As you follow the bidding and play of this hand, try to determine what critical mistake had the most to do with the result. North, holding one ace, did not want to allow the East-West pair to play three hearts. When three spades was passed around to West, he bid four hearts and South doubled. North felt that the double was too close to take a chance and bid the spade game.
West led the singleton ace of diamonds and the spotlight came to rest on South. A heart to the ace provided the entry for the spade finesse. Trumps were drawn in two rounds and the king and queen of diamonds were cashed. A diamond was trumped in the North hand. Declarer lost a heart and the ace of clubs and was able to claim ten tricks.
Should North have bid over three hearts? Well, three hearts should make, as should three spades. Should West bid four hearts? Probably not. West had forced East to bid and four hearts was going to go down at least one, doubled, for minus 200. Should North have pulled the double? It is hard to argue with the result, but the biggest reason to leave the double in was the ace of hearts.
But the award for the biggest error goes to West. Without the opening lead of the ace of diamonds, declarer will have to guess for that specific holding in order to make his contract. West has no reason to lead his singleton ace. In order for that to be the right play, he is going to have to find an entry to the East hand to get a diamond lead before trumps are gone. Given the bidding this is not likely. Leading the king of hearts (or even the ace of clubs) should result in a one trick set and a very good result.
The opening lead is the single most difficult decision you will have to make. There are times when it is right to lead an ace but there are also many times when it is very wrong. Make sure you have a good reason when placing the opening lead on the table.
The West Side Bridge Club holds it's games at the Middleburgh Heights Community Church, located at the corner of Bagley Road and Big Creek Parkway in Middleburgh Heights. A full schedule can be found at their website: http://www.westsidebridgeclub.org
Among the special events offered is a "Master/Future Master Pairs"
game on Monday October 9 at 7:30 p.m. Players with less than 500 master
points will pair up with those with over 500 master points for a fun
evening of bridge. There will be great hospitality and prizes for the
winners. For additional information, or to request a partner, call
(330) 722-8214.
----
Bernstein is
a free-lance writer in Solon.
To reach Harvey Bernstein:
hjb0416@yahoo.com