In Bridge you need to think and plan as much as you need to anticipate what the opponents counter measures would be to offset your chartered and well planned course of play. It is common knowledge by now to keep a count of the suits in Bridge with there likely distribution based on the bidding play and opening lead.
More often then not the bidding does provide some inferential clues on which one can build a likely set up of the distribution of cards inclusive of the key cards which again require good judgment. Thus all the above requisites successfully carried out can make you qualify as a good dummy player of Bridge and help you on to become a player that stands for winning Bridge.
Let us learn by example and put the reader to test in this 4S contract bid by north south on the following hand and bidding.
The bidding was as under:-
The opening lead from west is 2H. Put yourself in the South seat and find the winning line that guarantees the making of the 4S contract in the sure shot safest way. Bridge challengers are not too difficult to face if you keep the prerequisites in mind and have the cool head and nerves to look ahead with foresight and imagination.
Well on the face of it south has 4 solid trump tricks if not 5 depending on the QS location and distribution. This coupled with the 4 solid diamond tricks add up to 8 or 9. The finding of the QS in south's favor can guarantee success of the contract even if the KC is not favorably placed for south. For with a heart ruff in hand and 4 trump trick in dummy, the 10 trick contract can come above easily with 4 solid diamond trick.
There is also the pleasing attenuate of either dropping QS doubleton or choosing this finesse of QS in the right direction being two way finesse. Any Kibitzers looking over would bet 50-50 on the making of the contract of 4S. The crunch issue lies in finding the correct finesse of QS. Of course if the KC is favorably placed, south has his 10 trick. If not, the issue of the QS becomes a crucial one in the success of the contract bid.
Normally when there are 9 cards combined in a suit the better line is to go for the drop of the doubleton Queen. Yet the percentage odds for a 3-1 distribution make the finesse likely option to pounder. But even here there is a toss up again as to which finesse will succeed in the 2 way finesse scenario available.
Well what plans have you in mind as south? Where is the QS? As south if you are still pondering as to which line to choose for the way finance I am afraid you are not amongst the top notch players of Bridge. For despite the alternates available there is a safe and simple winning line of play that is not too difficult to find.
Have you found it? Well let us now proceed with how south can guarantee the making of his 4S contract east takes the opening lead with KH and follows with the AH which south ruffs. The key lies in the bidding. Remember east had passed originally and has now come up with AK of hearts 7 HCPs. If you place him with the AC as your worst scenario you know that he then cannot hold QS for his original pass.
Of course the AC with west would give south the 10 tricks. The clear signal to proceed is to bang the AS and finesse against west for QS. For thus line is 100 percent safe, whether the finesse succeeds or fails. For if west does not hold the QS. Then your KC is the 10th trick and vice versa. West in fact held the QS tripleton and east the AC, by choosing to finesse against west, south could safely say with confidence that "Heads I win, tails you lose".
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North
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K J 8 6
J 10 8
Q 10 8 7
K 9
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South
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A 1 0 9 7 5
4
A K J 9
8 6 4
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W N E S
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Pass Pass Pass Pass
Pass 3S Pass 4S
All Pass
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