear in mind on a hand like this is ♥AK3
♦ A 10 9 8 6 3
that when things appear straightforward, you should plan ♣K64
for unfriendly distribution, then see what can be done
about it. Here it was easy to work out that if clubs were South West North East
splitting, there would not be too many problems, but if 2♠
3♦ 4♠ 5♦ All pass
anyone was going to be short, it would be East. Eliassen
carefully did not draw any trump, but instead led the club Opening Lead: ♠5
ace, then a club toward his king. If both opponents had
followed, he would simply have given up a club and claimed. As it was, when East
showed out, declarer won the club king and gave up a club. He could win the return and
still have two entries to dummy to ruff out the clubs and draw the trump.
The key to the hand was not drawing even one round of trump. If you release the diamond
ace, you allow East to score his jack of trump on the fourth round of clubs, and if you lead
to dummy’s diamond honors, you take out a critical entry for establishing the clubs. East
could have defeated the game by ruffing in on the second club, (or even by pitching a
heart) but once he pitched a spade declarer saw his chance and took it.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Yes, you have nice-fitting cards
South Holds: in partner's suits, and yes, you have a little
♠J2 extra in high cards. But there is still no need
♥754 to do more than bid two spades. With the
♦KQ4 best will in the world your hand still adds up
♣A8752 to a 10-count with a doubleton trump
support. Passing two diamonds or raising to
South West North East three diamonds would be wrong — don't
1♠ Pass ever raise the second suit with only three
1 NT Pass 2♦ Pass trumps if you can avoid it.
?
by Bobby Wolff on December 1st, 2013

I have a problem with the concept of a Can you provide some simple guidelines for
reverse in competition. I held ♠ Q-10-9-2, when one should open strong two- or three-
♥ A-3, ♦ A-5, ♣ Q-J-6-4-2. I opened one club, suiters with two clubs, as opposed to bidding
intending to rebid one spade over my the long suit first at the one-level? I've
partner’s response in a red suit. Alas, over always been taught to open low — but I
my partner’s response of one heart, my RHO seem to be in the minority these days.
overcalled two diamonds. What was I
supposed to do now? — Aim-Low Club, Laredo, Texas
— Stuck in Park, Honolulu, Hawaii
ANSWER: I tend to open three-suiters at the
one-level with 21 or fewer points, though
ANSWER: Since you cannot rebid two with a singleton honor in a major and 4-4-4-1
spades without significant extras, while a call shape, one can sometimes cheat and open
of three clubs would show at least a six- two no-trump. On two-suited hands with a
carder, and you cannot raise hearts, the best longer minor than major, one tends to save
action is to pass. You hope that your partner space by opening the long suit, so unless
can act – perhaps with a takeout double so you have game in your own hand. I'd
that you can get to bid your spades. If he eschew the two-club call.
passes, you didn’t really miss anything.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
Either times have changed (quite likely!) or I
Somebody sprang the term "minisplinter" on seem to have forgotten a few things, such as
me recently. It sounded interesting –but what should happen in the following bidding
would you please explain it? Is it worth the sequence. I passed my partner's one-club
effort of learning a new convention? opening and my LHO balanced with one
diamond. Now my partner bid one no-trump,
— Too Cool for School, Detroit, Michigan showing more than a strong no-trump, right?
But do transfers apply here if I choose to
act?
ANSWER: Two conventions go by this
name; I'll give you the one I think comes up — Risk Averse, Fayetteville, N.C.
more often and is more useful. Responder's
first call of one over the limit-raise of a major
(three spades or three no-trump over one ANSWER: I think once a suit has been bid
heart and spade respectively) shows 9-12 by the hand that rebids at no-trump,
with an unspecified singleton and four-card transfers would only apply by special
support for partner. Opener can ask for the agreement. It is too likely you might want to
shortness or can sign off. Thus other double play two clubs here, for example. However,
jumps are splinters with 13-15 HCP, three just for the record: In an unopposed auction,
no-trump over one heart showing a good responder can use transfers after a two-no-
hand with spade shortage. This gives up trump response — though that would require
very little and is useful in defining values and an unusual agreement.
shortness.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

When my LHO heard me open one spade,
he jumped to four clubs at favorable
vulnerability, holding ♠ 4, ♥ Q-3, ♦ 10-5-4,
♣ K-Q-J-7-6-3-2. His partner saved over four
spades and went for 500, but that was still a
good score for them. When I asked if that did
not promise eight clubs he said that he
thought he had an eight-card suit –but I don't
believe him! Was his call right?
— Number-Cruncher, Hamilton, Ontario
ANSWER: When it comes to pre-empting,

like so much in life, inflation has struck hard.
Since at this vulnerability some would make
a weak jump with only a moderate six-
carder, you can understand why he went the
extra mile. And since it worked, one can
hardly criticize his choice too harshly!
by Bobby Wolff on December 2nd, 2013
“I could have stemmed misfortune's tide,

And borne the rich one’s sneer,
Have braved the haughty glance of pride
Nor shed a single tear.”
— Anna Peyre Dinnies
Dealer: South North

In today's deal, after North's strong jump-shift and Vul: East- ♠ 10 9 7 3
subsequent raise of spades, South is justified in trying for West ♥A98
♦ A K J 10
slam by cuebidding five clubs because of his good trumps ♣KQ
and fitting diamond honor,. When North then cue-bids five West East
♠A ♠542
hearts, it is a reasonable gamble for South to jump to
♥ K Q J 10 ♥7543
slam because of his good trump intermediates. ♦98632 ♦54
♣754 ♣8632
When West leads the heart king against the slam, South South
♠KQJ86
must win the opening lead, of course. The heart lead ♥62
threatens the contract, as declarer cannot afford to attack ♦Q7
♣ A J 10 9
trumps immediately. So how does South get his heart
loser away? South West North East
1♠ Pass 3♦ Pass
It is illogical for declarer to lead clubs before diamonds. It 3♠ Pass 4♠ Pass
is far simpler to try to discard one heart from declarer’s 5♣ Pass 5♥ Pass
6♠ All pass
hand rather than trying for two heart discards from
dummy. Opening Lead: ♥K
All declarer needs is to find the diamonds breaking 4-3, but today is not his lucky day.
When South tries to discard a heart on dummy’s diamonds, East inconveniently ruffs the
third round. Declarer should now re-enter dummy with a club to lead the fourth round of
diamonds, hoping that East has no more spades (or only the ace remaining).
When East foils this plot again by ruffing the fourth diamond as well, South must overruff
and fall back on his own club suit to discard hearts from the dummy. West ruffs the fourth
club, but, fortunately for declarer, he must ruff with the trump ace while the last heart is
discarded from dummy.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you have nothing but a
South Holds: choice of dangerous leads, you might as
♠AJ42 well lead from length. At least this way you
♥Q42 know that you have a more than 50 percent
♦K94 chance to be setting up long cards for your
♣Q62 side. For what it is worth, my second choice
would be a low heart.
1♦
Pass 1♥ Pass 1 NT
All pass
by Bobby Wolff on December 3rd, 2013
“Distrust and caution are the parents of security.”

Dealer: South North

Today's problem comes from "A Great Deal of Bridge Vul: North- ♠J74
Problems" by Julian Pottage, who is one of the more South ♥AQ
♦KQJ73
creative bridge writers around. His collections, written ♣KQ2
clearly and incisively, are aimed at players who are West East
♠Q986 ♠52
already experienced enough to compete in duplicate
♥97632 ♥ K 10 8 4
tournaments. ♦ 10 8 6 4 ♦952
♣— ♣J954
You find yourself in seven clubs, on a heart lead. What is South
♠ A K 10 3
the best play to the first three tricks? Clearly you must win ♥J5
the heart ace at trick one, and you appear to have 13 ♦A
♣ A 10 8 7 6 3
winners — so you need to plan for what can possibly go
wrong. South West North East
1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass
If trumps break, everything is easy, so you need to cater 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
to East’s holding all four clubs. Obviously, if West has all 3♣ Pass 4♣ Pass
4♦ Pass 4 NT Pass
four trumps you are doomed to disaster, whatever you do.
If you cash the club king at trick two, you will find yourself
Opening Lead: ♥3
short of entries to dummy to draw trump and run the
diamonds. The trick is to unblock the diamonds before touching trump, so after taking the
heart ace, you must cash the diamond ace. Now you play the club king (West discarding)
and once the bad trump break has come to light, you simply run winning diamonds
through East. As soon as he ruffs, you overruff, draw trump ending in dummy, and cash
your long diamond.
You finish up taking three discards on the diamonds when the suit breaks 4-3, since East
ruffs one of your winners. But three discards are all you need.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: There is no perfect answer here.
South Holds: A call of two no-trump would show your
♠J74 values but risk getting too high or wrong-
♥AQ siding no-trump. The only option is to invent
♦KQJ73 a club suit by bidding two clubs. If the
♣KQ2 auction stops here, you may have fallen on
your feet. If partner reverts to diamonds, you
South West North East might risk a two-heart call. And finally, if
1♦ Pass 1♥ 1♠ partner repeats hearts, you can raise him.
?
by Bobby Wolff on December 4th, 2013
“Man is a slow, sloppy, and brilliant thinker; computers are fast, accurate, and stupid.”
— John Pfeiffer
Dealer: West North

As Dutch expert Onno Eskes wrote, when discussing the Vul: Both ♠KJ4
bridge ability of computers, they prefer clear problems; so ♥AK3
♦ A K J 10 7
slams are easier for them than partscores. Have a look at ♣K4
our computer, GIB, tackling six no-trump. West East
♠ Q 10 9 5 2 ♠87
♥9 ♥ Q 10 8 7 6 2
You win the spade lead in dummy, play the diamond king
♦Q8653 ♦—
to find the surprising news, then lead the club king, ♣A8 ♣76532
ducked all around, and now carefully cash both top hearts South
♠A63
to remove West’s exit card. Next you play a second club, ♥J54
won by West, who exits in spades. ♦942
♣ Q J 10 9
You have 12 tricks now, but watch what happens when
you run the clubs; on the last one you have to pitch a 2♠* Dbl. Pass
diamond off dummy, but which one? It cannot be the 3♣** Pass 3♦ Pass
diamond seven, because after finessing the 10, you’d be 3 NT Pass 4 NT Pass
stuck in dummy. The 10 does not work either, because
West will cover the nine, and his eight will score the *Spades and a minor
setting trick. **Natural, value-showing
Opening Lead: ♠10

So let’s go back to the situation after trick seven. West
has just scored the club ace and returns a spade. GIB plays dummy’s king and overtakes
with the ace! He then runs the clubs, and the last one squeezes West, who is down to four
diamonds and the spade queen.
West clearly cannot spare a diamond, lest the leader pitches dummy’s losing spade and
leads the diamond nine, making four diamond tricks. So he throws his master spade, and
now the diamond seven is pitched from dummy, the diamond finesse is taken, and
declarer comes back to hand with his spade six for a second diamond finesse.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner's auction suggests
South Holds: extras, with club and heart length. (If he was
♠A63 balanced and minimum with four hearts, he
♥J54 would not have competed over two
♦942 diamonds.) You needn't panic and pass two
♣ Q J 10 9 hearts just because you have no clear way
forward. Revert to three clubs and let your
South West North East partner move on if he wants to. Three
1♣ 1♦ diamonds would be the best forward-going
2♣ 2♦ 2♥ Pass move, if you decide to cooperate.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, November 21st, 2013
“I now delight in spite of the right

And the might of classic tradition,
In writing and reciting straight ahead,
Without let or omission…”
— Robert Graves
Dealer: South North

For 20 years Patrick Jourdain, President of the Vul: East- ♠85
International Bridge Press Association, presented West ♥A974
♦K843
problems in Bridge Magazine. Prior to that, he prepared ♣KQ6
problems for UK television. Now over 150 of these have West East
♠J9732 ♠ Q 10 6 4
been featured in book form — "Problem Corner,"
♥K6 ♥ Q 10 5 2
published by Master Point Press of Canada. Here is one ♦ J 10 2 ♦Q65
of my favorites. ♣AJ9 ♣ 10 4
South
♠AK
Imagine South is in three no-trump and West leads the ♥J83
spade three. Since the club suit will need to supply four ♦A97
♣87532
tricks, South assumes that West must hold the ace.
On winning the spade lead in hand, South plays a club to 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass
dummy’s king, which holds. One possible continuation is 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
dummy’s low club, playing West for a holding of ace and
just one other club. But if West has ace-third of clubs, this Opening Lead: ♠3
play won’t work. To cater for all eventualities, you need to
re-enter your hand to play another club toward dummy.
Should you return with a diamond, West will play the ace on the next club, blocking the
suit. A spade return will then leave the clubs permanently entangled, with no re-entry to
your hand. Instead, you just return to hand at trick three with the other top spade, strange
as that may appear at first sight.
The spade lead suggests that spades are breaking 5-4, so the defenders will be able to
cash at most three spade tricks. But apart from the club ace, that is all the tricks they will
take. Any return can be won in dummy and the clubs unblocked — with the diamond ace
still in place as an entry to the clubs.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: It may look dangerous to balance
South Holds: here — and indeed it is — but does that
♠AK mean you should stay silent? No; "too
♥J83 dangerous" is no excuse. The upside of
♦A97 bidding (pushing the opponents up a level or
♣87532 finding your side's fit) is counterbalanced by
the occasional large penalty you will run into.
South West North East Double two spades and let the chips fall
Pass 1♠ where they may.
Pass 2♠ Pass Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, November 22nd, 2013
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
— Helen Keller
Dealer: South North

