BRIDGE NOTES: Knowing the basics in Bridge

Bridge can be a very simple proposition provided you are geared enough in the basics to pick the inferential clues for making the right and winning moves in the fulfilment of your contract. For the lazy player it would be taxing but for the seriously focused player, it can be a child's play. Players of Bridge range from the one end of the spectrum to the other and are thus categorized as such with the ratings of being below average, average plus, advancing player, near expert and finally expert. But whatever the level of Bridge, what is inevitably accepted is the applicability of basic Bridge that keeps the bidding in view and makes counting a habit in discovering opponent's likely distribution.
Let us learn by examples some simple Bridge lessons in basic Bridge. Say you are south and land in a contract of 6D on the following hands and bidding. The bidding proceeds as under with south as dealer: West's opening lead is the KC. Place yourself in the south seat and plan your little slam. As you can clearly see, 11 tricks are on top - 3 in spades, 5 trumps, 2 hearts and 1 club. Fishing for the 12th trick narrows down to either the spades breaking even 3-3 or the clubs breaking likewise. As south what is your priority? Obviously the club tackling should come first, failing which the spade break can be a last resort.
How to go about it? South plays the AC, cashes AK of hearts to discard a club from hand, and then a second club to be conceded to see whether later on clubs divide evenly or not. But alas east shows out. So now with one option gone, everything depends on the spade distribution. Ruffing west's club return, south now can draw trumps with west following 3 times south now ruffs the third heart with west following suit.
The critical point in the play reaches its climax when declarer turns to tackle spades, leading the AS from hand first, west playing the 5S and east the 6S. On the 2S from hand to the KS in dummy, west drops the 105 and east the 7S. The critical point of play has been reached. On the third spade from dummy east's card is the 8S. The vital question posed: should declarer play for the drop or finesse the 9S? As south are you playing on a guess? If so, you are not in the plus category of Bridge ratings. For you see there is no guess involved. For if you are counting, which is basic Bridge, you should have known that as west has shown 5 clubs, 3 hearts and 3 diamonds he cannot have a third spade. The finesse of the 9S is therefore, a certainty.
Of course where the bidding is less revealing, quick and short, more skill is required to draw inference from opponents silences and opening leads with subsequent plays as we learn from our second illustration below where NS are in 3NT on the following bidding and hands: West leads the 3H. Place yourself in the south seat and plan your 3NT contract. As you can see you have 3 top spade tricks, 2 top club tricks, one sure heart trick and of course as many as 4 diamond tricks, once the AD is knocked out. If you have your wits about and have planned well what has been your first move?
Well if you have hurriedly put the KH or QH at the first trick, you are forgetting the basics in Bridge and would be regretting such a move. The correct play is to restrain yourself from the instructive covering of a heart honour. Why? Just recall the bidding west, (NV VS VUL) now we would certainly have called 1H instead of passing if he had 5 hearts plus a sure entry of AD. Since he did not overcall, it is an inferential clue pointing to the fact that he cannot hold both red aces.
East by inference could have a third heart, which would give opponents not enough heart tricks to beat the contract. And if east has doubleton AH as was the case with west having 10 9 8 5 3 and the ace of diamonds. Ducking blocks the suit for safety. All is well in Bridge if you play knowing the basics in Bridge.

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North

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K 4 3

A K 2

A 8 7

A 6 5 2

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South

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A Q 9 2

3

K Q J 10 9

J 4 3

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S         W         N         E

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1D        P        2C         P

2S        P        4D         P

4H        P        5C         P

6D             All Pass

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S         W         N          E

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1D        P        1S          P

NT        P        3NT  All Pass

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