The techniques of bridge play are endless but success comes only when the timing of play is right and no opportunity of early realisation of such techniques is missed at the table. Sometimes, the contract looks hopeless and the lazy declarer gives up early.
The patient one who knows his chances never gives up relying on his inferences from bidding, opening lead and of course the inferential count which is the key to success in bridge as often in the heat of the battle we miss out on the simple but essential inference of counting. Not every hand can give us the perfect inferential count. But when an opportunity arises, the player who cultivates the habit of count grabs it with both hands. Today's hand is an example of the classic count. Let me give you the N-S cards in an effort to find the right line of play to improve at bridge.
The bidding has been short and sweet. North opens 1NT and South shuts it with 6NT. The opening lead from West is QH. Over to you. There are the obvious 11 tricks on top with chances of the 12th trick lying in either of the 2 suits of spades and clubs breaking even. On Q H, West discards a low diamond.
Declarer takes the K of hearts and tries 3 top spades, followed by 3 top clubs to find both suits not breaking even, West having both doubletons in spades and clubs. The player with no temperament or patience gives up early. The squeeze technician hopes for a squeeze which in the present context is not possible because of the positional factor.
True, East guards both black suits but both the menaces' of the 4th spade and 4th club are not placed favourably. The squeeze technician realises early that because it is East, not West who guards both suits, squeeze is not possible for the simple reason that dummy has to discard first before East and as such, the squeeze fails.
The patient declarer, well versed in all techniques of bridge fights on still, having developed the habit of making the inferential count. So far he knows from the 3 top spades & clubs played that West has 2 black doubletons with a 6 card heart suit and obviously 3 diamonds - the perfect count.
On each of the third black card of suit, West discards one diamond and one heart. success at bridge comes in visualising the lie of the opponents cards as revealed by the distributional count inference. Seven tricks have been played. The Declarer must knock out west's diamond exits by playing 3 top diamonds - 10 tricks so far.
Do you now see the solution coming to light? What is declarer's final hope? How can he get that extra trick that otherwise looked, hopelessly, out of reach? When one looks at the 9 x of hearts in dummy and the A 8 x of hearts in hand, the contract emits light and the possibility of a throw-in by West becomes distinctly visible. To endplay West, the technique of eliminating his safe exits comes into play with the declarer stripping West of all diamonds by playing the top 3 ones - a classic example of simple elimination. At suit contracts, elimination is easier to recognise and execute. At No Trumps the play is pure timing.
With West reduced in the end to J 10 x, a low Heart from the declarer's hand towards 9 x in dummy endplays West to lead after winning with the 10 of hearts into Declarer's Tenace of A 8 from his final holding of 10 7 of hearts. But wait a minute. Did you unblock the 9 of Hearts from Dummy? (Otherwise the contract fails) - as showed by the great bridge expert Terence Reese exhibiting the perfect ending of the finer Techniques of Bridge Play.
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North South
K Q 8 2 A 5 4
9 4 3 A K 8 2
K J A Q 3
A K 5 2 Q 6 4
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