Six diamonds was obviously a fair contract in this deal Vul: Both ♠A5
from rubber bridge, with several chances. But when South ♥K7
♦ K J 10 6
did not select the best route, the slam failed. ♣A7642
West East
First. a word about the auction. North was playing two- ♠ 10 9 8 2 ♠J3
♥ Q 10 4 2 ♥A9865
over-one, so his raise to three diamonds was forcing.
♦753 ♦42
(Had the call not been forcing, North would have used the ♣Q8 ♣ J 10 9 3
fourth suit, then supported diamonds.) In the actual South
♠KQ764
auction, when South cue-bid in clubs, North placed his ♥J3
partner with a singleton heart and pushed on to six ♦AQ98
♣K5
diamonds.
West led a trump against the slam (doing well to avoid the 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
heart lead that would probably have solved South’s 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass
problems), and declarer elected to start by drawing trump. 4♣ Pass 6♦ All pass
Then he tested the spades, throwing a heart from dummy,
Opening Lead: ♦3
and, when they proved to be 4-2, tried his luck with the
clubs. When that went wrong as well, it was all over, and South ended up with just 10
tricks.
East and West were delighted with the outcome, and North remained calm and polite —
after all, he had to stick with the same partner for the rest of the rubber!
Note, though, that if declarer had tested the clubs first (before drawing trump), he could
have established the suit even against the 4-2 break. Then dummy would have been high
except for two hearts, at least one of which would go away on the spades. In short, the
contract would have been easy if either black suit had divided 3-3 but, if both were 4-2, it
was essential to play on clubs first.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I do not tend to open one no-
South Holds: trump with 5-4-2-2 shape, but it is
♠A5 sometimes the only sensible call. You'd
♥K7 normally upgrade any 17-count with a 5-4
♦ K J 10 6 pattern into a reverse, and almost all hands
♣A7642 with five of a major and four of a second suit
should open the major. But open one no-
South West North East trump when you hold 15-16 with a long
? minor where you do not want to reverse, and
you also hold stoppers in both your short
suits.
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, November 23rd, 2013
“A mortal singer dreamed a dream.

Fixed he not Fancy’s habitation,
Nor set in bonds Imagination.”
— Anna Wickham
Dealer: South North

In today's deal North's well-positioned aces sitting over Vul: East- ♠876
the opposing bidder, plus his superior spot-cards and his West ♥ A Q 10
♦ 10 8 7 5
mild spade-fit gave him just enough to raise two spades to ♣A87
three. Now South has enough to accept the game-try. West East
♠— ♠K5432
♥J864 ♥732
Against four spades, West will lead the diamond king and
♦AK96 ♦43
ace, then play his low diamond for East to trump with the ♣ K J 10 9 5 ♣632
spade two. South
♠ A Q J 10 9
♥K95
When East leads back the club six at trick four, South ♦QJ2
must win the club ace, then take a spade finesse, ♣Q4
simultaneously finding the good and bad news. When he
has digested the potential problems of the deal, he has 1♠ Dbl. Rdbl. Pass
two possible winning plays. Either he must lead the heart Pass 2♣ Pass Pass
five or nine and immediately finesse dummy’s 10, or he 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass
4♠ All pass
can lead the heart king to dummy’s ace, in either case
building himself the critical extra entry to dummy. Opening Lead: ♦K
The point is that when West shows out of spades, South should know he needs three
further entries to dummy: two to finesse spades, and one to reach the good diamond
(after trumps are drawn) for a club discard. The only possible entries are in hearts, so
West must be played for the heart jack. Three entries can be maneuvered — but not if
South starts by leading a low heart to a high honor in dummy. If South does that, West can
then defeat the contract by playing the heart jack when South leads low on the second
round.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The simple raise of an opening
South Holds: bid should go up to 10 points. But with the
♠876 right 10-count, you may opt to treat your
♥ A Q 10 hand as a balanced limit-raise. Is this hand
♦ 10 8 7 5 good enough? Not in my book. The
♣A87 balanced shape and weak trumps argue for
caution, despite decent intermediates and
South West North East two aces. Plus-scores are good; let partner
1♠ Pass decide if he wants to go past the two-level.
?

Is the following hand worth a game-force or Let's say partner opens one heart. The next
just an invitation? In fourth chair I heard my hand overcalls two clubs, you pass with ♠ Q-
partner open one heart, and the next hand 8-7-4, ♥ J-5, ♦ 10-5-4-2, ♣ Q-10-2, and
bid two diamonds. I held ♠ 10-8-7-2, ♥ Q-4-2, partner re-opens with a double. Would you
♦ K-J-3, ♣ A-Q-3. Was I supposed to raise pass or bid — and if you do bid, what should
hearts, bid no-trump, or double — and to you do?
what level should I commit the hand?
— Stick Shift, Janesville, Wis.
— Torn in Three, Albuquerque, N.M.
ANSWER: This is awkward. Passing out a

ANSWER: It looks most flexible to start with takeout double with only one trump trick
a double (raising partner's major may be too looks wrong. But I can see a case for acting
committal and bidding no-trump might lose by bidding either four-card suit or even
the fit in either major). After you get a raising partner. I'll go for the two heart call
response, you will have to decide where to because that way at least I know one of us
go — I fancy three no-trump, unless a spade will have long trumps.
fit comes to light, but if necessary, you might
cue-bid next to obtain more information.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Dear Mr. Wolff: You mentioned the Wolff signoff in a recent
column. Could you explain how that works in
Playing rubber bridge with very few just a little more detail?
conventions, I picked up ♠ K-4, ♥ K-Q-J-6-5-
3, ♦ Q-J, ♣ A-Q-2. I opened one heart and — Seeking an Edge, Woodland Hills, Calif.
heard an overcall of one spade. Now my
partner jumped to three diamonds, strong.
What would you recommend? ANSWER: If you respond light to an opening
bid and hear partner jump to two no-trump,
— Slamma Jamma, Albany, Ga. you need both to check for partner having a
fit in your suit, but also occasionally to be
able to sign off in your own suit. One way to
ANSWER: Assuming three diamonds shows do this is to use responder's rebid of three
a respectable suit, there is much to be said clubs as artificial. The no-trumper now bids
for a simple Blackwood bid. Even if this three diamonds (after which your bid of three
doesn't help you find out directly about the of your major is to play and three no-trump
diamond king, you can do so at your next offers a choice of games). Every other
turn and then play six or seven no-trump. auction by responder is forcing to game and
Please note that if partner simply has game- natural.
going values and, say, ace-fifth of diamonds,
he should just bid two diamonds. This is
forcing and doesn't waste space.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

I liked your 'tip for beginners' a few weeks
ago. Can you offer some more simple
guidance for beginners — or for
intermediates who might still benefit from
simple advice?
— Help Wanted, Lorain, Ohio
ANSWER: Here goes! When counting

trump, do not keep a running count up to 13.
Instead, when dummy comes down, add up
your trump and dummy's trump. Take that
number from 13, and this is the number of
trumps out. Now forget about your trump and
dummy's, just focus on that number, whether
it be four, five or six, and count down to zero
from there.
“Being smart was key; being careful was critical.

Being lucky didn’t hurt.”
— Kate Brady
Dealer: West North

At the San Francisco Nationals last December, the Vul: East- ♠ K 10 8 7
Mitchell Open Board-a-Match Teams winners (a form of West ♥Q9
♦ K J 10 6 5
scoring akin to pairs, but played by teams) were Michael ♣62
Becker, Aubrey Strul, Steve Garner, Howard Weinstein, West East
♠J62 ♠Q54
Walid Elahmady and Tarek Sadek. They gained a win on
♥5 ♥J873
this deal from the final session, when Garner executed an ♦A9872 ♦Q3
elegant trump-reduction play. ♣K854 ♣ A 10 9 7
South
♠A93
Both Souths were in four hearts, and the play started ♥ A K 10 6 4 2
identically. West led a low club, and East took the trick ♦4
♣QJ3
and returned a club. West won, cashed the diamond ace,
and continued with another diamond. Each declarer South West North East
inserted dummy’s jack and ruffed away East’s queen. Pass Pass Pass
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass
Against Sadek and Elahmady, South now played a heart 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass
4♥ All pass
to dummy’s queen and a heart to his ace, but had to finish
down one when trumps broke badly. By contrast Garner Opening Lead: ♣4
realized that he could pick up four hearts to the jack in the
East hand as long as he reduced his trump length to the same as East’s. So declarer first
cashed his heart ace, then played a heart to dummy’s queen.
If everyone had followed suit, Garner would have led a spade to his ace, drawn the
missing trump, and claimed. But when West discarded, declarer played the diamond king
from the dummy, East and South both pitching spades.
Now declarer carefully ruffed a diamond, cashed his high club, and led a spade to
dummy’s king. South next played dummy’s high diamond and was able to win the last
three tricks, whatever East did, to make his contract.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I am sure everybody will lead a
South Holds: major here — both minor suits are
♠ Q 10 6 4 unattractively dangerous. But no one really
♥ 10 6 2 knows if it is right to lead a fourth-highest
♦J975 spade or to try to hit your partner with a
♣64 heart lead. If I had a safe three-card lead
(say 9-8-third) in hearts I would go for that.
South West North East But leading from this heart suit is by no
1 NT means safe, so I will lead a spade as my
Pass 3 NT All pass preferred route.
“Anyone who thinks there's safety in numbers hasn't looked at the stock market pages.”
— Irene Peter
Dealer: South North

If you bid them up, you have to play them up, and today's Vul: Neither ♠ Q 8 7
deal strongly emphasizes this point. Peter Rank and Alex ♥ A 10 3 2
♦Q5
Kolesnik played in the Ventura Halloween Regional before ♣A864
coming to the San Francisco nationals. The following West East
♠54 ♠932
deal, from a knockout match, demonstrates that it pays to
♥KQJ864 ♥975
have confidence in your partner. ♦J762 ♦8
♣3 ♣ Q J 10 9 5 2
After Rank’s jump to five spades, Kolesnik decided that he South
♠ A K J 10 6
had four useful cards for a partner who rated to have 6-5 ♥—
distribution, so he went to the grand slam directly. ♦ A K 10 9 4 3
♣K7
Against the grand slam, West led the heart king, taken by
Rank in dummy (as he discarded a diamond from hand). 1♦ 2♥ 3 NT Pass
He drew trump in three rounds, noting that West had 5♠ Pass 7♠ All pass
started with two. He then worked on clubs, hoping to get a
count if something revealing came to light. The club king Opening Lead: ♥K
was followed by a club to the ace, West showing out.
Rank ruffed a club back to hand and stopped to assess the situation.
West was marked with two spades and one club and was likely to have begun with six
hearts (since he might have overcalled three hearts with seven of them). That left him with
four diamonds, so Rank played with the odds and took the first-round finesse by running
the diamond 10 through West. When it held, he could claim 13 tricks for an 11-IMP gain
since the opponents were in six spades at the other table.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Had East simply raised to two
South Holds: diamonds, you would of course have bid two
♠Q87 hearts, an action that suggests a balanced
♥ A 10 3 2 opening bid with no real extras, but promises
♦Q5 four hearts. Here, though, you cannot
♣A864 compete to three hearts on a hand where in
a noncompetitive auction you would have
South West North East been content with a call of one heart. You
1♣ 1♦ Dbl. 3♦ can let your opponents force you to bid one
?
level higher than you want — but not two.
“It is a trick among the dishonest to offer sacrifices that are not needed, or not possible, to
avoid making those that are required.”
— Ivan Goncharov
Dealer: South North

Today's deal, from the Nail Life Master Pairs in San Vul: Neither ♠ 9 5
Francisco, demonstrates that par in bridge terms and the ♥ 10 6 3
♦2
result achieved at the table are often far removed from ♣ A Q J 10 6 5 4
each other. West East
♠J87642 ♠KQ3
Wafik Abdou was in the hot seat as East, defending three ♥Q7 ♥842
♦KJ7 ♦ A Q 10 5 4
hearts after a revealing auction. Abdou’s partner led a low ♣92 ♣K3
diamond and Abdou won the ace and could infer that South
♠ A 10
declarer rated to hold five hearts and a doubleton club, ♥AKJ95
with a likely pattern of 5-3-3-2. The fact that his partner ♦9863
♣87
had not led a club was also a hint that the suit was likely
to be distributed 7-2-2-2 around the table. South West North East
1 NT* Pass 2♣ Pass
There is technically no defense to three hearts, but Abdou 2♥ Pass 3♣** Pass
went for his best chance when he won the diamond lead 3♥ All pass
and shifted to the spade king. Declarer won and took the *12-14
club finesse, smoothly ducked by Abdou. Declarer now **Invitational
guessed well by playing the heart ace and heart king,
Opening Lead: ♦7
dropping West’s queen. However, when declarer repeated
the club finesse, Abdou won, cashed his spade queen, then reverted to diamonds.
Declarer had to ruff in dummy and now was locked there with just clubs to lead. When he
played a club, Abdou ruffed in. Declarer was able to overruff, but was still left with two
diamond losers for down one. Plus 50 was good for 24 out of 38 matchpoints, whereas
making 140 would have been close to a top for North-South.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner has issued an
South Holds: invitational sequence, and although you
♠ A 10 have a minimum in high cards, you have a
♥AKJ95 real fit, plus quick tricks. Imagine partner
♦9863 with six spades to the king-queen and with
♣87 A-Q-third of clubs, for example. You would
want to be in four spades — and game is
South West North East likely to be no worse than relying on the
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass heart finesse, whatever he has.
2♦ Pass 3♠ Pass
?
“Ah, the snow-frail maiden!

