In Bridge, the thinking process of a good player should proceed on logical review of the inferential clues available that can steer him on to the right path for a successful play or defence. It all starts off from the bidding gaining momentum as the point of decision making draws nearer.
Let us begin with a simple illustration. Place yourself in the south seat on the following hand and start your thinking process after reviewing the following bidding, the opening lead of 5H against a contract of 4S with the NS hands given as under:- The bidding proceeded as under:-
On the opening lead of 5H from west, how do you plan to make 4S and what strikes you in the first place as you view the dummy? Counting your losers, you can pick one or two in trumps, two in diamonds and at most one in hearts now that the heart lead has been led up to your AQ. These make 4-5 losers whereas you need to curtail these losers to only three to make your aggressively bid vulnerable game contract.
Off course at trick one, east's 9H is taken by your QH and when you lead a spade to dummy's JS, it holds with east shedding 8S. What are your thoughts on east's 8 of spades, which on the face of it most likely appears to be a singleton? If that is so, then there is an imminent danger looming ahead if declarer goes up with AS next, for that would give west 2 trump tricks with a likely holding of K 10 5. This would spell the end of south's hopes of making his contract as the diamond and heart losers are unavoidable. So if you are south, how do you react to this development? Yes, by coming back to hand and pushing the QS through west, with even the chance of an overtrick if east held 10 8 doubleton. So you go for the safety play as planned and voila! You get a shock of your life when west blanks out. East made a super deceptive defence by not taking the KS in the first place, and secondly false carding that deceptive 8S to side track you from your natural path of success. If the JS had been taken by the KS in the first instance, then a heart return followed by west's blank out on the AS would trap east's 10S and with one of the red losers discarded on the long clubs, the contract would come home. Now the defence scored 2 spade tricks, 2 diamonds and a heart to set the contract 2 down. This was scintillating defence for which the declarer could not be blamed for his calculating play as east was none other than Mike Lawrence. Let us now illustrate another hand with NS in 3H on the following hand and bidding:-
The bidding:
On the opening lead of 3S from west, how do you play? Suppose you win east's JS with KS and play boldly for a 2-2 trump break giving east KQ of hearts who then cashes the spade ace and forces the dummy to ruff the next spade leaving the following position of the 8 card ending:-
South having lost a heart trick and a spade trick now faces a threat of 2 club losers and a diamond loser. What are your thoughts on the location of the diamond honours? Are they split? No! For remember east as a passed hand has already turned up with 10HCPs and is likely to have a club honour for otherwise west with all three KQJ clubs would certainly have led one of them as his opening lead. So on giving west both KQ of diamonds can you still find the right play? If you use your trumps to come to hand for the diamond play duck of QD or KD, you would be unable to return to hand to enjoy the AJ of diamonds in dummy. Hence the unusual solution was found by Mike Lawrence again when he played this hand as south. He simply led a low club from dummy. Whichever defender won the trick, would have to play a minor suit. If a diamond is returned, west would be allowed to win one of his honours. A Trump return to hand would then give south the leeway for the diamond finesse. If clubs are continued, the 4th club would be established for a diamond discard. Bridge is all about how good your thought process is. All you have to do is to think right through.
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North South North South
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A J 2 Q 9 7 6 3 Q 4 K 8 2
10 8 4 A Q 7 8 6 3 2 A J 10 9 4
Q 10 8 9 3 A J 2 9 3
A 10 3 2 K Q 7 A 9 7 5 10 4 2
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W N E S
P P P 1S
P P 1H 1S
P 3S P 4S
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ALL PASS
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W N E S
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P P 2H P
P X P 2S
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3H ALL PASS
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North South
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- K 8 2
8 A J 10 9 4
A J 2 9 3
A 9 7 5 10 4 2
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