Bridge is the one game which requires a high sustained concentration level throughout because every deal is a challenge for all - the declarer as well has the defenders. While the declarer takes stock of the dummy to assess the potential of his contract, counting losers and winners to plan his play in a manner which would yield him the optimum result for his bid contract, the defenders on the other hand begin their count of possible winners to beat the contract if possible on some favorable assumption of key card holdings. Then the battle for supremacy begins with the dummy coming down on the defender's opening lead.
In this battle of wits between the declarer and his two opponents, the lie of the cards is usually the decisive actor but the more important thing of all is the declarer's ability to know and judge the lie of the cards which ultimately would land him on the winning track. The declarer has at his disposal several techniques by which he can be in a much better position to judge favorably the lie of the cards that can help him to make his contract.
Today's illustration is of a dummy play technique executed by an American expert in an international championship wherein this deal proved to be a decisive one in winning or losing. Naturally when the stakes became that high, the tension on the players also amounted and it is in such moments that the experts at Bridge dominate because of the well judged inferences gathered from the play as it proceeds logically.
North south held the following cards in this contract of 4S:
The point count was not up to the mark but the contract nevertheless was a reasonable one in lieu of the following bidding that took place.
The bidding:
The bidding stretched in a rather old fashioned way with north not using the modern cue bid to show spade support and game invitation.
The opening lead was the 8D taken by east with the KD and the QD cashed. East then shifted to 9H. Can plan your play as south in the making of 4S? The contract does not look too threatening for the declarer can see two losers in diamond and one in club. It therefore became imperative that he brings in his trump suit without any loss.
Well, how would you go about it? A 5-4 combined suit with the two top honours usually drops the Q doubleton although the percentage of break of suits favour a 3-1 division more likely than a 2-2 break. Suppose you go with the percentage of odds of trumps being 3-1, the question remains as to who holds the 3 carder spade. Is it west who with short diamonds has more vacant spaces for spades than east as per the vacant space theory? Or should the declarer place QS with east on account of his opening bid. Of course there is always the third option open for placing trump break 2-2 to drop the queen.
Well, our expert had no need to guess as he was well attuned to get the right inferential clues to count the opponents hands. Look how he went about and try to match his sequence of play with the one you chose. If it matches you are on way to the expertise level. If not, you need to travel a lot in Bridge. Winning the heart switch at trick 3 with dummy's ace, he led his 5C to his king and cashed KHO Playing next the 2C to dummy's 10 and east's ace, he discarded QH when east returned third club to dummy's QC. He now ruffed dummy's last club in hand to find east showing out. At this point he played his KS and with supreme confidence took the spade finesse of JS through east who held the 3 card queen. Yes that's right, it was a marked finesse for he had the complete count of east's hand: 2 hearts, 5 diamonds and 3 clubs. Therefore, east was left with 3 spades, with the finesse marked. He succeeded because he did not want to make a blind guess in trumps. You too can succeed likewise on the maxim. Seek and you shall find.

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 North   South
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 K1094   AJ832
   A63     KQ8
    92     J54
 Q1065      K2
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S    W    N    E
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-   -     -   1D
1S   P   2S    P
3S   P   4S    -
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