Somehow truth has missed her,
Left the heart unladen
For its burdened sister.”
— A.E. (George William Russell)
Dealer: South North

When Jeff Aker and his teammates — Doug Simson, Vul: Both ♠ 10 9 8
Bryan Maksymetz and Larry Chao — won the Monday ♥K92
♦Q5
Compact Knockout, Bracket I at San Francisco, this deal ♣Q8643
materially helped their cause. Against four hearts doubled, West East
♠4 ♠KJ762
West led his singleton spade to the king and Aker's ace. A
♥ Q 10 7 4 ♥6
diamond to the queen and ace allowed East to give his ♦963 ♦AJ74
partner a spade ruff. ♣ A 10 7 5 2 ♣KJ9
South
♠AQ53
Aker now ruffed West’s continuation of the club ace and ♥AJ853
led a heart from hand. West correctly split his heart ♦ K 10 8 2
♣—
honors, so Aker took the heart 10 with dummy’s king, then
finessed in diamonds by leading to the 10. He could next South West North East
cash the diamond king to pitch dummy’s spade for his fifth 1♥ Pass 2♥ 2♠
trick. 4♥ Dbl. All pass
Aker next ruffed his diamond as West pitched a club, then Opening Lead: ♠4
ruffed a club to hand. Now if Aker had led his top spade,
West would have ruffed high and returned a trump. That would have left South with a
spade loser. Instead, Aker played his low spade. It would not have helped West to ruff
high, because Aker would have had only winners left. So West discarded another club,
and Aker ruffed the spade in dummy, ruffed a club to hand, and cashed the heart ace for
his 10th trick.
Can you spot the defense that East-West missed? East had to return the spade jack
rather than a low spade at trick three. Now declarer cannot discard the spade from
dummy on the diamond, as it would have been a winner that he would be throwing away.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand has the perfect shape
South Holds: for reopening with a double of two hearts. In
♠KJ762 an ideal world, partner would have a penalty
♥6 double of two hearts and sit for the takeout
♦AJ74 double. If (as is equally likely) partner has a
♣KJ9 weak hand with a suit of his own, he would
simply describe his hand by bidding his suit,
South West North East knowing you will have support for him.
1♠ 2♥ Pass Pass
?
“The human mind is our fundamental resource.”

— John F. Kennedy
Dealer: South North

Today’s deal comes from a regional Swiss at the San Vul: North- ♠A85
Francisco Nationals. As they came back to score up, West South ♥6432
♦K542
was grumbling that his opponents had caught a lucky ♣74
break by staying out of a game that could not be made West East
♠Q6 ♠ J 10 7 4
because of a bad trump break. Fortunately, he had not
♥AJ95 ♥—
taken into account the resourcefulness of his teammates ♦AJ93 ♦ Q 10 8 6
– Josh Donn and Roger Lee. ♣ J 10 9 ♣K8632
South
♠K932
They had bid their way to four hearts after Donn had ♥ K Q 10 8 7
produced a Bergen raise of one heart to three clubs, ♦7
♣AQ5
showing a heart raise of four or more cards, with less than
limit-raise values. South West North East
1♥ Pass 3♣* Pass
West led a helpful club jack, and Lee won and led a 4♥ All pass
diamond up. West correctly took the diamond ace and *6-9 points, four trumps
exited with a diamond. (Yes, a passive club makes
declarer’s task far harder, but he can still just about Opening Lead: ♣J
survive.)
Lee took the diamond king, pitching a spade from hand, and led a heart from dummy.
East’s discard revealed the bad trump split, and Lee put up the heart king, taken by West
with the ace. A second club went to Lee’s ace, and he followed with a club ruff, diamond
ruff, the spade king and a spade to the ace.
In the four-card ending, Lee ruffed a diamond to hand, while West helplessly followed suit,
then exited with his losing spade. Not only did West have to ruff her partner’s winner, but
she then had to lead into declarer’s heart tenace at trick 12. Contract made!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When your opponents make a
South Holds: negative double of your partner at a low
♠ J 10 7 4 level, there is no need to panic even if you
♥— have no support. Simply pass and await
♦ Q 10 8 6 developments. If you bid, you do not
♣K8632 promise support, but you will be suggesting
better overall values, or a more robust suit.
1♦ 1♥ Dbl.
?
“Nothing erases the past. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is
forgiveness. That is all, but that is enough.”
— Ted Chiang
Dealer: West North

Today's deal occurred in the Mitchell Open Board-a-Match Vul: Both ♠KJ97
Teams at the San Francisco Nationals last fall. ♥ K 10 5
♦842
♣ A 10 6
The defense to two spades started well, with West leading West East
the diamond queen, overtaken by the king. Rank, East, ♠AQ ♠53
switched to the club nine, and declarer, Norberto Bocchi ♥9643 ♥J72
♦Q7 ♦ A K 10 6 5 3
gave the matter some thought. When West played the ♣KQ543 ♣97
club queen, Bocchi made the fine play of ducking to cut South
♠ 10 8 6 4 2
the defenders’ communication. ♥AQ8
♦J9
West continued with the club five, which Bocchi took in ♣J82
dummy to lead a diamond. That gave Rank, East, his first
problem: Should he win or duck? Rank decided correctly 1♣ Pass 1♦
that his partner’s second club (a high one in context) was Pass 1 NT Pass 2♣
suit preference – thus he should not hold the diamond Pass 2♦ Pass Pass
2♠ All pass
jack. Rank played the diamond ace and next played a
third diamond. If declarer had ruffed, West could have Opening Lead: ♦Q
overruffed and given Rank a club ruff for down one.
Bocchi foiled that plan, however, by pitching the club jack on the third diamond. This play
seems counterintuitive, but now the defenders could score only one further trump winner –
there was no club ruff and no diamond overruff.
Contract made, a result that swung a full board because East-West at the other table had
made plus 90 in two diamonds. Note, though, that as Rank pointed out, he could have
defeated the contract with the inspired shift to a trump instead of playing the third
diamond. West would have won the ace and given his partner the club ruff; then the third
diamond re-promotes the trump queen.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The best plan with relatively
South Holds: limited values is to raise to three clubs
♠ 10 8 6 4 2 directly rather than to let the opponents
♥AQ8 gauge their degree of fit and combined high
♦J9 cards. By raising at once, you prevent West,
♣J82 for example, from introducing diamonds at a
convenient level. Or you may force him to
South West North East bid at the three-level when he wanted only to
1♣ 1♥ bid at the two-level. Support with support if
1♠ Pass 2♣ Dbl.
you can.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, December 1st, 2013
ANSWER: I like an inquiring mind! You are

right that suit preference often occurs on
Dear Mr. Wolff: discards, but any time you have a choice of
I assume that if holding ♠ K-Q-7-5-4, ♥ A-Q- cards in a holding where partner knows what
5-4, ♦ 10-2, ♣ A-4, you would open one you have, an unnecessarily high or low card
spade and rebid two hearts over partner's may be used to convey suit preference. This
two-club response — which we do not play even happens from time to time at trick one,
as game-forcing. But when partner bids when a continuation of the suit led is
three diamonds, fourth suit and game- obviously not in question.
forcing, what would you do next?
— Caught Napping, Grand Forks, N.D. Dear Mr. Wolff:
Is it ever proper to keep the auction open
ANSWER: Help! The fact that you have with a really weak hand facing a one-club
extras means a call of four clubs, going past opening bid? One of my opponents uses one
three no-trump, is not terrible, but partner will diamond as an artificial bid showing fewer
expect you to hold three clubs, of course. than six points.
The other choices are to rebid three spades — Stretching the Truth, Bristol, Va.
(I'd do that with the spade jack instead of the
seven) or three no-trump, hoping partner has
either diamond length or a major-suit fit. If he
has 2-3-2-6 shape, I'll apologize ANSWER: I certainly wouldn't go that far.
handsomely. When nonvulnerable, I do often respond light
to a one-club opening bid if short in clubs.
Equally, I occasionally do bid one diamond
over one club on a three-card suit, when a
Dear Mr. Wolff: one-no-trump response or club raise is
Several of my bridge friends claim there is a undesirable. But this is more improvisation
written rule that says a player may change than partnership agreement.
his first bid into a completely different bid if it
is done in the same breath. I didn’t agree.
What is the rule on this subject? Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Legal Eagle, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. I know you are not the biggest fan of
Keycard Blackwood, but can you tell me how
to show the trump queen after answering
ANSWER: The simple rule is that a change keycards?
of mind is not permitted, but an — Find the Lady, Sunbury, Pa.
instantaneous correction of a played card is
sometimes allowed and a correction of a
mechanical error with a bidding box is also
allowed. Here, though, when you utter a call, ANSWER: Let's say trumps are hearts. After
you very rarely say the wrong thing — you a five-club response, five diamonds asks,
change your mind. That's a no-no. and in response five hearts denies the trump
queen. All other bids show it, with six hearts
denying any side-suit king, and all other calls
show your cheapest king. Five no-trump can
Dear Mr. Wolff: be used to promise extras and no king. If the
One of our opponents at my local club used response was five diamonds, five hearts by
a gadget I'd never heard of. He was the inquirer would be to play, so five spades
defending four hearts and his partner led the asks for the queen. Six hearts denies it, five
diamond king, then the ace, from A-K-J-fifth. no-trump says you have the queen and no
With ♠ K-J-7-5, ♥ Q-2, ♦ 10-3-2, ♣ J-9-4-3, kings, and all other responses are your
he followed with the two, then the 10, and cheapest king plus the trump queen.
afterwards explained to his partner that this
was suit preference. I thought that only
applied to discards.
— Inspector Gadget, Dallas, Texas
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, December 2nd, 2013
“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth
reading or do things worth writing.”
Dealer: South North

Among the brotherhood of bridge writers, Frank Stewart is Vul: East- ♠KJ
someone I would be happy to call a friend. His new West ♥J3
♦KQ763
handbook of basic bidding, "What's Your Call?" helps the ♣A832
average player improve his valuation skills. West East
♠2 ♠A954
The book is far more about judgment than system. ♥ 10 4 2 ♥Q975
♦ J 10 9 5 ♦8
Today’s deal is a 26-card example in which Frank quotes ♣ Q J 10 5 4 ♣K976
the North hand at the point where the auction has reached South
♠ Q 10 8 7 6 3
five spades. He recommends a raise to six spades. South ♥AK86
rates to need trump honors and you have more than your ♦A42
♣—
fair share.
The play might be stimulating if diamonds and spades do 1♠ Pass 2♦ Pass
not break. South ruffs the club lead, takes the trump king 2♥ Pass 3♣ Pass
and jack, both ducked, then crosses to the diamond ace 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass
to continue drawing trumps. East wins the third trump and
exits with a second club, letting declarer take the ace, ruff Opening Lead: ♣Q
a club, then draw the last trump. West can let go one
heart and one club, but on the fourth trump he must keep his diamonds and two clubs. So
he comes down to a singleton heart.
Declarer pitches a diamond and a club from dummy on the spades and plays the diamond
ace and king. On finding the bad break, he must next lead the heart jack. East has to
cover with the queen. When West’s 10 appears, declarer can later finesse against the
heart nine for his contract.
The book can be obtained (autographed on request) from Frank Stewart, $23.95 postpaid
at P.O. Box 962, Fayette AL 35555. All profits go to local Alabama charities.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: On any auction where your side
South Holds: has the clear balance of high cards and the
♠J52 opponents are sacrificing, a trump lead has
♥ J 10 8 3 to make sense. This is especially true in a
♦Q86 situation of this sort — where there is no
♣KJ2 realistic chance that the opponents will be
running the unbid suit, clubs, against you.
1♦ 1♠
Dbl. 2♠ 4♥ 4♠
Dbl. All pass
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
“Among all forms of mistake, prophecy is the most gratuitous.”

