Contract Bridge

NOW YOU SEE IT — NOW YOU DON’T

In assessing his prospects in a suit contract, declarer is usually better off if he counts his potential losers. In most hands, this will give him a clearer idea of where he stands and what he has to do than if he starts by counting his winners.

But this is a rule of convenience only, and declarer should feel free to readjust his sights whenever the occasion calls for it.

Here is an example.

West leads a diamond against four hearts. Declarer plays low from dummy, and East wins with the king and returns the king of spades, taken by South with the ace.

The only losing tricks appear to be two spades and a diamond, but when declarer plays the ace of hearts and West shows out, South learns he has a trump loser also.

This unlucky break seems to presage defeat, since South now has four losers, but he can still make 10 tricks if he plays carefully.

He first cashes the ace of clubs, then crosses to dummy with a diamond and ruffs a club. This process is repeated by leading another diamond to dummy and ruffing a second club.

South next cashes the king of hearts and plays a heart to the queen. At this point he has won nine tricks — a spade, two diamonds, a club, two club ruffs in his hand and the A-K-Q of hearts.

He is now in dummy and leads the ten of clubs. East has three cards left — the Q-J of spades and jack of hearts, all theoretically winners. South has three cards left — two low spades and the eight of hearts, all theoretically losers.

But the club play from dummy renders East’s position untenable. If he discards, South ruffs with the eight to score his 10th trick, while if he trumps the club, South discards a spade and later scores the game-going trick with the heart eight. One of East’s winners simply vanishes.