Contract Bridge

It’s usually easy for declarer to play a hand perfectly if he can see the opponents’ cards. But at the table, declarer sees only his own cards and the dummy’s. Nevertheless, he is expected to achieve the best result possible on nearly every hand he plays.

The reason for this is that there are almost always clues to point declarer in the right direction. The clues might come from the bidding, the play or a combination of both.

Consider this deal where South is in four spades and West leads the diamond queen. If declarer plays strictly from force of habit, he goes down one. He wins the diamond and takes a trump finesse. East wins, cashes two diamonds and returns a heart. Declarer finesses successfully but winds up a trick short when he later attempts a club finesse that fails.

The correct line of play is not really difficult. South sees 25 high-card points between his own hand and dummy, and also notes West’s queen-of-diamonds lead. It certainly seems reasonable to assume that East, for his opening bid, holds the four missing kings, and declarer should adapt his line of play accordingly.

South should win the diamond lead with the ace and play a spade to the ace, deliberately rejecting the finesse. He then leads a heart to the jack and a club to the ace (again rejecting the finesse), followed by a heart to the queen.

With everything going

along smooth as silk, declarer next cashes the ace of hearts, discarding a diamond from dummy, and his work is done. He loses only a spade, a diamond and a club, and he has the satisfaction of knowing that he played the hand as though all 52 cards were face up on the table.

Tomorrow: Heigh-ho, Sylvia.