— George Eliot
Dealer: South North

Techniques for defending against possible squeezes can Vul: Both ♠Q6
be found in the literature, but less has been written about ♥ A 10 4 3
♦KQ986
the concept of persuading declarer that you have been ♣A5
squeezed when, in fact, you have not. This deal is an West East
♠ J 10 8 5 ♠K943
amusing example.
♥876 ♥J95
♦5 ♦72
After the Stayman sequence, North showed diamonds ♣ K 10 9 4 2 ♣Q873
and a major, game-forcing, then jumped to slam when the South
♠A72
fit came to light. Six diamonds was not a bad contract, of ♥KQ2
course, superficially depending on the heart suit yielding ♦ A J 10 4 3
♣J6
four tricks, but with considerable extra chances if the
spade king was onside. South West North East
1 NT Pass 2♣ Pass
Declarer covered the spade jack with dummy’s queen, 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass
then ducked the spade king, won the spade continuation, 4♦ Pass 6♦ All pass
and ruffed a spade high in dummy. Then he cashed the
Opening Lead: ♠J
club ace (a maneuver known as the Vienna Coup,
catering for the possibility of either defender’s holding the guarded heart jack as well as
the club king and queen) and followed by running five rounds of trumps.
From West’s point of view it seemed sure that declarer held the heart queen but not the
jack (for then he would have claimed). It was essential to try to persuade South that the
heart jack was guarded. West discarded first the spade 10, then the club nine, 10 and king
(carefully preserving the club four and his three low hearts).
Convinced that West had shed all his clubs in order to keep four hearts, declarer cashed
the heart king and queen, then finessed the 10 – only to lose the last two tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This is one of the awkward hand
South Holds: patterns best solved by opening one no-
♠Q6 trump because of the honors in the short
♥ A 10 4 3 suit. You are not strong enough to open one
♦KQ986 diamond and reverse to two hearts over a
♣A5 one-spade response, though add the heart
jack and you might do that. Equally, if your
South West North East doubletons were two small spades and the
? club A-Q, you might open one diamond and
rebid one no-trump over one spade.
The Aces on Bridge: Wednesday, December 4th, 2013
“People who have no weaknesses are terrible; there is no way of taking advantage of
them.”
— Anatole France
Dealer: North North

Consider the play in five diamonds, on the lead of the top Vul: East- ♠ 10 3
spade. You appear to have one heart and at least one West ♥ A 10 9 8 5 2
♦AK9
club to lose. ♣54
West East
You could cross to the heart ace and simply take a club ♠KQJ952 ♠8764
finesse for the contract. However another possibility is to ♥J4 ♥KQ6
♦73 ♦52
win the spade and play ace and a second heart — trying ♣ A Q 10 ♣8632
to duck the heart into West, so that you can establish the South
♠A
suit without letting East on lead for the fatal club shift. If ♥73
you follow that line, you might duck the first heart if West ♦ Q J 10 8 6 4
♣KJ97
follows with the king.
An alternative approach that has a lot to recommend it is 1♥ Pass
to play West for all three spade honors. Instead of 2♦ 2♠ 3♦ 4♠
requiring the heart king to be well-placed, try winning the 5♦ All pass
first spade, crossing to the heart ace, then leading the
Opening Lead: ♠K
spade 10 and discarding your heart loser. West wins and
can do little but play a trump back. You win in dummy, ruff a heart high, go back to a trump
to ruff another heart high, and use the diamond nine as the entry to dummy to cash the
three heart winners to pitch club losers. You end up scoring one spade, six diamonds and
four heart tricks.
If the spade jack turns up in East, you can always fall back on West’s having the bare
heart king left. If that is not so, then the defenders will win, play clubs, and you are little
worse off than before.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: The question of what you
South Holds: consider to be forcing here and what is not
♠KQJ952 may indicate how old you are! In the modern
♥J4 (post 1970's) style, simple raises of partner
♦73 and a jump to three spades are all
♣ A Q 10 invitational, not forcing. To start a force, bid
two hearts, which sets up an unequivocal
South West North East game force. Then bid three spades, showing
1♦ Pass a forcing one-suiter.
1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Thursday, December 5th, 2013
“It's the same old same old.”

— Anon.
Dealer: North North

As today's quotation suggests, there is nothing new under Vul: East- ♠KJ3
the sun. Likewise, in bridge most themes have been seen West ♥AK54
♦AKJ
before. I am however indebted to Jean-Paul Meyer for the ♣765
idea of this deal, which sees you reach four spades in the West East
♠4 ♠ Q 10 8
teeth of a strong no-trump overcall by East. Given the
♥976 ♥Q82
vulnerability, you would assume he therefore has at least ♦97532 ♦ Q 10 4
a decent 15-count. ♣ 10 9 4 3 ♣AKQJ
South
♠A97652
When the club 10 is led, East overtakes and cashes his ♥ J 10 3
club winners. You ruff the third, and would presumably ♦86
♣82
settle down to a quick count of the hand, which suggests
East has all the missing high cards. South West North East
1♣ 1 NT
When you play the spade king, you are hoping West has 2♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
two spades or a bare 10. No luck today; East wins the
third spade and exits in clubs. Whatever you do now, you Opening Lead: ♣10
won’t succeed.
The winning line is counterintuitive, but essentially fail-safe. Instead of leading a spade to
the ace, give up the first spade to East by leading to dummy’s jack! Win the likely spade
return, cash the two top hearts (a maneuver known as the Vienna Coup, setting up your
heart jack as the threat in that suit). Then run the spades, and you can guarantee that
East will be squeezed in the red suits. After five rounds of spades, three clubs, and two
hearts, you will have the heart jack and two diamonds in hand, the ace-king-jack of
diamonds in dummy, and if you haven’t seen the heart queen appear, you will play
diamonds from the top.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Before I answer the question,
South Holds: let's clarify that a jump to two spades would
♠A97652 be a high-card invitation. One can, however,
♥ J 10 3 play the jump as shapely, not limit, if your
♦86 RHO has redoubled — when there cannot
♣82 be enough high cards in the deck for a true
invitation. That said, a simple bid of one
South West North East spade seems to be enough now; the auction
1♦ Dbl. Pass will surely not end there, and you can
? compete as appropriate.
The Aces on Bridge: Friday, December 6th, 2013
“For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

— Alexander Pope
Dealer: South North

One of my more prolific correspondents is Tim Bourke Vul: Neither ♠ 4 3 2
from Australia, who has written about the arcane side of ♥ J 10 4
♦532
bridge as well as expounding on basic technique. He sent ♣ 10 8 7 4
me this fascinating deal that he had played recently, which West East
♠J
includes elements of both sides of the game. ♠ 10 8 7 6
♥A82
♥Q97653
♦ Q J 10 9 8 6
For those of you who prefer the auction using standard ♦K
4
♣A9
methods, I suggest you focus simply on how to make four ♣J6
South
spades, without worrying about the strong-club opening ♠AKQ95
bid. ♥K
♦A7
♣KQ532
The spade game looks to be off a trick in each suit, but on
a heart lead to the ace and a shift to the diamond queen South West North East
(reasonable enough, though a heart continuation would 1♣* 2♥ Pass 4♥
have worked better), the hand can now be made, despite 4♠ All pass
the bad trump break. *Strong; 16-plus, any hand.
Bourke took the diamond ace, cashed just two top Opening Lead: ♥6
spades, finding the bad news, then played the club king
(carefully unblocking the eight from dummy). West took his ace, then got out with the club
nine to the 10, jack and queen.
Now Bourke cashed the remaining high spade and exited with a spade to West. That
player had nothing but hearts left, and was obliged to lead the heart queen. Bourke ruffed
with his last trump, led the club two to dummy’s seven to allow him to cash dummy’s heart
winner and discard his diamond loser, then was able to come back to hand by leading
dummy’s priceless club four to his five, to cash the club three at trick 13.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Three clubs is forcing to game;
South Holds: you might think it sensible to pass (and you
♠432 might even be right at the table), but if
♥ J 10 4 partner has game in his own hand, he will
♦532 not be happy. Over the three-club call, many
♣ 10 8 7 4 players, including me, play the next step of
three diamonds to be a second negative,
South West North East typically 0-4 high-card points, or no
2♣ Pass satisfactory alternative call. In context, this
2♦ Pass 3♣ Pass bid seems best.
?
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, December 7th, 2013
“Even the death of friends will inspire us as much as their lives.”

Dealer: South North

I was saddened to hear of the death of Bobby Richman, Vul: Neither ♠ A 7 4 3
an American who moved to Australia and represented that ♥AQ
♦A7652
country internationally for over two decades. When you ♣Q4
look at all four hands here, you may wonder how Richman West East
♠ Q 10 5 ♠J982
could make four hearts — and indeed, the solution is
♥753 ♥98
extremely elegant. ♦KQ ♦ J 10 9
♣K7652 ♣A983
Although declarer can eventually set up the diamonds, the South
♠K6
defenders will by then have taken two diamonds and two ♥ K J 10 6 4 2
clubs. But after West led a low trump, Richman won the ♦843
♣ J 10
ace, overtook the trump queen with the king, and played
three more rounds of trumps, throwing two clubs and a South West North East
diamond from the dummy and squeezing East. 2♥ Pass 4♥ All pass
East could afford two small clubs. But on the next trump Opening Lead: ♥3
he could not throw a spade, or declarer would establish a
long spade in dummy with a spade ruff — having the diamond ace as the entry to it. Nor
could he discard a diamond, or declarer would set up that suit for one loser. East therefore
bared the club ace. No harm appears to have been done yet, but Richman now ducked a
diamond, West winning and switching to a club to East’s ace.
That player had no club to return, so shifted to a spade. Declarer won with the king and
continued with ace and another diamond, setting up that suit. It was East who won the
trick, perforce. With no club left, he had to play a spade to the ace, and declarer now
discarded his remaining club on the long diamond.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This one looks relatively simple
South Holds: to me — which is not always a good sign…
♠K6 With decent support in context, but a
♥ K J 10 6 4 2 minimum in high-cards, simply raise to three
♦843 spades and let partner decide what he wants
♣ J 10 to do. You have no reason not to let partner
have a say after this point. And, just for the
South West North East record, two spades is usually played as
2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass forcing for one round, if not necessarily to
? game.
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, December 8th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on December 22nd, 2013
ANSWER: Unless you are facing a third-in-

hand opening, which might be shaded,
Dear Mr. Wolff: redouble guarantees a second call, with
You hear two spades to your left, passed subsequent doubles strongly suggesting
around to you, and you are holding ♠ 10-2, defending from either side. Yes, one might
♥ K-Q-7-5-4, ♦ Q-9, ♣ A-Q-5-4. Would you make the call with three good trumps if there
balance, and with what? And would the form is no fit for your side and the vulnerability
of scoring influence your decision? argued for it. Opener, especially, should
double when he can with three trumps and
— On the Spot, Grand Junction, Colo. defense.
ANSWER: I don't think you can pass, but Dear Mr. Wolff:
whether you balance with a double –catering
to the penalty pass from partner — or a How do you apply the rule of 11 if using
three-heart call to get your main feature third-and-fifth (or third-and-lowest) leads?
across, is up to you. I vote for the double; we — Higher Math, Macon, Ga.
might find clubs or hearts just as often as
diamonds. And yes, I'd bid at any form of
scoring or vulnerability — they don't get to
push me around! ANSWER: If the lead is third highest,
subtract the spot-card lead from 12. The
result is the number of cards higher than the
lead held by the other three players. If a fifth-
Dear Mr. Wolff: highest lead — and you will normally be able
At a club duplicate game, my partner opened to work out from the auction which one it is
one club and I held ♠ A-J-10-5-4, ♥ J-5-4, — subtract the card led from 10. So if a fifth-
♦ Q, ♣ A-K-7-4. I responded one spade, then highest two is led, subtract two from 10. The
over his two-club call I took a chance at other three players have eight higher cards
three no-trump. We lost the first five tricks in in that suit.
diamonds. How would you have handled the
bidding?
Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Sucker-Punched, Montreal
In second seat, I picked up ♠ A-K-Q-J, ♥ 10,
♦ A-K-J-7, ♣ 10-9-8-2. My RHO opens one
ANSWER: You have given me a chance to spade. I chose to pass, and the auction
expound on a subtle principle that might get continued with one no-trump on my left and
past quite a few good players. Since two two spades on my right. I now doubled. Was
diamonds at my second turn would obviously it for penalties? And if my partner runs, what
be forcing, showing diamond values if not does an escape to two no-trump suggest?
necessarily length, is a call of three — Passing Fancy, Elkhart, Ind.
diamonds "more" forcing? Surely not! If a call
at one level is forcing and natural, a bid one
level higher in the same suit is a splinter-bid,
showing shortage and agreeing on partner's ANSWER: Your first pass makes sense, as
suit. So bid three diamonds. opposed to doubling, since you do not really
want to convert two hearts to two no-trump
or three of a minor. Double on the second
round is best played as heavy penalty or
Dear Mr. Wolff: light takeout — Partner should know which!
What simple agreement should one have If he escapes, then a bid of two no-trump
when partner opens a suit, the next hand would be scrambling – suggesting two or
doubles, and you redouble? Given that this more places to play.
suggests invitational values or better, how
far forcing is this, and what do subsequent
doubles show? If penalties, would three
trumps suffice?
— Lightning in a Bottle, Riverside, Calif.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, December 9th, 2013
by Bobby Wolff on December 23rd, 2013
“The guardian spirit of the place

She seemed, and I some ghost forlorn,
Surprised by the untimely morn
She made with her resplendent face.”
— Ambrose Bierce
Dealer: West North

