It has been emphasized time and time again that if you want to be successful at Bridge, you need to think hard whether at play, defense or bidding. For apart from the routine contracts, there are always a few hands that present a problem to be resolved with tact and real hard thinking. Those who solve these problems with consistency are naturally the winners. But this does not mean that their standard of Bridge is something which others can't reach.
True they may be better players but most of the Bridge problems do not require extra ordinary talent. They can be resolved if you follow a few set of rules and make logical inferences and deductions. For Bridge is after all a logical game, a thinking game that requires your undivided attention.
Those who read mystery novels and try to solve the riddles there-in by logical reasoning gathered from the inferential clues, will definitely make good Bridge players. That is why computer programmers are often skilled at the game. When it comes to defending the hand, all the requirement listed above get doubly necessary like counting opponents high card points, taking inferences from their opening lead to judge their distribution and so on with their signaling clues but apart from all these, there are more subtle inferential clues that come from the way the declarer handles the dummy and his overall strategy of play.
A simple example is that if declarer has drawn trumps, leaving a couple remaining in dummy and now we makes a play in the side suits with your holding of A 73 and the dummy on your left having AKJ 94. Suppose the declarer leads low to dummy's 9 and partners 10. What are your inferences on this side suit? Where do you think is the QS? Naturally with your partner.
Next, how many does the declarer hold in the side suit? Logically thinking he should have more than 2 otherwise he would either have played jack or king on the first leads so that when he next leads another low card toward dummy, do you duck the ace or not? Yes. Logically again you must let the declarer misguess whether to insert king or jack. Similarly with QJ 73 in your hand and dummy holding 64, if declarer leads the 4 inserting 9S to your jack does declarer have both honours? No, neither can partner hold both honours for otherwise he would have played one. Thus declarer is marked with one top honour. Even in no trumps such situations do arise. Suppose you open a lead from K 10752 by playing your fourth best 5. Dummy produces AQ6. The declarer finesses the queen successfully. Where is the jack? Obviously with your partner.
Let us now give you a illustration for today. North south are in 4H after west opens with 1D. North over calling 1S and south bidding 3H raised by north to 4H. This is problem in defense. As west you hold West opens with the 10D. Dummy's ace wins, east playing the 4 and declarer the 7D. Declarer cashes the heart queen and now leads a spade to his king beaten by west AS. The crucial point of defense has been reached. As west, how do you proceed? You know you have a trick in clubs which can be even 2 if you can find and entry in partners hand along with the club queen.
Let us think logically. Declarer has 7 hearts to the AKJ and has produced the KS which marks 11 of his 15/16 points he has promised with his 3H bid. So most likely he definitely holds either KC with QD. But wait a minute. Could he hold QD? Definitely not for then he would have played low from dummy on the opening diamond lead. So that leaves partner with QD as an entry to shoot back a club honour to sink the contract. So simply play a low diamond. But careful again. Make it a suit preference signal by leading 2D for a club return. Defense can be darn simple if you are awake.
=======
A5
74
K10962
AJ83
=======
Comments
Comments are closed.