What hails competitive Bridge as a great game of mental skill is the scope it offers to use one's reasoning, logic and inferential deduction together with a balanced judgement in reading the cards well in its proper placement. And the possession of these qualities is what makes a Bridge player rank high amongst the top players.
For nothing can be more exhilarating, more fulfilling than to execute successfully a contract that visibly looks at the outset to be very shaky with a lot of loopholes. To plug such weak links is the hall mark of a sound player. Bridge play in competition indeed has a fascination of its own. In every way each deal at Bridge is a challenge in competition where one's performance is judged in comparison with all other tables where the same hand is to be played. This makes the game so interesting and absorbing. The way different players handle the same challenge situation depending on their caliber and sense of judgement, gives this great game such a wide scope with subtle variations, which open up different alternates to choose from. In the end the winner is the one who combines all the odds in his favour and takes his chances in the right order and priority.
Today's illustration is a problem hand in declarer play. It is not an easy one at all. In fact it is a tough cookie - one where you need to use your sense of reasoning and judgement pretty well keeping the logical consequences in mind before playing on.
The bidding itself shows that the contract has been over bid and is not at par with the high card point count. The north south cards are spread below as under:
The bidding was based on a misunderstanding as shown below. (Both sides were vulnerable).
Looking at north's invitational 2NT on mere 9 points, this looks a definite over bid looking to the fact that south's rebid of 1NT limited the hand to at the most 14 HCP, which certainly is below the total HCP bench for a 3NT contract, which is 25 while here the combined HCP tally in only 22. No wonder then this makes the contract a highly improbable one to make, especially when the opponents begin with the most killing lead hitting south's weakest spot-diamonds, for the opening lead is the KD, ducked once, followed by QD, ducked twice and finally the JD taken by the AD. Place yourself in the south seat and try to take it from there.
One glance at the dummy gives you little hope for your only link with those running spades has been cut off with AD gone. The opponents will definitely duck spades once.
Your contract now depends on the essential fact that west with the 4th diamond winner does not have the spade ace for then you would stand no chance. Well if so, what chance do you have in developing the remaining 4 tricks apart from 2 in clubs, in heart, 1 in diamond and 1 spade duck? Clubs can hardly help you even if the suit breaks favourably and the QC is with east for 2 diamonds already given, with a spade and heart to follow cannot allow you to give up a club trick.
You have, therefore, only hearts and spades to rely on, with some sort of elimination and endplay, if possible, to give you the only chance. How? By assuming east to hold AS, both heart honours and no more than 2 clubs. The distribution you hope east to have is a 4-4-3-2.
So you begin with 5H from the table and your JH wins. Cashing both clubs essential to exhaust east of exit cards, you play the JS, which you know will be ducked. You exit with spade to east leaving the following position:
East is in a quandry-end played and unable to get more than one trick whichever way he plays. South succeeded on favourable assumption.
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North South
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KQ103 J7
10985 AJ3
A64 1095
94 AK632
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S W N E
IC P 1S P
1NT P 2NT P
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3NT ALL PASS
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North South East South
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Q10 5 96 -
1098 6 KQ7 A3
- Q - -
- J8 - 632
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