As in all sports, subterfuge is a technique that is used to weave a web of deception around wherein the focus shifts from the reality to the illusion created. This helps the deception to succeed and so gives an enormous advantage to the master of deception. In bridge plays very important part. Many a time what looks so obvious is hidden under the art of subterfuge.
After all bridge is played by human beings who are susceptible to believe what they see little realising that what they are seeing at times is nothing but a cleverly created illusion to divert their attention from the real situation and the problem it poses.
An average bridge player would hardly use this technique for want of application and awareness of what needs to be done in the crisis like situation where on the face of it the contract looks pretty doomed. It is in such circumstances, where necessity is the mother of invention that players resort to this technique of subterfuge, which in bridge comes about by a deliberate false card sequence that has the potential to mislead the opponents.
Let us learn by example and learn from the illustration below as to how subterfuge is applied. For it to succeed, timing is of the essence. An why declarer knows when to apply it looking to the situation at hand. The north south hands given below reached a contract of 3NT with west making the opening lead of the three of spades that on the face of it looks a very favourable lead for the declarer looming right into the declarer's tenace holding of the AQ.
First the north south hands: The contract of 3NT is a reasonable hand and there is host of tricks available for the declarer - in fact eleven now with the spade lead if the diamond finesse succeeds for 5 diamonds along with 4 clubs along with AQ of spades adds up to eleven tricks.
The only problem and a serious one at that lies in the fact that if the diamond finesse fails, what chances lies for the declarer to succeed. The fragile heart position would stand exposed even to the most average of defenders. Looking at no future in pursuing spades and with the KJ5 staring from the dummy in clubs, every west, in case he holds the king of diamond would turn to the heart suit for seeking some other alternate to break the contract.
Let us first give you also the west east hands too to analyse the defence, from west's point of view who is desperate to find the vulnerable chunk in the declarer's armour. Remember west has led the 3S to declarer's AQ with east playing the jack. In with the king of diamonds what would be your next move in defence. For you can see that the declarer has the diamonds running for 4 tricks along.with 2 spades. South by the way had opened the strong 1NT showing 16-18 high card points. So far he has shown 6 points in spades and 4 in diamonds leaving him still with 6-8 high card points. If they are the AQ of clubs, declarer is home, if hearts are not attacked immediately. If they are the king of hearts and the ace of clubs, or queen of clubs, the contract is unbreakable anyway.
Thus every west holding the AXX of hearts would hope south's remaining points lie in clubs so that a heart switch would spell the death knot for the declarer killing his contract. So it is time for subterfuge by false carding. Win the opening spade lead with the ace and not the queen. This creates the illusion that partner holds the queen of spades. So with the 4 spades running, west would be only too glad to continue spades and declarer would run home with his art of subterfuge.
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West East North South
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K7632 J54 1098 AQ
A52 KJ1097 Q4 863
K4 65 QJ1093 A872
1086 972 KJ5 AQ43
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