Bridge is a game of reasoning and logical inferences drawn from the distribution odds of suits. There is a table of percentage break of suits and mostly catering to it provides the maximum chances of making one's contract. Only rarely does one encounter a highly improbable distribution that not only jolts but can equally sink your contract if your play is casual and carefree. But serious players do think of all odds that can be stacked against them and then try to find the best alternates that would be open to counter those odds. At times there are several channels that require a careful choice and many a time even the best players miss out on their timing and choice of play.
Today's illustration is a problem in dummy play and is not an easy one to resolve. Yet it can be solved with a little bit of careful handling of the cards following a reasonable and logical lime of play.
North south land in a 4S contract bid as under on the following holding:
The opening lead is a lucky one for you - 4D from west. You try QD and it holds. Take it from there by placing yourself in the south seat. How do you plan to go about your contract and make 10 tricks?
On the face of it, the contract looks fairly east for if the spades and clubs - ie the black suits are running as per the favorable odds break of suits ie 3-2 in spades and 2-2 or 3-1 in clubs, there can be innumerable tricks in store for you. For you have 2 tricks in diamonds, 4 trumps in hearts, 6 club tricks plus one heart ruff to give you all 13 tricks. So it looks as if the little slam is surely missed. Without the diamond favourable lead, even 12 tricks are on provided the black suits break favourably. But in Bridge challenges open up suddenly with shocking odds and this can upset the apple cart. Since you are only in 4S, can you work out a solid plan to make 10 tricks even with the worst odds?
Well-what then is your next move? There are quite a few options to choose from reverse dummy play making the clubs come good or going for the heart ruff now that you loser in diamonds is no more. Well if you have been tempted to see how the trumps break by cashing the KQ of spades, then I am afraid you are pursuing a lost cause for it is best to combine both your chances by keeping open the options of ruffing 2 or even 3 hearts in dummy.
Here is what you should have done. Cash AS. If both opponents follow, cash AC. If again all follow, then you can continue Trumps. A 3-2 break is too easy. But if trumps break 4-1 (as in the actual case), you must leave one out and switch to clubs - let the defender with the outstanding trump take his trump whenever he wants but he cannot prevent you from entering dummy with a trump holding in it.
Alternately if clubs are 4-1 (as was the actual case) and west ruffs, then after ruffing his heart return in dummy, cash KS, ruff another heart, come back to hand with AD to draw west's last trump, giving you 3 top spades, 2 ruffs, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs with a trump trick still to come-10 in all. Even if spades are 5-0 and someone shows out on AS plan to ruff 3 hearts for which you only need the clubs to be 3-1. Cash AC ruff a heart AD, ruff a heart, a diamond ruff, heart ruff and the KQ of trumps to make 10 tricks. In Bridge at times, the tricks are all there for the taking provided you are keeping all options open!
==========================
North South
==========================
A 10 5 4 K Q 8 7
- J 7 6 4
Q 7 3 A 8
K 10 9 8 4 3 A Q 5
==========================
==========================
The bidding:
==========================
S W N E
1NT P 2C P
2H P 3C P
3S P 4S P
All Pass
==========================
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.