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    Jan Cormack

Jan’s Day: No Substitute for Experience.

A play problem for today and then a “Jan’s eye” view on how to solve it. You love bidding slams, don't you? Well, only when you make them!

 

 

You reach your slam (well, egged on more than a little by your partner!). The opposition are silent with West leading 4 to East’s ace. East returns 6 which you win in dummy. For something to do at trick 3, you play your winning Q discarding a spade from your hand. East also discards a spade. Plan the play.

“You can read a thousand books and cram your head full of technical plays but unless you have personally witnessed or executed these plays at the table, they really mean nothing.

Bridge is just like any other sport. You would not expect to win even one hole against a professional golfer if you had just taken on the game nor would you expect to play in the top grade at your tennis club as a relative beginner. Most players mature into a sport with several years of experience and this is certainly true of bridge.

Recently, I took my goddaughter, Emily Cormack, to lunch for her birthday. In one of our more serious moments when we were discussing life in general, I remembered a quote: “Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.”

Emily looked at me and said “Does that mean sometimes you have to get things wrong before you get them right?”

Over the years, I have learnt many things at the bridge table through trial and error. The following deal from an Auckland provincial match reminded me of one of the first lessons I learnt from an expert. You do not automatically take a finesse unless you have explored all other avenues for a superior line.

 

After the 4 lead, East won his ace and returned another diamond. It appears the contract now depends on finding the Q. Can you see another option?

As declarer, you have nothing to lose by delaying the finesse and playing off your top cards in the hope that the opponents’ discards may provide you enough information to find the winning line.

So, you win Q, cash A, Q and K. Interestingly, East discards a low spade on the third round of diamonds so that you know West started with six diamonds. Return to hand with A and cash two more high spades. West discards a diamond on the third round. Then two more high hearts finishing in the South hand with both defenders following (i.e., both had three hearts) and when you play the 13^th heart, this is the picture:

 

Throw 10 from dummy and East is history. If they throw a club, simply play a club to the king as you know the club suit is 1-1 (West still has 2 diamonds in their hand). If East throws 9, then your 7 and K will take the last two tricks.

Only with experience will you find that your play of the cards will change and improve and that your understanding of bidding situations (when to be aggressive or when to be passive) will be consistent enough to take on the really top players." (October 1989)"

Naturally, another little skill is required to make the above contract: memory, observation, card-counting whichever term you wish to use. That too comes from experience. All would be lost (certainly this contract) if you could not remember that the 7 is the highest (indeed only) spade remaining.

For Less Experienced Players

You are going to have to play the contract you choose, well, you or your partner. You are playing Pairs. What is your choice?

 

1 promised at least a 5-card suit with your 2NT agreeing spades as trumps with the values at least for game, maybe with higher aspirations. (Jacoby 2NT).

3NT showed 15-17 balanced with 5 spades.

4NT was Roman Key Card Blackwood (a great convention if you do not yet play it). 5 showed 2 of the 5 key cards (four aces and K) and the Q. 5NT asked for kings outside the trump suit and 6 said “one”.

So, your bid is?

Richard Solomon

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