You Can Count On Counting To Help

As we start the last month of the year, let’s look at some bridge books that were published in 2021.

What is the quickest way to improve your bridge? Count everything on each deal. Yes, easier said than done, but a good place to learn the tricks of the trade is “Counting at Bridge” by Dianne Aves (Master Point Press). In 170 pages, the author covers the basics thoroughly. There are also numerous quizzes.

This deal from the book would defeat many players at the table. Look at the North and West hands. South is in four hearts. West starts with his two top diamonds. South ruffs the second, draws East’s three trumps, ending on the board, and runs the club queen: two, seven, king. How should West defend?

Aves uses Standard in the bidding -- no preemptive three-heart raise with this North hand (not that that would necessarily be so clever with all of those losers, and being vulnerable to boot).

Assuming declarer just took a club finesse, the defenders are collecting no heart tricks and one in each minor. So, they need two spade winners. It would be a natural reaction for West to shift to the

spade jack, but if South assumes this is from the jack-10, it lets the contract make.

Declarer is known to have five hearts, one diamond and apparently

WIN BRIDGE

three clubs (given East’s count signal in the suit). That means he has four spades. There is no hurry to broach that suit. West should return a club, which also works if South is 3=5=1=4. Here, declarer cannot avoid losing two spade tricks, West splitting his honors when South plays toward the dummy.