BRIDGE NOTES: No guessing any more

In bridge, table presence is mandatory. For bridge is a thinking game wherein you need to work logically in the placement of key cards. This can only come about if you keep focused on the game all the game and try to pick up the most subtle of inferences from the bidding, the opening lead and the sequential play that follows. Not all key card placements will fit in with precision.
Nor all your judgement come out sound and in favour. For table presence is not merely being alert all the time but being aware of which are the crucial and crunch moments in the play and defence of the hand. Of course every clue that you gather or inference that you pick may still not give you the hundred percent certainty in the line of play.
True, sometimes a good guess work is required. But more often than not, the same can be avoided if the declarer does not panic, keeps his goal and concentrates hard on the inferences picked.
In a game contract, the bidding is at times protracted and therefore more revealing. But in a part contract, which is our subject of illustration today it becomes a bit harder for the bidding is short and therefore not too revealing. Still a good declarer keeps his eyes open to every little detail and his ears are all tuned to the bidding that precedes the play. In the end of course success of a bridge contract always rests on proper timing of the play.
The bidding in our illustration of today's problem hand was as under on the following hand: The opening lead is the kind of clubs. The fact that west had called two suits and was also the one who opened the biding is quite significant for the declarer in acquiring the right direction in the making of the contract. For it clearly portrays west to hold minimum 5 diamonds and 4 clubs leaving him with 4 cards in the majors.
Let us now turn our attention to the south hands and analyse his chances of making the contract of 3S. Let us begin by counting south's winners. He has 6 trump tricks, 1 heart trick leaving him with an awkward guess in diamonds. For in case he guesses wrong as to which defender holds to ace of diamonds, he would lose both diamonds and both clubs along with the ace of hearts for one down. So the need of contract is reading the diamond position right. Of course if either defender holds both the key honours in Diamonds there is very little the declarer can do, for it west holds both, the K or J become irrelevant with declarer bound to score one diamonds trick and the contract. In case east holds both, which is most unlikely, in the face of west's opening one diamond bid, declarer's guess of K or J become futile as he stands on chance. It is only when ace and queen of diamonds are split between the defenders that it becomes vital for the declarer to place the right key cards. But table presence requires one to remember the bidding. West begins by playing K, A and queen of clubs, the latter ruffed by the declarer. Of the possible 13-15 H.C.Ps that west can hold he has already shown 9 which means out of the 2 red aces, he can only hold one. Can you spot which one? Yes by simply playing KH. If west produces the ace, east is marked with AD, and vice versa. No guessing any more.

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North  West        East     South

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KQ95        54         6  AJ10873

8764       A3    J10952        KQ

 KJ    Q10876       A43       952

1053     AKQ2      J987        64

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The bidding:

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West    North     East      South

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 1D         P        1H        1S

 2C        2S        3C        3S

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ALL PASS:

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