Back to Birmingham

Posted on by


frs1016@centurylink.net
Every month or so, I go to Birmingham, Alabama, for dinner and a bridge game with old friends and former teammates. We always have interesting deals.
Cover today’s West/South cards and defend as East. Over your 1NT bid, South’s “Unusual” 2NT showed a huge hand, almost surely a two-suiter. Against 4♥, West leads a club, you win, and South plays the jack.
What do you lead at Trick Two?

Dlr: East ♠ 7 2
Vul: None ♥ Q 7 2
♦ Q 8 7 6 5 3
♣ Q 5
♠ J 8 6 5 3 ♠ K Q 10 4
♥ J 8 ♥ 9 5 4
♦ — ♦ A 2
♣ 10 8 7 6 3 2 ♣ A K 9 4
♠ A 9
♥ A K 10 6 3
♦ K J 10 9 4
♣ J
East South West North
1NT 2NT Pass 3♦
Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥
All Pass

Opening lead — ♣6

Spade Return

East worked out that South had hearts and diamonds, so East led the ♦A 2. West ruffed, but South ruffed the club return, drew trumps and ran the diamonds to pitch his spade loser, making four. (East-West could make four spades!)
East must lead the ♦2 without taking the ace. If West ruffs and leads a spade, East can cash a spade when he takes the ♦A. Moreover, East could win the first club with the ace, ostensibly denying that he had the king, to help West find the winning spade shift. That would have been a defense to remember.

Daily Question

You hold:
♠A 9
♥A K 10 6 3
♦K J 10 9 4
♣J
You open 1♥, your partner responds 1♠, you bid 2♦and he tries 2NT. What do you say?

ANSWER
You have plenty of strength to accept your partner’s invitation to game. You mustn’t bid 3♦, which would show a minimum hand and would attempt to sign off at three of a red suit. Jump to 4♦ or take a chance and raise to 3NT and try for the nine-trick game.