Contract Bridge

It pays to plan the play

Opening lead — six of hearts.

On most deals, the lines of battle are drawn within the first two or three tricks played. Once these lines have been set, it is often impossible to alter the outcome, since the later plays will merely reflect the plans formulated at the outset.

Take this case where South reaches three notrump after

East has opened the bidding with one heart. West leads the heart six, and if declarer plays either the five or ten from dummy, he will never recover.

After East plays the eight on the five (or the jack on the ten), South wins with the king. However, he soon finds himself in trouble after East next takes the ace of diamonds and returns a club. If declarer finesses, he is defeated at once when West wins the king of clubs and returns a second heart, allowing East to score four heart tricks for down two. And if South puts up the ace of clubs instead, he can collect only eight tricks before meeting a similar fate.

The battle lines can be completely reversed, however, if declarer puts up dummy’s queen of hearts at trick one. This forces East to win the trick to prevent South from scoring two heart tricks instead of one. Furthermore, it stops East from returning a heart, which would hand South a trick with dummy’s ten.

East therefore shifts to a club, but declarer must still be careful. If he finesses, West wins and returns a heart to establish three heart tricks for East before the ace of diamonds has been driven out. Instead, declarer should rise with the ace of clubs and attack diamonds.

East wins, but the conflict is now over. He still cannot play a heart without permitting the ten to become South’s ninth trick, so he must try another suit. A club return develops a trick for declarer in that suit, while a diamond or spade return allows South to win and establish the club trick himself.

As is so often the case, the very first trick determines which side ultimately wins the battle.