In today's deal South plays in four hearts after West has Vul: East- ♠765
opened one diamond. West's opening lead is the diamond West ♥KQ83
♦A93
queen. How should you plan the play, seeing just the ♣AJ5
North and South cards? West East
♠ A Q 10 ♠J9832
♥75 ♥42
One declarer won the diamond lead, drew trump, and
♦QJ76 ♦ 10 8 2
exited with king and another diamond, hoping to endplay ♣ K 10 6 2 ♣974
West. This line would have been successful had South
♠K4
diamonds broken 5-2, or had East been unable to beat ♥ A J 10 9 6
dummy’s diamond spot. Alas for South, East’s possession ♦K54
♣Q83
of the diamond 10 meant that he could win the trick. He
played a spade through and declarer had to go down, South West North East
eventually losing two spades, a diamond and one club. 1♦ Dbl. Pass
4♥ All pass
Better is to endplay West to give you a trick in the black
suits. You cannot avoid a diamond loser, but losing the Opening Lead: ♦Q
trick to West is very much in your interest. The way to do
that is to duck the first diamond, then win the diamond continuation, draw trump, and take
the club finesse.
Next, you cash all your minor-suit winners and exit withthe club ace and another club,
knowing that West will win. That player is forced to lead a spade, whereupon all your
worries are over, or he has to give you a ruff-sluff. If he does that, you pitch a spade from
hand while ruffing in dummy.
Of course, if diamonds break 6-1 and West had the doubleton or singleton club king, you
would have to prepare your own excuses — or blame me. My shoulders are broad.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Partner's failure to support hearts
South Holds: means he is probably short in the suit. That
♠K932 doesn't in and of itself mean the lead will
♥ A 10 7 5 4 cost a trick though — and it may be that the
♦KJ trick will come back one way or another. The
♣J6 other choice is to lead a spade — but here
the risk of losing a trick with no return is too
South West North East high. On balance, I will lead a heart. But you
1♥ Dbl. Pass 1 NT could certainly tempt me to lead a club if my
All pass
holding were J-10.
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, December 10th, 2013
“Speak in French when you can't think of the English for a thing.”
— Lewis Carroll
Dealer: East North

I was given this deal with just the North and South cards Vul: Both ♠K932
and was told that this hand was originally published in a ♥AK4
♦K63
French newspaper. I thought it was an extremely ♣K82
challenging problem. Do you agree? West East
♠Q ♠AJ
♥ Q 10 7 6 5 3 ♥J982
As South, you reach four spades after making a
♦AJ9 ♦ 10 5 4 2
disciplined pass in second seat, despite the vulnerability. ♣ Q 10 4 ♣J93
However, facing partner’s double of one heart, you can South
♠ 10 8 7 6 5 4
hardly do less than bid game. When dummy comes down, ♥—
you see a disappointing wastage in hearts. How should ♦Q87
♣A765
you plan the play?
A natural move is to come to hand and lead up to the Pass
spade king, hoping for the ace to be favorably placed for Pass 1♥ Dbl. 3♥
you. As the cards lie, that line will not work. A better 4♠ All pass
approach is to assume that at least one of the two missing
Opening Lead: ♥6
aces must be onside, but you should first try to find the
diamond ace onside. If it is not, you can fall back with complete confidence on the play of
leading to the spade king.
Almost the only line to succeed is to ruff the first trick and lead a diamond toward the king.
If West ducks his ace, you win dummy’s king, pitch your diamonds on dummy’s hearts,
then lead a spade to the king for overtricks. If West flies up with his diamond ace, you
have only one diamond loser, so can discard both your club losers on the hearts and
again play on spades for overtricks.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When the opponents intervene
South Holds: over a transfer bid, you should not go out of
♠K932 your way to complete the transfer at the
♥AK4 three-level with only three trumps, unless
♦K63 your hand offers considerable extra offense.
♣K82 Here your hand is only average for play in
hearts so you should pass. By contrast, if
South West North East partner had transferred into spades, your
1 NT Pass 2♦ 3♣ fourth trump would make it clear to bid three
?
spades over three clubs.
“Gamesmanship: The Art of Winning Games Without Actually Cheating.”

— Stephen Potter
Dealer: South North

Erstwhile President of the European Bridge League, Bill Vul: Neither ♠ K J 9 3
Pencharz, who was both a top player and for many years ♥ Q 10 9 5 4
♦A7
a nonplaying captain of the Great Britain team, now ♣76
resides mainly in France. Today's is deal from the French West East
♠Q862 ♠ 10 4
interclub tournament, which allowed him to reach the
♥— ♥KJ2
finals last summer. ♦Q92 ♦ J 10 8 5 4 3
♣KQ9832 ♣A4
To see the problem that led to his qualification, put South
♠A75
yourself in declarer’s shoes and cover up the East and ♥A8763
West cards. Plan the play in four hearts on the lead of the ♦K6
♣ J 10 5
club king. East overtakes the club king with the ace and
continues the suit to West’s queen. West now plays a third South West North East
club. Do you ruff, and if so, with what? 1♥ 2♣ 4♥ All pass
Now ‘the trump 10’ from dummy sees East play the two; Opening Lead: ♣K
what next? At the table declarer carefully overtook the
heart ‘10’ with the ace, planning to strip off the diamonds and exit with a second heart in
an attempt to endplay someone with the second round of trump. This would succeed
unless West had neither heart honor. All of that sounds reasonable; but there was a catch,
as you can see when you look at the full deal.
Pencharz’s decision not to overruff had given declarer a problem that he did not solve.
Would South have got the trump right had East overruffed? Only the Shadow knows!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: After three suits have been bid
South Holds: (or if LHO had raised his partner instead of
♠A75 bidding a new suit), your partner's double is
♥A8763 takeout. It shows values and typically both
♦K6 unbid suits, if there are two, or else the
♣ J 10 5 unbid suit, together with tolerance for
partner's suit. Here you have a
South West North East straightforward call of one no-trump to show
1♦ your hand-type and honor location. Two
1♥ 1♠ Dbl. Pass clubs would be my second choice.
?
“And the giant with his club,

And the dwarf with rage in his breath,
And the elder giants from far,
They are all the children of Death.”
— Lord Dunsany
Dealer: South North

When Snow White was discovered by the dwarves, you Vul: Neither ♠ J 6 5
may be surprised that their first reaction was delight that ♥K9
♦ Q 10 2
she would be the eighth player to make up a duplicate ♣KQ973
teams event. West East
♠ 10 9 ♠KQ842
♥ Q 10 8 7 ♥432
On the first deal, Snow White partnered Sleepy, who had
♦J9874 ♦65
forgotten what the contract was by the time the auction ♣A5 ♣ J 10 4
was complete and selected the spade 10 against what he South
♠A73
thought was a four-heart contract. ♥AJ65
♦AK3
Grumpy allowed the spade 10 to hold the trick, and ♣862
Sleepy was just awake enough to continue with his
remaining spade. Grumpy played small from dummy, and 1♥* Pass 2♣ Pass
Snow White deceptively played the king. 2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
*Four-card majors and a strong no-
Her plan worked. Eventually Grumpy played small from trump
his hand, and Snow White played a third spade. Alas,
Grumpy’s pause had distracted Sleepy, and as he dozed Opening Lead: ♠10
off yet again, the club ace fell from his hand.
Grumpy insisted that the card be played, but now when he played off the top clubs, he
found Snow White controlled the suit. Grumpy now took his three top diamonds, and next
played the heart king, then the nine, cunningly playing low from his own hand. If Sleepy
had taken this trick, he would have had one diamond to cash, but would have had to
concede the last two tricks. However, all Grumpy’s planning had proved too much for
Sleepy, and he allowed the heart nine to win the trick!
With the lead in dummy and only clubs left, Grumpy had to concede the rest to Snow
White and go one down.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: While a leap to five clubs might
South Holds: be right, heading for the nine-trick game of
♠J65 three no-trump looks more practical to me.
♥K9 You might find partner with a diamond
♦ Q 10 2 stopper or partial stopper, or West may have
♣KQ973 no entry to his suit. In five clubs there are
just too many potential top losers, plus the
South West North East risk of defensive ruffs.
3♦ Dbl. Pass
?
“To give an accurate and exhaustive account of that period would need a far less brilliant
pen than mine.”
— Max Beerbohm
Dealer: East North

When I collected the bronze medal at the 1994 Generali Vul: Both ♠K6
Individual, Wubbo de Boer (who was part of the Dutch ♥Q6
♦ K Q 10 7 6 2
team that had won the world championship a couple of ♣ Q 10 5
years previously) was sitting South and received a club West East
♠72 ♠A98
lead against his contract of four spades doubled.
♥J53 ♥A7
♦AJ54 ♦98
He ruffed it, then realized that if he played a heart to the ♣9876 ♣AKJ432
king, the defense could simply draw trump, and leave him South
♠ Q J 10 5 4 3
with a probable second heart loser. So he guessed ♥ K 10 9 8 4 2
correctly to run the heart 10 around to East’s ace. Back ♦3
♣—
came a second club, which he ruffed again.
Now if declarer plays on trumps, the defense can duck the 1 NT
first round. When they win the second trump and play a 2♠ Dbl. Pass 3 NT
third club, the hearts are blocked. Declarer would have to 4♥ Pass 4♠ Pass
Pass Dbl. All pass
ruff to get back to hand and would run out of trump.
However, if South unblocks the hearts at once before Opening Lead: ♣9
playing the spade king, East wins his spade ace, leads a
diamond to his partner, then gets a heart ruff.
De Boer saw the problems, and having gone to all those lengths to finesse in hearts at
trick two, he now led the heart king from his hand, crashing the queen, then ruffed a heart
with dummy’s spade king! Next he simply drew trump, having retained control of the hand,
and could not be prevented from making 10 tricks.
It is psychologically very difficult to reverse your strategy in midhand as De Boer did, and
even more difficult to find these plays at the table rather than in the post-mortem.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If you play inverted minors,
South Holds: where a simple raise is forcing for one
♠K6 round, this hand is duck soup. Equally, if you
♥Q6 play a double raise as forcing, you will have
♦ K Q 10 7 6 2 no problems. If you play a simple raise is
♣ Q 10 5 weak and a double raise invitational, then
your choice is to invent a club suit or (my
South West North East preference — inelegant as it might seem) to
1♦ Pass bid three no-trump and protect your major-
? suit honors.
“It is a very great thing to be able to think as you like; but, after all, an important question
remains: what you think.”
— Matthew Arnold
Dealer: West North

In the Dutch bridge magazine IMP, Onno Eskes has Vul: Both ♠K5
investigated the limits of computers' abilities at bridge. He ♥AQ5
♦AK32
predicts that the next generation of bridge programs will ♣8753
beat world champions within the next five years. Here is West East
♠ 10 9 4 2 ♠QJ7
the computer at work.
♥KJ964 ♥ 10 7
♦— ♦ Q J 10 9 7
Against three diamonds doubled, West leads out the three ♣ A K Q 10 ♣J42
top clubs and East follows suit with the two, eight, and South
♠A863
jack (suggesting an original odd number). Can the hand ♥832
still be made? ♦8654
♣96
The problem is virtually an open book after West’s
Flannery opening, the penalty double, and East’s signals. 2♦* Dbl. 2♥
It may not seem possible that you can prevent East from Pass Pass Dbl. Pass
taking three trump tricks, but for the computer, these types 3♦ Pass Pass Dbl.
All pass
of problems are a cinch. It ruffs the third round of clubs,
takes the heart finesse, and ruffs a spade in dummy. The *An opening bid with five hearts and
four spades
heart ace is cashed and we have reduced to a five-card
ending where dummy has three trumps, a club loser and a Opening Lead: ♣K
heart loser, South has three trumps with a spade and a
heart loser, and East has all his five trumps.
When the last club is led from North, East must ruff high to prevent the diamond eight
from becoming South’s ninth trick, allowing declarer to discard the heart eight. East is now
forced to exit with a high diamond, taken by North’s ace. East is then forced to play yet
another high trump on the lead of dummy’s heart, and now he is endplayed, having to
lead away from his 9-7 of trumps; his third trump winner has vanished!
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: You have a nice hand with real
South Holds: potential, but you do not need to
♠K5 communicate that message all at once. Your
♥AQ5 initial choice is either a cue-bid of two
♦AK32 spades to show a limit raise or better in
♣8753 hearts, or a negative double to show both
minors. The advantage of the double is that
South West North East it keeps the auction low and lets partner
1♥ 1♠ describe his hand — if the opponents allow
? him to.

