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Counting on it!

What is the hardest part of bridge? Some would say defence, others bidding, and many would say “everything”! One nomination which may not be right at the top of the list but must surely rank quite highly is pairs’ inability to take the four top side-suit tricks to which they are entitled to beat a 4 of a major game.

There may sometimes be a genuine excuse where the player on lead holds AQx of a side suit and makes an alternative unlucky lead. However, there are many cases where no sympathy can be given.

 

You are defending 4. You have a nice easy lead and seemingly an even easier continuation.

You lead K which holds as does the Q with your partner playing 7 and then 5, natural count or encouragement. Declarer plays 9 and then 4. What next?

Well, what came next at most tables was a third round of spades. While it can be correct for declarers to withhold their ace on the first round of a suit (we are talking about a suit contract), it would be bizarre for a declarer not to win the second round. So, East holds the A.

Unfortunately, East also held a 4^th spade which meant declarer could ruff and then proceed on a very merry path.

 

 

Heart to the queen, diamond to the queen, two more rounds of trumps and then lots of diamonds, making one over instead of one under trick.

Including one pair defending 3, only 4 out of 27 pairs managed to take 4 tricks on defence. Some were only defending 3 though that is irrelevant since all defenders should be able to take 4 tricks. How does West know to switch?

The Count

We are all different. When we defend, some of us like our partners to say whether they like the lead (either high or low encourage, as is your preference) while others want to know how many cards their partner has in the suit, if they do not have to play a higher card to try to win the trick.

For me, the sensible approach is in between. Generally, attitude (“like” or “no like”) is a great idea but there are times when knowing the number of cards your partner has in the suit is key (e.g. when opening leader has AKxxx and wants to know whether they can give partner a ruff…though the simple technique there of encouraging with a doubleton would work as well). I lead the king for count while the lead of the ace (from say AKx) asks for an encouraging card or not!

This method can run occasionally into difficulty when you lead the K from KQxx as it is not really the count that you want but whether partner has either the ace or the jack (either should be good) but if one adopts a more flexible approach where both defenders can judge that the partner can give an attitude signal on the lead of the king, then one can survive.

However, there was no such difficulty with the above hand. Where the king asks for count, there are two approaches (“natural count” – high low with an even number of cards in the suit or “reverse count” – high low with an odd number), East can give the required answer, one which the declarer cannot disrupt even if they try to by playing 9 then 4.

West knows that East has four spades and that the third round will be ruffed. There is no guarantee that East has A but there is a 6- card ominous looking diamond suit in dummy. One presumes South has the values to bid 4 and has some decent hearts. There is a big danger that club losers can be discarded on diamonds. Say South had  AK to 7, two spades, two diamonds and CAJ or Ax. Then, by switching to a low club, you have just lost the opportunity to hold the contract to 10 tricks.
You were never beating 4.

Partner can help

There is just a little clue that your partner can give you that switching to the club at trick 3 is best. They can play their smallest spade (playing reverse signals) giving the count and on the second spade, the next smallest indicating a switch to the lower of the other two suits is correct. Had they, for instance, a void diamond, they would play their highest small spade second time round.

Yet, logically, defending against 4, the defence needs two further tricks to beat the contract. With an ominous diamond suit in dummy, logically the best place to look for tricks is the club suit.

AK, AK …four winners…but generally only two were taken.

There are situations where the count is absolutely vital. One such is defending a high- level contract. Let’s us say you are playing “reverse signals”, low -high with an even number, or low encourage:

 

You would hope to make three tricks out of your minor suits but which three? Only your partner can tell you. It is all about “count”. Although normally holding just AKx, you want encouragement, this time it is vital your partner tells you how many clubs they hold. By playing 2, they tell you an even number, even if South false-carded with Q as they should. The chances of South having four clubs are slim. You can cash your A knowing that South must follow suit. You know where to go for your third trick…K, for count.

Those hearts looked ominous in dummy. You must get this right.

While my preference from partner is generally getting, hopefully, an encouraging signal, there are times when giving count is not only useful but vital. This is true not just with the opening lead but sometimes in the later defence too.

Giving count, with perhaps a touch of suit preference, would have saved you from being one of the 23 pairs above who failed to defeat 4.

A bidding problem for tomorrow. You are North.

 

You are playing a natural system. Let’s say Acol. Where to from here?

See you on Saturday.

Richard Solomon

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