Sometime back my bridge partner commenting on an opponents blemish in defence, which allowed us to make our contract remarked that bridge is a difficult game. But my view is different. Bridge is a logical far sighted game and as long as one has the ability to look ahead and try to read the opponents' distribution as far as possible, one is apt to be most likely on the winning side.
Yet when we marvel at the exceptional play and defence our confidence seems to wobble a little. But we need not be despondent. All that matters in bridge is table presence and a clear head. With these two ingredients you can seldom go wrong in either bidding, defence or table play.
Being basically a mental game of opportunity and initiative, bridge always witnesses an intense battle between the two opposing sides to gain the upper hand, by either seizing the initiative or providing an opportunity the other side to make mistakes and fall in the trap laid for them. Here deception in bridge is a finely attuned strategy that often pays rich dividends.
Today's illustration is from an American Bridge Championship where the top players match wits as adversaries and to watch them play such sparkling bridge is a fascinating experience.
Each one of them participating at this forum is a very good player in his own right and therefore, the play and defence become a real battle of wits where in each opponent displays exquisite technique and skill at bridge to outsmart the other. Our lesson for today is in bridge defence, which is a considered to be most difficult part. See if you can match the expert defence in todays contract of 4S bid by South as under on the following deal:
The opening lead was a naturally forcing one from west who held 4 trumps - the JH. Placing yourself in the south seat first how do you view your prospects in the making of the contract of 4S? Let's count the declarer's possible losers. He can have 2 in trumps. provided both AQ are placed above his trumps as they were in the actual deal. His third loser is AC and there seems apparently to be no problem for the declarer in the making of his iron clad 4S contract.
Winning the opening lead in dummy with AH you would naturally as did the declarer lead a trump for the finesse of the queen. Perhaps as west defending, you would consider trying a deception on the declarer by perhaps winning the opening lead with AS instead of QS as it is perfectly safe to do so. But as west can you see through the maze for a streak of hope to defeat 4S?
Well, our expert sitting west was the brilliant renown Italian star, Pietro Forquet who did even better than what would have occurred to you at deceiving the declarer. He ducked the JS and now it became all the more vital for the declarer to reach the dummy immediately with the second heart honour to repeat the finesse and get the hand going.
The second spade lead was shocking for the declarer when east showed out. The declarer knew he had been fooled. It was too late to turn back. Pietro was in full command now. He played the QS and AS to knock out dummy's trumps and then forced in hearts for declarer to ruff. Left with only one master trump to deal with west's low spade, declarer was in a fix. For he had to get AC out for his clubs to run but in doing so he would be forced again in hearts to make west's 8 spades a master. If instead, declarer took the trump out first the defenders could not be prevented from achieving a heart trick as winner to down the contract. It is not that bridge is a difficult game. Only the good defenders make it so, for as the saying goes it is not the gun that matters but the man behind it.
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North West East South
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754 AQ86 3 KJ1092
AK J1054 Q9832 76
8643 107 QJ952 AK
Q754 863 A9 KJ102
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The bidding:
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West North East South
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- - - 1S
P 1NT P 2C
P 3S P 4S
ALL PASS
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