Would you ever open ♠ Q-10-8, ♥ A-4. ♦ K-5- A friend gave me a somewhat garbled
4, ♣ A-J-9-5-2 with a strong no-trump, either description of Snapdragon doubles. In what
for tactical reasons or because you believe position do they apply, and how do they work
the hand is worth that action? exactly? More importantly, are they a good
idea?
— Far From the Adding Crowd, Newark, N.J.
— Boldly Advancing, Seneca, S.C.
ANSWER: At matchpoints when

nonvulnerable I can see the argument for ANSWER: When LHO opens, partner
getting the no-trump in first. A chunky five- overcalls, and RHO makes a low-level bid,
card suit must be worth something, and doubles of that bid should be for takeout.
since you might well want to play the hand Doubling a bid-and-raised suit shows the
your way up, it is not absurd to make the unbid suits and a fair hand. If RHO
call. This is especially true in third seat when introduced a new suit, double suggests
you should also aim to make the opponents' values, with the unbid suit AND support for
search for a major-suit fit rather more partner. Since you rarely have a penalty
challenging. double in this position, the idea behind the
convention is a sound one.
Dear Mr. Wolff:

Dear Mr. Wolff:
I recently read an Aces column where you
explained Bergen raises to the reader, I always thought that if I had two equal or
implying that you weren’t particularly in favor close to equal suits I should open with the
of using them. I’ve used them ever since I higher of touching suits and the lower of
read “To Bid or Not to Bid.” What don’t you nontouching suits. In one of your recent
like about them? columns, you described a reverse as
whenever the player bids any lower suit
— The Raiser's Edge, Winston-Salem, N.C. before a higher suit, in this case clubs and
then hearts. Can you describe how these
two ideas overlap?
ANSWER: They fall into the category of bids
where judgment takes second place to — Circle of Confusion, New York City, N.Y.
system. They also allow lead-directing
doubles rather too easily. One doesn’t
always use Stayman when holding a four- ANSWER: Anytime in an noncompetitive
card major; equally, one sometimes raises a auction that you bid the low suit at the one-
major to two with four trumps and a level, then a higher suit at the two-level, so
defensive hand. That said, giving up jump that responder has to give preference to the
responses in a minor is not a big loss, I first one at the three-level, it's a reverse. So,
agree. There are some sensible alternative for example, opening one club, then bidding
“natural” uses, though weak jump responses two hearts over one spade, guarantees
may not be among them. reversing extras. You may have to repeat
clubs or bid one no-trump without those
extras.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Imagine at matchpoints that you held ♠ A-10-
3-2, ♥ A-Q-9-4, ♦ 9-7-5-4-2 ♣ — in third
chair. Would you open the hand — and if so,
what call would you prefer?
— Open Sesame Paste, Orlando, Fla.
ANSWER: Since I am under oath, I think I'd

pass if vulnerable and open nonvulnerable; I
would marginally prefer a one-heart bid to
the other choices. I really do not want to bid
diamonds to see partner leading his
doubleton ace, king or queen! Bidding long
suits in third position is somewhat overrated;
bidding good suits with one-bid hands has a
lot to recommend it.
“I went out to the woods today

To hide away from you,
From you a thousand miles away —
But you came, too.”
— Jessie Rittenhouse
Dealer: East North

In this deal from the Cavendish pairs I thought Geoff Vul: North- ♠Q85
Hampson made a nice play to disguise his intentions South ♥KQ86
♦AQ95
although the defense certainly missed a chance or two. ♣ 10 8
Having opened a precision one diamond with the South West East
♠ A K 10 7 ♠J64
cards, Hampson was driven to three no-trump after Brad
♥94 ♥ J 10 7 3
Moss (West) had overcalled one spade. Eric Greco as ♦J64 ♦ 10 8 3
North made a negative double, Hampson rebid one no- ♣AQ65 ♣743
South
trump and Greco raised him to game. The one good thing ♠932
about this auction was that Hampson had suggested more ♥A52
♦K72
in spades than he had, so naturally Moss did not lead the ♣KJ92
suit he had bid, since he held just four spades.
On the lead of the heart nine Hampson took the king and Pass
played the club eight to the king and ace, and now Moss 1♦* 1♠ Dbl. Pass
did not see the danger of the club suit, whereas if declarer
*Balanced 11-13 or diamonds
had run the club eight or 10 from dummy at once, the
position would have been obvious. When Moss pressed Opening Lead: ♥9
on with hearts, declarer could win dummy(s queen and
run the club 10.
Moss ducked this trick, so Hampson played a diamond to his king and a third club. Moss
won his queen and exited with another diamond, but when that suit split, declarer had nine
tricks.
Curiously, Moss might still have beaten the contract in the ending had he shifted to a low
spade after winning the club queen. Declarer had formed the impression that Moss had a
broken five-card spade suit to one top honor, and would have ducked the spade — letting
the defense run the spade suit.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If you trust your partner, he will
South Holds: have something resembling a three-suited
♠Q72 hand with short hearts and close to an
♥ 10 8 5 opening bid. (How else could he come into a
♦J953 live auction?) Lead a trump, since your
♣K43 opponents do not appear to be overloaded
with high cards and have no obvious source
South West North East of tricks outside trumps. Do not let them get
1♦ Pass 1♥ a crossruff going.
Pass 2♥ Dbl. 4♥
All pass
“Few are qualified to shine in company, but it is in most men's power to be agreeable.”
— Jonathan Swift
Dealer: North North

On an unopposed sequence Gaylor Kasle declared six Vul: East- ♠K8
hearts as South. (It might be better not to ask why, but it West ♥KQJ95
♦A95
involved North's missorting his hand). He received the ♣AQ7
spade queen lead, and he won the king and drew four West East
♠ Q J 10 9 ♠76543
rounds of trump,while East pitched a couple of diamonds
♥7432 ♥—
and a couple of spades. ♦J ♦K87432
♣ K 10 6 3 ♣54
Now the simple analysis might be to assume that since South
♠A2
West has four hearts and East none, West (who must hold ♥ A 10 8 6
the club king to give you a chance) is more likely to have ♦ Q 10 6
♣J982
the doubleton king than four clubs to the K-10.
However, Kasle saw there was no need to commit himself 1♣ Pass
at once. He carefully found out more about the hand by 1♥ Pass 4♥ Pass
playing ace and a second diamond toward the queen. 6♥ All pass
East took his king and declarer saw the spade nine
Opening Lead: ♠Q
discarded on his left, after some thought.
Now the odds in clubs had changed dramatically. Since his LHO had started with five red
cards and his RHO with six, the odds favored the double finesse in clubs rather than
playing for the doubleton king onside — and that is what Kasle did, by running the club
jack. When it was covered, he crossed back to hand to repeat the club finesse against the
10 to bring home the contract.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Here a call of two no-trump
South Holds: describes your values precisely. There is no
♠A2 reason to do more; your partner is not
♥ A 10 8 6 marked with real clubs — he could easily
♦ Q 10 6 have a balanced minimum with just four
♣J982 clubs. However, the more clubs he has, the
fewer values he will possess, given his pass
South West North East at his second turn. It is easy to imagine that
Pass 1♣ 1♦ a club partscore might be your safest spot —
1♥ 2♦ Pass Pass but let your partner judge that for himself.
?
“How can a rational being be ennobled by anything that is not obtained by its own
exertions?”
— Mary Wollstonecraft
Dealer: North North

In today's deal from the 1998 Cavendish Pairs Vul: Both ♠72
tournament, Bob Hamman stretched to open the ♥ A K 10 8
♦J98653
unappealing East hand one diamond. The combination of ♣K
positive actions from East and West meant that when Nick West East
♠AJ63 ♠K8
Nickell tried three clubs at his third turn, Hamman did not
♥542 ♥QJ963
care if this was intended as forcing, but passed gratefully. ♦74 ♦ K Q 10 2
♣Q953 ♣84
Nickell took the opening heart lead in dummy and played South
♠ Q 10 9 5 4
a spade at trick two. East hopped up with the king and ♥7
shifted a trump. Nickell could now win the club king and ♦A
♣ A J 10 7 6 2
cross to the diamond ace to play the club ace. then the
club jack, and drive out the club queen. Upon regaining South West North East
the lead, he would play spades from the top. West could 1♦ 1♥
obtain the lead three times with his black winners and 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass
2♠ Pass 2 NT Pass
force declarer twice, once in either red suit,, but Nickell 3♣ All pass
drew the last trump and then led top spades at every
opportunity. At trick 13, West was left on lead with the Opening Lead: ♥2
spade six in his hand, and Nickell scored up his contract
with the spade nine.
Unlikely as it may seem, East can beat three clubs by returning a spade at trick three.
West wins the spade jack and leads a low spade to promote the club nine.
In these sorts of positions, one tends to do whatever declarer does not want you to do.
Here the fact that declarer is playing the side-suit seems to mean that you should not do
the same thing, but should play trumps, does it not?
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Here a double by you is takeout,
South Holds: suggesting values and either the other two
♠72 suits, or at least one of those suits plus
♥ A K 10 8 secondary support for partner. Your plan
♦J98653 might be to raise diamonds if partner bids
♣K them, and pass two spades, since your
singleton king almost certainly won't be
South West North East pulling its full weight.
1♣ 1♠ 2♣
?
by Bobby Wolff on January 2nd, 2013
“To be alive is power,

Existence in itself,
Without a further function,
Omnipotence enough.”
— Emily Dickinson
Dealer: North North

One of the pairs fighting for the top honors at the 1998 Vul: North- ♠J82
Cavendish was Bart Bramley, playing with Sidney Lazard. South ♥Q63
♦KJ76
Sidney is one of an elite group of players who represented ♣953
the U.S. in world championship play in the 1950s. By my West East
♠AK754 ♠ Q 10 9 6
count we are now down to a handful of such players,
♥J72 ♥A954
including Ivar Stakgold and Billy Rosen. Bart is a ♦2 ♦ 10 4
representative of the next generation who has now started ♣J742 ♣ A 10 8
South
a partnership with another of my regular teammates, Lew ♠3
Stansby. ♥ K 10 8
♦AQ9853
♣KQ6
Bart drew an interesting inference to bring home this
delicate four-diamond contract. South West North East
Pass Pass
On the spade-king lead and continuation, Bramley put up 1♦ 1♠ 2♦ 3♦
the spade jack to force the queen and to confirm the 4♦ All pass
location of the spade honors. He ruffed, drew two rounds
Opening Lead: ♠K
of trumps, then led a club to the king. Now came a third
diamond to dummy, and a second club.
East, Michael Cornell, took the ace and played a third club. Bramley won and paused to
count up the hand. Since East clearly had both round aces to justify his cue-bid and had
also shown up with the spade queen, he was less likely to have the heart jack than his
partner — the point being that he might have opened the bidding with that hand, playing a
weak no-trump that started at 11 high-card points. So Bart advanced the heart 10, and
whether Lionel Wright covered that card or not, Bramley had his 10th trick.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This sort of double is not for
South Holds: penalties. When you start by making a
♠J82 takeout double, you can't turn your hand into
♥Q63 a penalty double the next time around. This
♦KJ76 sequence shows a really good hand (one
♣953 that would have cue-bid two clubs if the call
hadn't been stolen). With extra values but no
South West North East extra length anywhere and thus no clear bid,
1♣ Dbl. Pass you can fall back on the cue-bid of three
1♦ 2♣ Dbl. Pass
clubs to show precisely this.
?
by Bobby Wolff on January 3rd, 2014
“So was the huntsman by the bear oppressed

Whose hide he sold — before he caught the beast!”
— Edmund Waller
Dealer: East North

On this deal from the 1999 Cavendish, Michael Seamon Vul: Neither ♠K4
found an excellent line to bring home three no-trump. ♥ 10 5
♦AKJ762
After an informative auction David Berkowitz led the heart ♣982
eight, and Seamon thought for a long while, then put up West East
♠ 10 ♠AQ763
dummy's 10 and ducked East's king.
♥873 ♥KJ962
♦ Q 10 5 4 ♦3
Larry Cohen continued the attack on hearts, and Seamon ♣ A 10 7 4 3 ♣J6
won the trick, then advanced the diamond eight. When South
♠J9852
Berkowitz ducked, Seamon let it run and subsequently ♥AQ4
finessed again in diamonds to bring home nine tricks. ♦98
♣KQ5
Should Berkowitz have worked out to block the diamond
suit by covering the diamond eight? If his partner had South West North East
started with the singleton diamond nine, this would not 1♠
have been a success. But I suppose declarer’s pause at 1 NT Pass 2♦ 2♥
trick one might have persuaded Berkowitz that this was
precisely what declarer was planning to do — and if so, Opening Lead: ♥8
that should perhaps have directed him toward the correct
defense.
By contrast, when Norberto Bocchi and Giorgio Duboin defended three no-trump, Bocchi
led a club. Declarer had to duck this, and now East shifted to the heart jack. (Note that if
East plays a low heart, declarer lets it run to dummy’s 10, but the shift to the jack
effectively surrounds dummy’s holding.)
Declarer covered the heart jack with the queen, and next dislodged the club ace himself.
Back came a second heart, then the diamond eight, covered by Bocchi, and now three no-
trump had to go down.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Some calls are made easier with
South Holds: the use of conventional calls; some are
♠K4 about judgment, not system. Here I would
♥ 10 5 like to be able to show a spade raise with a
♦AKJ762 diamond suit that I want partner to lead. If
♣982 you play a convention called McCabe, then
you can bid three diamonds to show
South West North East precisely that. A jump to four diamonds
2♠ Dbl. would be diamonds and a spade fit (the
?
same hand, but with the spade five, not the
heart five).
The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, December 21st, 2013
“Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered.”

