Bridge Hand of the Week - "No rush"

Dealer: North
Vul: E-W

9
K64
AQ75
AJT92

KJ42
A852
K8
Q53

SouthWestNorthEast
--1Pass
1Pass2Pass
3NTPassPassPass

You are playing in an IMP Pairs game. Your bid of 3NT offered North a choice of games in case he had raised to 2 with a three-card holding. West leads the 6. Over to you.

Solution

Most declarers took the Q with the king and ran the Q. East took the K and returned the 7. As the cards lay, the defenders had no trouble taking four spade tricks and the club trick for one down. The full deal:

2012 North Bay Sectional Results

Click on link below or go to "Tournament Results" and click 2012 under "North Bay Sectional"

http://web2.acbl.org/tournaments/results/2012/04/1204055.htm

Bridge Hand of the Week - "Proper timing"

Dealer: South
Vul: Both

KT3
J32
QJT83
93

AQJ92
AT6
K94
A5

SouthWestNorthEast
1Pass2Pass
4PassPassPass

You are playing teams. West leads the Q. How will you play to take 10 tricks?

Solution

At one table, declarer played low on the Q, winning the second trick with the A. Declarer then drew two rounds of trumps with the ace and king, discovering that trumps were 4-1 (East showing out). Declarer then played on diamonds, but West held up his ace until the third round, then exited with a trump to dummy’s 10.

Bridge Hand of the Week - "Elegant"

Dealer: South
Vul: Both

9873
K62
654
972

6
AQJT7
AK932
AK

SouthWestNorthEast
2Pass2Pass
2Pass4Pass
PassPass

You were not tempted to bid again over North’s 4 because that bid indicated fewer values than a raise to 3. West leads the A and continues with the K, which you ruff. Now what?

Solution

Bridge Hand of the Week - "Plan ahead"

Dealer: West
Vul: N-S

AKJ2
A75
KJ65
A8

QT965
643
Q83
63

SouthWestNorthEast
-1XPass
123Pass
4PassPassPass

Against your 4 contract, West leads the K. How will you take 10 tricks?

Solution

After dummy was tabled, declarer counted four potential losers: two hearts, a diamond and a club. The first three losers were unavoidable, so declarer saw that he needed to make three diamond tricks for a club discard.

Bridge Hand of the Week - "No rush"

Dealer: North
Vul: E-W

QJ96
AQJT3
53
QT

AT873
82
AT4
AJ4

SouthWestNorthEast
--1Pass
1Pass2Pass
4PassPassPass

West leads the Q. How do you plan to take 10 tricks?

Solution

One unsuccessful declarer took West’s opening lead with the A and returned the suit. East won the second trick and shifted to a club. Declarer finessed and West won the K. Both major-suit kings were off, so the contract failed by a trick.

Bridge Hand of the Week - "Too much bidding?"

This deal (hands rotated) was played in the semifinal round of the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams at the just-concluded 2012 Spring NABC in Memphis. See if you can do as well as Joe Grue did to land a grand slam.
Dealer: North
Vul: N-S

K5
Q973
KJT87
J9

AJT87432
A6
A42

SouthWestNorthEast
--Pass2
444NTPass
5NT7PassPass
7

The 4 bid showed a strong hand with a long spade suit – a better hand than if you had jumped to 4. West leads the Q (showing the king). How will you play to land 13 tricks?

Solution

Bridge Hand of the Week - "Grand adventure"

Dealer: East
Vul: E-W

AJ98
A763
K9
AQ3

KQT63
5
A742
K82

SouthWestNorthEast
---2
2Pass4NTPass
5Pass5NTPass
6Pass7Pass
PassPass

After you overcall East’s weak 2 bid, your partner gets excited and puts you in a grand slam that looks like an excellent contract. West leads the 9. What is your plan for taking 13 tricks?

Solution

Partner’s 4NT was Roman Key Card Blackwood, and your 5 response showed two key cards (the trump king and an ace) plus the trump queen. 5NT asked you to bid kings up the line (with none, you would have bid 6).

Bridge Hand of the Week - "The right path"

Dealer: South
Vul: N-S

A2
A965
AQ72
A43

K643
K8
KJ53
K86

SouthWestNorthEast
122Pass
2NTPass6Pass
PassPass

West, whose 2 bid shows at least 5-5 in the major suits, leads the Q. How will you take 12 tricks?

Solution

Clearly West did not agree with Terence Reese’s opinion about the futility of making a two-suited overcall on such a feeble hand. The result was that, knowing West’s shape, declarer was able to play the slam with some precision.

Bridge Hand of the Week - "Precision play"

Dealer: South
Vul: E-W

A62
Q632
963
QT4

53
AKJ98
K85
AKJ

SouthWestNorthEast
112Pass
4PassPassPass

How do you plan to make your contract after West leads the K? Trumps are not 4-0.

Solution

The nub of this problem is that you may lose one trick in spades and three in diamonds. Of course, East might hold the A, but surely West is the favorite to have that card. The full deal:

A62
Q632
963
QT4
KQJT74
7
AQ2
987
98
T54
JT74
6532
53
AKJ98
K85
AKJ

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