BRIDGE

The psychological factor

In duplicate bridge, where the method of scoring is usually match points, the aim is to get a better score with your side’s cards – be it 10 points or 1 000 – than the other pairs who hold the same hands.

As a result, an extra trick picked up in a partscore or game contract looms much larger in importance than it would in a rubber-bridge game, where an extra 20 or 30 points is relatively insignificant.

This hand occurred in a pair event, and at most tables the final contract was four spades played by South. In nearly every case, the declarer made 11 tricks, losing only a heart and a club after the spade finesse succeeded. At one table, however, where the bidding went as shown, South made only 10 tricks, earning a poor score for the North-South pair (and a good one for the East-West pair). There was only a 30-point trick involved, but that made all the difference. West led a heart to East’s ace. East could see that his king of spades in front of the spade bidder was in danger of being decapitated, so, in an effort to steer declarer away from the winning course, he returned the ten of clubs! This unusual play was designed to implant the fear of a club ruff in South’s mind. And, sure enough, after declarer won the club in dummy and returned a spade – on which East played the nine – South was in a quandary. He had visions of losing the queen of spades to the king, after which West might be able to lead the ace and another club and give East a club ruff to defeat the contract. South therefore went up with the ace of spades and wound up with only 10 tricks.

It may be argued that declarer should have seen through East’s ploy and finessed the spade despite the danger, but credit must nevertheless be given to East for having created a way to prey upon declarer’s fears.