— Ernst Schumacher
Dealer: East North

At the end of the 1999 Cavendish, David Berkowitz and Vul: Neither ♠J
Larry Cohen were in serious contention for major honors, ♥ K 10 9 6 2
♦A763
along with Michel Abecassis and Jean-Christophe ♣ 10 9 2
Quantin. This board decided the minor placings. West East
♠ 10 6 ♠KQ8754
♥Q874 ♥J53
With eight top tricks in three no-trump, South, it seems,
♦J4 ♦82
would be able to find a ninth trick somewhere, especially ♣AJ865 ♣Q3
given that West’s natural lead is the spade 10 or a club. South
♠A932
♥A
When Cohen led the spade 10 to the jack and queen, ♦ K Q 10 9 5
ducked, Berkowitz did well to find the heart shift. ♣K74
Abecassis won and cashed three diamonds ending in
dummy (West pitching a club, East a spade), leaving a 2♠
diamond entry to dummy, then led the heart 10 to 2 NT Pass 3♦* Pass
Berkowitz’s jack. 3 NT All pass
*Hearts
East exited with the club queen, covered by the king and
ducked by Cohen, to keep declarer from being able to Opening Lead: ♠10
cash his nine winners. If Cohen wins and clears clubs,
that is declarer’s ninth trick.
At this point Abecassis cashed his diamond winners in hand (Cohen throwing hearts) and
led a club, but Cohen claimed the rest with three club winners. South needed instead to
cash the spade ace, then lead his low diamond to dummy to achieve a four-card ending in
which he has cut himself off from his fifth diamond, but gets back two tricks by squeezing
West. If Cohen pitches a heart, dummy’s suit comes in, but if West instead discards a
club, declarer exits with a club and collects two heart winners in the end on West’s forced
play at trick 12.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When your partner as opener
South Holds: produces delayed support facing a hand that
♠J has shown minimum responding values, he
♥ K 10 9 6 2 guarantees a good hand and three trumps
♦A763 — say 15-17 in high cards. So your double
♣ 10 9 2 fit means you have an easy jump to four
hearts.
1♦ Pass
1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass
2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass
?
The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, December 22nd, 2013

My partner was dealt ♠ K-5-4, ♥ A-4, ♦ J-10- Playing five hearts, I lost the first trick. I was
2, ♣ A-Q-6-5-4. When I opened one club, he due to make 12 tricks, until an opponent
bid three no-trump, claiming that this was the revoked by ruffing, after which I took all of
best way to describe a balanced 13-15 hand the remaining tricks for a total of 11. When
without a four-card major. Since my heart the revoke was caught, the director declared
suit was a singleton jack, this was not a that since we took all of the remaining tricks
success, and five clubs would have been after the revoke was established, we should
very easy to make. Can you recommend be awarded ONE overtrick for “equity”
methods that would have helped us? reasons. Why didn’t the revoke cost our
opponents anything? They finished up with
— Gidget the Gadget, Vancouver, Wash. the same score they would have received
without the revoke.
ANSWER: Two possible answers. In the old — No Fair! San Antonio, Texas
days you would play three clubs as forcing.
Nowadays inverted minors (using two clubs
to show a limit raise or better) are common. ANSWER: The revoke law is NOT designed
If you do not play either of these, then to restore equity as its primary function; it’s a
maybe you have to temporize with a one- penalty. If you revoke but do not personally
diamond response — but frankly, the three win the trick, it is a one-trick penalty – but
no-trump response is a perfectly reasonable only if your side wins one trick or more. If
alternative. you revoke and win the trick with the card
you played on the trick, it is a two-trick
penalty — but only if your side wins two
Dear Mr. Wolff: more tricks. Most revokes cost blood, so
your opponents just got lucky!
What is the best way to handle a balanced
hand with 4-4 in the majors with about 6-7
HCP opposite a strong no-trump opening? Dear Mr. Wolff:
Until now I have passed, figuring we are
probably in a reasonable spot. My I assume you would open one diamond
assumption was that if I used Stayman and when holding ♠ K-Q-10-2, ♥ A-4, ♦ J-7-4-3-2,
we didn't find a 4-4 fit, we would probably be ♣ Q-10, and if you do, your partner will
worse off than if I had passed. respond two clubs, natural and game-
forcing. Should you rebid your feeble suit,
— Misfit, Mitchell, S.D. bid two spades with a minimum, or make a
somewhat off-center call of two no-trump to
limit your hand?
ANSWER: I suggest you look at the strength
of your majors and doubleton and bid — At Sea, Richmond, Va.
accordingly. With values in the majors, use
Stayman, but equally clearly, with values in
your short suits, you would pass. With the ANSWER: The answer depends a little on
first hand a 4-3 fit might play better than one your partnership style. In classic two-over-
no-trump, while with the second hand, no- one, a two-diamond rebid simply shows five,
trump might play better than a 4-4 fit. but the meaning of a two-spade call (extra
high cards, or extra shape, or, according to
some, denying either!) is up to you. I like the
Dear Mr. Wolff: two-spade call to show this pattern, so I
have no problem with making that call. I'd
Say you hold ♠ 5, ♥ A-10-2, ♦ A-Q-8-5-4 ♣ K- prefer the call to show a slightly better hand,
J-9-3. You open one diamond and hear a but once in a while you may have to
one-heart response. Should you raise hearts compromise somewhere.
(and to what level) as opposed to bidding
two clubs?
— Fielder's Choice, Harrisburg, Pa.
ANSWER: While your hand is suitable for

raising hearts — the call shows four trumps
or three and a ruffing value — your hand is a
tad too strong for the simple raise. If you bid
two clubs and then convert partner's club or
diamond preference to hearts, you show
extras and this precise shape. You are a
dead minimum for the auction, but you are
worth it because of your controls.
The Aces on Bridge: Monday, December 23rd, 2013
“You would have understood me, had you waited;

I could have loved you, dear! as well as he:
Had we not been impatient, dear! And fated
Always to disagree.”
— Ernest Dowson
Dealer: East North

Today's auction saw North and South disagreeing on the Vul: Neither ♠AKQJ
meaning of a jump to game in a game-forcing auction. So ♥6
♦ A 10 9 8 2
before we go on to look at the specifics of the deal, let's ♣AQ6
outline the two positions. West East
♠9 ♠876543
♥Q ♥A98
One is that in forcing auctions, jumps to game show a
♦KJ643 ♦Q75
good fit or good suits, denying controls in the unbid suit(s. ♣ J 10 7 5 4 3 ♣8
The second position is that whenever you are in a game- South
♠ 10 2
forcing auction, a jump to game in an agreed suit is ♥ K J 10 7 5 4 3 2
minimum or non-slammish. This can be abbreviated to ♦—
♣K92
PFA or the Principle of Fast Arrival.
The first style is harder to play but makes use of the jump 1♦ Pass
in the auction to show something specific, not just a 1♥ Pass 2♠ Pass
minimum hand — when partner might want to explore, but 4♥ Pass 6♥ All pass
can no longer do so efficiently. Popular as the second
Opening Lead: ♠9
style is, I would certainly not apply it to today’s auction,
where South’s jump to game should have shown a semisolid suit. (With a solid suit facing
a jump shift, South would surely not have stopped short of slam.)
In any event, against six hearts, West leads the spade nine. How would you plan the
play? If trumps are 4-0, you have no chance. If trumps are 2-2, it is even money whether
you play to the jack or the king, so focus on when trumps break 3-1. The only 3-1 break
you can deal with is the singleton queen. So you should win the lead and play a trump to
your king.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Your partner is marked with
South Holds: values and relatively short diamonds, but he
♠ 10 5 2 never acted or balanced, so my guess would
♥K8 be that this is most likely because he has
♦J9732 spade length. So I would lead the spade
♣ 10 8 2 two. I might lead the 10 in a different
situation, but here I think I might need that
South West North East card later.
1♦
Pass 1♠ Pass 1 NT
All pass
“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.”

— Madame Du Deffand
Dealer: West North

North-South did well to reach an excellent game contract Vul: North- ♠AJ62
with their limited values in this deal, but South spoilt the South ♥652
♦KQ8
effect by missing a logical point in the play. ♣972
West East
The key to reaching game was South’s optimistic decision ♠ 10 8 7 4 ♠K95
♥ A 10 8 ♥J93
to reverse into two hearts. Over North’s (forcing by
♦42 ♦6
agreement) three-diamond call, South took a shot at five ♣AK86 ♣ Q J 10 5 4 3
diamonds. West led the club king, on which East signaled South
♠Q3
with his queen. ♥KQ74
♦ A J 10 9 7 5 3
South now decided there was nothing to the play. He ♣—
required either the spade finesse to be right, or East to
hold the heart ace. Accordingly he drew trump and took a Pass Pass Pass
losing spade finesse. Later he lost two hearts and so went 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass
one down. 2♥ Pass 3♦ Pass
5♦ All pass
South commented after the hand that he could have made
Opening Lead: ♣K
the hand by leading a low spade from dummy to his king,
but that there was no reason why East would be more likely to hold the spade king than
West.
True enough — but South had overlooked something critical. West, who was marked with
both top clubs from the play to the first trick, might also hold the spade king but could
hardly hold the heart ace as well, for he had dealt and passed.
So leading a low spade from dummy after drawing one round of trump was the right way
to play the suit. If East had the king, South would obtain two discards on the spades, and
if West turned up with the king, it would have been certain that East would hold the heart
ace.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When the two opponents have
South Holds: each bid a suit, a sequence like this implies
♠AJ62 worry about hearts, not clubs. Maybe your
♥652 partner has three small hearts? In any event,
♦KQ8 since you can't bid no-trump or suggest a
♣972 partial stopper, you can bid three diamonds
to say where you live, and let partner make
South West North East the next move.
1♣ Dbl. 1♥
2♠ Pass 3♣ Pass
?
“To be able to practice five things under heaven constitutes perfect virtue… They are
gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.”
— Confucius
Dealer: East North

This Christmas I'd like to look back on the life of Seymon Vul: Neither ♠Q
Deutsch, who died June 13. ♥A75
♦AK9642
♣A73
We met in San Antonio in late 1953 and stayed friends for West East
life. Although he had a 20-year hiatus from bridge, ♠ A 10 6 4 2 ♠J753
Seymon is the only player ever to win both the Rosenblum ♥ Q 10 3 ♥K96
♦J ♦ 10 8 5 3
Cup and the Olympiad Teams in the World Bridge Games. ♣J954 ♣ Q 10
South
Seymon was generous, personable, upbeat and fun- ♠K98
♥J842
loving. He had a house in Aspen, which allowed me as ♦Q7
president of the WBF in the summer of 1993 to have a ♣K862
management meeting there at the Little Nell Hotel. With
Seymon’s help it turned out to be a spectacular location, 1♦ Pass
and the best WBF management meeting ever. 1 NT Pass 3♦ Pass
3 NT All pass
He lived a very active, productive life with a wonderful
family — a beautiful and lovely wife Linda, together with Opening Lead: ♠4
his four children. The family was very active in the Joe
Brand store, which was a showplace in Laredo and attracted people from far and wide. It
was established by his father-in-law, but Seymon ran it for nearly 40 years.
Here is Seymon at a 1980s national championships. He bypassed his weak four-card

heart suit at his first turn, getting him to the no-trump game. Then, when the spade queen
held the first trick, Seymon innocently led a low diamond from dummy to trick two. When
East neglected to put in the eight, Seymon inserted the seven, keeping East off lead. This
maneuver set up the diamonds while shutting out East, so the spade king would remain
protected.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: When you do not have perfect
South Holds: shape for a negative double, have no
♠K98 biddable suit, and no support for partner, it is
♥J842 perfectly acceptable to pass, as here. If your
♦Q7 partner is short in clubs, he might well
♣K862 reopen with a double or a further suit-bid. If
he is not short in clubs, defending two clubs
South West North East looks like a perfectly reasonable course of
Pass Pass 1♦ 2♣ action.
?
“The numbers may be said to rule the whole world of quantity, and the four rules of
arithmetic may be regarded as the complete equipment of the mathematician.”
— James Maxwell
Dealer: South North

In today's deal, played in a pairs event, North took the Vul: North- ♠9653
reasonable approach of not disclosing his four-card trump South ♥K62
♦ K Q 10 8
support at his first turn, since he had such a balanced ♣92
hand, but of subsequently competing to the three-level West East
♠J ♠ 10 4 2
because he knew his side had a nine-card trump fit.
♥J93 ♥ A Q 10 4
♦964 ♦J532
Since West could only have been stopped from taking ♣AKQ753 ♣84
nine tricks in a club contract via a trump promotion, the South
♠AKQ87
onus for his side was to extract as much as possible from ♥875
defending a spade partscore. With the opponents ♦A7
♣ J 10 6
vulnerable, plus 100 would represent an average score,
plus 200 an excellent one. South West North East
1♠ 2♣ 2♠ Dbl.
The club king held the first trick, East echoing to suggest Pass 3♣ 3♠ All pass
not only a doubleton club, but also a spade higher than
dummy’s biggest trump, West shifted to the heart jack. Opening Lead: ♣K
(The heart nine would also have sufficed, but as you can
see, a small heart would not have worked if declarer had guessed to duck in dummy.) The
defense now took its three top heart tricks and reverted to clubs. West won the trick and
played a third club, and since East was able to overruff dummy, the defense had six tricks
and all the matchpoints.
The trap for the defense was to avoid taking the club ruff before playing on hearts. Had
they done so, then dummy’s vulnerable heart suit would have been protected from attack.
Declarer wins the trump or diamond return and takes nine tricks with East making just the
heart ace at the end.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: My general experience is that it
South Holds: is neither wise nor necessary to overcall a
♠AKQ87 strong no-trump with this balanced hand-
♥875 pattern, no matter what the strength of the
♦A7 hand might be. All too often, one gets to
♣ J 10 6 defend three no-trump if one stays silent,
while bidding helps alert the opponents to
South West North East the potential problem. Incidentally, if West
1 NT transfers to hearts, you might well decide to
?
bid at your next turn.
“All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.”

