NORTH
SPADES J 3
HEARTS A 9 4 3 2
DIAMONDS 7 3
CLUBS A K Q 5
WEST EAST
SPADES A K 9 8 7 6 SPADES 2
HEARTS K J 10 HEARTS 8 7 6 5
DIAMONDS Q DIAMONDS 10 9 8 5
CLUBS J 9 6 CLUBS 10 8 7 3
SOUTH
SPADES Q 10 5 4
HEARTS Q
DIAMONDS A K J 6 4 2
CLUBS 4 2
Vulnerable: Both
Dealer: East
The bidding:
South West North East
Pass
1 DIAMONDS 1 SPADES 2 HEARTS Pass
3 DIAMONDS Pass 3 SPADES Pass
3 NT All pass
Opening Lead: Spade eight
Canada is not the party. It's the apartment above the party.
-- Craig Ferguson
At the start of the World Youth Teams championships in 2003, Canada headed toward the top of the table at once. Most of the Canadian players were well-known in the U.S., but they had also produced a new star. Vincent Demuy is a French speaker who had not spent much time in the U.S., but he is now a well-established expert. Here he is, at work on a deal from an early match against Denmark, who were also set to contend for major honors.
Both Canada and Denmark reached three no-trump by South after facing a spade overcall from West, and both tables received a low spade lead, won in hand. For Denmark, Andreas Marquardsen won the spade lead in hand and crossed to dummy with a club to lead a diamond to the jack. Unlucky! West won and cashed a top spade to find the split, then tried the heart king, and now declarer could only make six tricks.
In the other room, Demuy won his spade 10 at trick one and realized that he only needed four diamond tricks, but that entries to hand were going to be a problem, so he ducked the first diamond, leading a low card from hand. He knew that if the defense won this trick and returned a spade, he would get an inferential count on both black suits before having to guess whether diamonds were 3-2 or 4-1. As the cards lay, when the diamond queen appeared, he had 10 top tricks.
BID WITH THE ACES
South holds:
SPADES J 3
HEARTS A 9 4 3 2
DIAMONDS 7 3
CLUBS A K Q 5
South West North East
1 HEARTS Pass 1 SPADES Pass
2 CLUBS Pass 2 DIAMONDS Pass
?
ANSWER: After partner uses fourth suit, many players are reluctant to raise with only two trumps. But if you have no sensible alternative call (because you can't bid no-trump or show extra length in your suits), raising with an honor doubleton is the correct call. Your failure to raise spades at your second turn makes it less likely that you have three trumps anyway.
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at
bobbywolff@mindspring.com
Style on 08/25/2015