Bridge has many dimensions. But in the ultimate analysis, it is the fine art of declarer play that makes the difference between defeat and victory. No sooner the dummy comes down after the opening lead, the declarer who has a wise head on his shoulders, chalks out a well laid plan in the making of his contract at whatever level it is.
But such a plan that declarer makes has to be based on a reasonable assumption of the key cards and the distribution of suits. Of course, if the opponents have obliged by bidding during the auction, the declarer has an easier time for then the clues from the bidding can be picked up for proper inferences to judge the lie of the cards. What makes the expert different from the average player is the fact that the expert visualises the possible lie of cards from every little inference he can gather and then plans his play based on that visualisation. Of course not every judgement of even the top notch in bridge pays off for the cards sometimes do break anti-percentage, making the contract difficult and mote challenging. Today's hand is a classic lesson in this fine art of declarer play, played by a European expert who landed himself in a little slam after a crowded auction as under on the following hand:
THE BIDDING: The opening lead is the 3S. Declarer wins in hand and leads a trump to the KC, getting a body blow when west blanks out, discarding a diamond. As south, place yourself in the experts seat and plan your play in the making of this excellent slam, which has given the declarer shivers in lieu of the 5-0 break lets see the prospects of declarer's contract by counting his possible losers. Yes he has one in diamond and another in heart, unless the diamond finesse works. But in lieu of west's 3C bid, the success of a diamond finesse looks bleak. As south, how would you play on from there?
Of course with a normal club break and distribution of cards, perhaps declarer would have played reverse dummy and try to establish dummy's last heart for a diamond discard. But this looks dubious now within the context of the bidding made by the opponents, which makes the heart break equally anti-percentage in lieu of west's cue bid of 3C and 4D with a void in clubs giving him 4 + hearts. What then is the declarer's plan and how does he avoid his loser?
As mentioned above the fine declarer play rests on visualisation of how the suits are breaking and then making the sequence of play in the right order in accordance with the judgement made, clues gathered and inferences plucked from the bidding and the opening lead.
Let us pick the clues from the bidding, as did the declarer who gathered that since east had bid diamonds and has come up with 5 clubs, 9 of his 13 cards are known for sure. Add to it the fact that west's opening lead was the spade 3 and looking at dummy's 2 of spades, west, which could not be holding more than 4 spades in turn gives east 3 spades and consequently a singleton heart. So far so good? The vital question is whether that singleton heart is a low one or an honour. The declarer rightly adjudged it to be an honour for otherwise west with all 3 honours of heart's headed by KQ's would surely have led from our of them as the opening lead.
So by inference, declarers could well judge the opponent distribution placing west with both real kings, likely on the bidding. Declarer decided to end play him by cashing all his black winners besides the ace of hearts. Coming to a three card ending, with declarer keeping AQ diamonds and a low hear, and west per force also with the same distribution to guard his diamond king stripped all hearts save the king. Declarer end played him with KH to lead away from his KD into the declarer's diamond tenace of ace and queen. The declarer no doubt played the contract like double dummy.
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North South
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KQ2 AJ4
A10752 94
84 2 AQ
KQ AJ10964
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S W N E
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- - - P
2C 3C Db1 3D
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6C All Pass
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