— John Stuart Mill
Dealer: South North

When South makes a jump shift at his second turn, there Vul: East- ♠KQJ93
is a case for North to rebid spades rather than raise West ♥4
♦J875
diamonds. However, his actual choice made reaching ♣643
slam much easier. West East
♠ 10 7 6 5 2 ♠A84
♥ 10 7 6 5 2 ♥J3
The play in six diamonds should develop in
♦— ♦Q962
straightforward fashion. South wins the opening lead with ♣ 10 9 8 ♣KQJ2
the club ace, cashes the trump ace to find the bad news, South
♠—
then must play the top hearts, discarding clubs from table. ♥AKQ98
♦ A K 10 4 3
East ruffs the third heart and plays back a club to force ♣A75
dummy to ruff, a play that is as good as anything for the
defense. After ruffing, declarer must now lead the spade 1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass
king, planning to take the ruffing finesse. East covers and 3♦ Pass 4♦ Pass
South trumps, then ruffs a club back to dummy and 5♣ Pass 5♦ Pass
6♦ All pass
discards his heart losers on the two spade winners. All
that remains is to finesse against East’s trump queen, and Opening Lead: ♣10
declarer can claim his 12 tricks.
East does better to discard a spade on the third heart, rather than ruffing in. Now declarer
ruffs a club to dummy and leads the spade king, covered and ruffed.
Declarer ruffs another club to dummy and throws a heart on the spade queen. Then he
leads dummy’s last spade winner, overruffs East, and ruffs his heart loser with the
diamond jack. East can now score just one trump trick whatever he does.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Since a jump to three spades
South Holds: would be based on shape not high cards,
♠A84 your choice is to bid three hearts as a spade
♥J3 raise or double for takeout, then bid spades.
♦Q962 I prefer the second route; with a defensive
♣KQJ2 hand, you don't want partner saving in four
spades prematurely. By showing your
South West North East strength first, you save him from error.
1♥ 1♠ 2♥
?
“A man who is ungrateful is sometimes less to blame for it than his benefactor.”
— Duc de la Rochefoucauld
Dealer: South North

In today's deal West led the heart eight against four Vul: Both ♠982
spades, and East took his ace, on which South false ♥ K Q 10 9 4
♦85
carded with the jack. East refrained from giving his partner ♣AQ8
an immediate ruff; that would be two tricks for the West East
♠ 10 3 ♠Q5
defense, but since his partner had one significant high
♥8 ♥A7652
card at most, they would get at most one diamond trick. ♦AJ9432 ♦ Q 10 6
He had to hope that the defense could get two diamond ♣J976 ♣ 10 5 2
South
tricks at once, so the right defense was to play a diamond ♠AKJ764
at the second trick. ♥J3
♦K7
♣K43
So far so good, but East then considered that if he
switched to a low diamond, South might not play the king. South West North East
Might South duck — calculating that West had the 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass
diamond ace because wouldn’t East have given his 3♠ Pass 4♠ All pass
partner an immediate ruff if he had an ace as a reentry?

Opening Lead: ♥8
If South ducked, East would no longer have an entry for
the heart ruff.
East decided that it must be better to shift to a high diamond first, thus remaining on lead
if South were to duck. He then avoided the second trap, of leading the diamond queen.
Had he done so, West might quite reasonably have led three rounds of the suit, trying to
give his partner an overruff in that suit. Instead, East played the diamond 10, covered by
the king and ace. West returned the diamond jack, and East overtook to give his partner
the heart ruff.
“What took you so long to give me the ruff?” was all the thanks he got.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: If the opponents had not bid, the
South Holds: jump to four diamonds would have shown a
♠982 hand with four hearts and six diamonds and
♥ K Q 10 9 4 the values to force to game. When the
♦85 opponents intervene at a low level, I'd
♣AQ8 expect your partner to extrapolate from that
agreement to the same point. You do not
South West North East have to decide yet, though. Cue-bid five
1♦ Pass clubs — or jump to five hearts to ask partner
1♥ 1♠ 4♦ Pass
to bid slam with a spade control.
?

We ran into a problem when playing My partner and I were faced with a
negative doubles. I opened one heart and disagreement about what is standard and
my LHO overcalled two clubs, which was what is not. I'm an occasional duplicate
passed back to me. What should I have player and heard my partner open one no-
done, holding ♠ Q-4, ♥ A-Q-J-6-4, ♦ Q-8-6-4, trump and the next hand overcall two
♣ K-10? (Just for the record, reopening was diamonds. How do I get to hearts here? Is
NOT a success!) the default position to play transfers?
— Double Trouble, Bremerton, Wash. — Can't Get There From Here, Dover, Del.
ANSWER: You have so much in clubs that ANSWER: Assuming you play transfers in
you should assume your partner probably an uncontested sequence, should you play
does not have a penalty double. This makes transfers in competition? I say no — though
it likely that he simply has a weak hand — some do. I use double as takeout, two-level
and so the opponents probably have the calls as natural and nonforcing, and all
spades. I'd probably let two clubs go, hoping three-level calls as natural and game-
that the opponents might have missed the forcing. I subvert responder's two-no-trump
boat in either black suit. call to a sign-off in clubs or various other
hands (if strong with a diamond guard) or an
invitation in one major when I bid that suit
Dear Mr. Wolff: next. A direct cue-bid is Stayman without a
stopper. This method is called Lebensohl
Facing an opening bid from partner in a red and is described here.
suit, when should you bid a five-card minor
instead of a four-card major? If so, how
would the doubler find an eight-card major Dear Mr. Wolff:
suit?
After a three- or four-level pre-empt, how
— Light Fitter, Monterey, Calif. good a hand do I need for me to double,
either vulnerable or nonvulnerable?
ANSWER: With game-forcing values, you — Silent Witness, Danville, Ill.
won't lose the major by starting with the call
of two of a minor. You bid your major at your
next turn and partner knows what you have. ANSWER: The vulnerability is almost
The cutoff comes at about an 11-count, irrelevant; a minimum opener with shortness
where you must decide whether to bid a should suffice over any pre-empt, if facing an
minor and force to game, or bid the major unpassed hand. Here a small doubleton
first, and perhaps not get your suits bid in equates to shortage, but if vulnerable, you'd
the best order, in exchange for finding the fit now want a full opener. The standards
in your major cheaply. But don't ignore suit- increase still further for doubling a four-level
quality issues; some four-carders look like pre-empt. But again, with real shortage you
five, and the reverse holds true as well. want to bid when you can. In the pass-out
seat, one can be even more aggressive than
in direct seat.
Dear Mr. Wolff:
When your partner opens one heart and the
next hand overcall three clubs, should you
double, raise the major, or do something
else with ♠ Q-7-5-4, ♥ Q-5-4, ♦ A-10-2, ♣ 6-
4-3?
— Truly Scrumptious, Tupelo, Miss.
ANSWER: This feels like a three-heart bid to

me. I'd rather get the hand off my chest at
one go, in case my LHO competes further.
My spades are not so good that I am not
sure I want to find a 4-4 fit. When in doubt,
support with support.
“It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing
it true.”
— Bertrand Russell
Dealer: West North

There are few truly original bridge writers, whose deals Vul: North- ♠97652
not only make you think but also are a pleasure to read. South ♥AK2
♦76
One author whose work I never fail to enjoy is Julian ♣KQ6
Pottage of Wales. Today's deal comes from a relatively West East
♠KQJ84 ♠ A 10 3
recent book of his called "A Great Deal of Bridge
♥74 ♥ 10 9 8 3
Problems." ♦AQ9 ♦ J 10 8 4 2
♣874 ♣3
Imagine the play in five clubs after you have ruffed the South
♠—
opening lead of the spade king — there are two quite ♥QJ65
plausible approaches. Say you cross to a trump and lead ♦K53
♣ A J 10 9 5 2
a diamond to the king and ace. Back comes a trump, and
you win in dummy to play a second diamond, won by South West North East
West, who leads a second trump. Twist and turn as you 1♠ Pass 2♠
might, you can no longer make the hand. 3♣ Pass 5♣ All pass
You would never do that, would you? You would lead a Opening Lead: ♠K
heart to dummy at trick two and play a diamond to the
king and ace. However, the defenders now play back a heart and East will win the second
diamond to give his partner a ruff unless you draw trump. If you do that, there will be no
diamond ruff in dummy!
The trap to avoid is trying to get to dummy to lead up to your diamond king. However you
try to do this, you will go down as the cards lie. But the solution is simply to lead a
diamond from your own hand at trick two. Now you cannot be prevented from making 11
tricks.
LEAD WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Facing a third-in-hand pre-empt
South Holds: (which you can infer to be relatively light,
♠J64 given how the opponents have brushed it
♥J aside and bid to three no-trump), you have
♦ A 10 9 2 the choice of a heart lead or a club lead. My
♣K9753 instincts are to lead a club — if I'm wrong, I
probably have given up no more than a trick
South West North East in that suit. But my heart jack may become a
Pass Pass 2♥ 2 NT trick if declarer misguesses how to play the
Pass 3 NT All pass
suit.
The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, December 31st, 2013
“Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends.”

— Lennon and McCartney
Dealer: North North

Although it looks normal to play four spades Vul: Neither ♠ A K J 10 4
unsuccessfully here, two tables found their way to the ♥ A 10 7
♦Q76
reasonable three-no-trump contract after South decided ♣A6
nine tricks would be easier than 10. Only one declarer, West East
♠83 ♠976
however, saw a way to persuade his opponents to help
♥Q86 ♥5432
him come home with his contract. ♦KJ82 ♦A5
♣ K 10 4 3 ♣QJ85
Against the no-trump game both Wests chose the South
♠Q52
diamond two for their opening lead. One South played low ♥KJ9
from dummy, hoping that West’s holding in the suit ♦ 10 9 4 3
♣972
included the jack. It did, but after taking his ace, East saw
that he couldn’t persist with diamonds without giving South West North East
declarer a trick in the suit. Accordingly, he switched to the 1♠ Pass
club queen. Declarer held off and won the club 1 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
continuation. All now depended on guessing who held the

Opening Lead: ♦2
heart queen. In an attempt to get a count on the hand,
South cashed the five spade winners, but this hardly helped him. He then decided
(correctly) that East had probably started with more hearts than his partner and so
finessed into the West hand. Unlucky!
At the other table, South saw he could avoid the heart guess if he could persuade the
defenders to continue diamonds. At trick one he put up the diamond queen from the table
and East won with the ace. South dropped first the four from hand, then the nine on the
continuation. Placing his partner with an original three-card diamond holding, West led a
third round of diamonds. South now won nine tricks without needing to resort to the heart
guess.
BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: Just because your partner might
South Holds: have only three diamonds does not mean he
♠Q52 actually does — in fact he has more than
♥KJ9 four at least 95 percent of the time. That
♦ 10 9 4 3 said, you should only raise to two diamonds
♣972 with real support or decent responding
values. This hand just fails to make the
South West North East grade. Change the heart king to the ace, and
1♦ 1♠ I'd raise to two diamonds.
?

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The Aces on Bridge: Tuesday, January 1st, 2013

by Bobby Wolff on January 15th, 2013

Dealer: West North

BID WITH THE ACES

“A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

“The world is content with setting right the surface of things.”

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

“In the newspaper office — who are the spooks?

Dealer: East North

BID WITH THE ACES

“Here lies a poor woman who was always tired,

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: This hand constitutes an

“Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism.”

Dealer: West North

LEAD WITH THE ACES

“A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience.”

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

“The Horses of Disaster plunge in the heavy clay.”

Dealer: East North

BID WITH THE ACES

“'Tis the good reader that makes the good book.”

Dealer: West North

BID WITH THE ACES

“Between the idea

Dealer: East North

BID WITH THE ACES

“The master played this way and that,

Dealer: East- North

BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: I agree with the opening call and

Dear Mr. Wolff:

“A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies.”

Dealer: South North

LEAD WITH THE ACES

“Fortunes … come tumbling into some men's laps.”

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

“From childhood's hour I have not been

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

Dealer: East North

BID WITH THE ACES

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet;

Dealer: North North

BID WITH THE ACES

“And from the day that's over

Dealer: South North

BID WITH THE ACES

ANSWER: While I admit one would

Dear Mr. Wolff:

“Here's a pretty state of things!

Dealer: East North