Contract Bridge

Point count is without question a valuable crutch to lean on when trying to reach the best contract. But other key factors can prove even more useful to experienced players. Consider this case where South got to six diamonds on the sequence shown. True, each player had only 13 highcard points opposite his partner’s 13, and it usually takes more high-card strength than that to make a slam.

But North went out of his way to pinpoint both his highcard strength and his 5-4-3-1 distribution, and his graphic description of both did not fall on deaf ears.

Although South could not

see his partner’s hand, he recognized that North had five spades and four hearts because he had bid spades first. South also inferred from partner’s third-round leap to five diamonds that he had at least three diamonds -- and therefore could not possibly have more than one club.

And so, while it might seem that South should have been more deeply concerned about his three club losers before undertaking a slam with his minimum-looking hand, the fact is that he was resting on very solid ground when he decided to bid six. As pays off so often in bridge, South gave much more credence to what he heard than what he saw.

It is quite likely that many pairs, including some long-standing partnerships, would fail to reach this excellent slam. The chief reason might be North’s failure to describe his 5-4-3-1 pattern, which is the crux of the matter, or possibly South’s failure to recognize the message his partner was imparting. In any case, the deal highlights the enormous value of close partnership rapport.

Tomorrow: A resistible temptation.