Elimination plays in bridge are an important repertoire in a good bridge player's armoury. In practical terms it calls for a simple execution for it is easy to see that stripping the opponents from their convenient exit cards before throwing them in with the lead makes life difficult for them and the contract relatively safer for the declarer.
This does not mean that all elimination plays are relatively simple, even when there is a partial elimination in the face of lack of entries for total elimination. It is not the play that is difficult. It is the early recognition of the need for such an elimination play that is the difficult part. Timing becomes the essence of such an execution. It is, therefore, imperative for the declarer to see very early what needs to be done and make a plan that is not only fluid enough for its execution but also a relatively fool proof one that gives the opponent a negligible chance to beat the contract. We can learn by example to spot elimination plays as for example we begin by a very simple hand where not much thinking needs to be done in spotting the elimination play. The more practice you acquire in it the more polished you can be in its technique and the ability to spot a hand for its best use.
In a straight forward bid contract of 4H by south on an opening trump lead the problem strikes you immediately to be the vulnerably open diamond suit where experience and commonsense clearly forecast that if the declarer opens the suit, he is bound to lose all 3 diamond tricks with the top honour in diamonds split between the two opponents. Therefore, it would strike even an average player to let the opponents break open the suit to ensure a diamond trick. Therefore, the declarer does not have to do much except climate trumps and the spades by cashing top spade honours and ruffing out the third spade in hand. Then after cashing the top club honours you throw the opponents with the third club into taking the lead and getting end played, with the black suits eliminated and the trumps out. Either black card would yield ruff and stuff and breaking open the diamond suit, ensures a sure trick for the declarer.
Lets now come to the tough cookie here's a hand played by Charles Goren many years ago. Can you match the wizard of bridge on this hand.
West's opening lead is 2D to east's 10D and your AD. How do you plan your play?
It is obvious that besides 2 clear heart loser, you can lose 2 clubs if the suit is not evenly breaking. The question is how do you go about it. For diamonds to be eliminated you need to get into dummy twice in trumps and then ruff out 2 diamonds. But that would leave you with just one trump in hand and 2 in the dummy. The opponent taking the first heart will saddle you with the club lead and if clubs are 4-1, it will be curtains for you.
Charles Goren was truly a remarkable bridge expert, a true wizard who immediately gave up a heart at trick 2, ruffing the diamond continuation, conceding the second heart, he won the trump return in hand, eliminated the last heart and diamond knowing east's 9 red cards from the bidding with 2 trumps he concluded correctly that east was with either a singleton or doubleton club. Doubleton meant suit breaking in Goren's favour. Singleton meant end play for east if he won it. So Goren led a low club from hand. West could not afford a low club, inserting 9C, won in dummy and the 6C led back to spell curtains for the defense in a truly remarkable way.
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North South North South
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A106 K3 A974 KQJ108
Q975 AK1086 85 682
J85 Q62 973 A
K64 A97 AK86 10542
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The bidding:
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West North East South
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- 1C 1H 1S
P 2S 3D 4S
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