Bridge Inferential count

“I read your columns this week about counting on defense,” a club player told me. “I can get a count on declarer’s hand when it becomes clear near the end of the play, but figuring everything out by inference at Trick One strains my feeble brain.”

Counting and drawing inferences are linked. Like most “expert” techniques, they require experience and focus but are simple in principle. Clues are always available.

In an IMP team match, West judges to let South play at three diamonds. To compete to three spades would be right if East could make three spades and South makes three diamonds, but chances are that at least one contract will fail.

The defense takes the K-A of spades, and South ruffs the third spade. He leads a trump to the ace and returns a trump: jack, queen, king. South, it seems, had six diamonds. Suppose West shifts to the jack of hearts: deuce, four, king.

Ever since West saw dummy, he should be think

ing about what he’ll do when declarer leads a club. At that point, West can take his ace or play low, but he must do something promptly. If he huddles, he will betray possession of the ace.

Can West get an inferential count?

East responded one spade with a four-card suit. If he held four hearts, he would have bid one heart instead, showing his four-card suits “up the line.” So South had four hearts, six diamonds and two spades — thus one club.

When South leads a club, West must grab his ace. South can pitch one heart on the king of clubs but still loses a heart for down one.