Getting the Most Out of Your Cards


Vul: Us
Dlr: Me
Scoring: Matchpoints
 
 
 PARD (dummy)
S Q 10 9
H Q 10 5 2
D K J 7 3
C K 3		 With a little smirk on my face, I know how I will proceed. After winning the HA in hand, I cross to dummy with the CK and call for the DJ! Still feeling the sting from the last hand, righty doesn't stew for long before playing his DA and everybody at the table gets a good laugh when I ruff this time.

I pull two rounds of trumps ending in dummy and finesse righty for the SK, but he doesn't have it. 12 tricks are the limit and I claim +680 by ruffing one club in dummy and pitching the other club on the DK.

This bluff play was necessary to make 12 tricks if lefty originally held CQxxxx and righty held three trumps. In this case, ruffing both clubs in dummy would be impossible.

Even though I bluffed righty but good, I still misplayed the hand. Can you work out my mistake?




Contract: 4H
Opening Lead: H6 		ME
S A J 6 2
H A K 8 4 3
D --
C A J 7 4

If lefty originally held CQxxx and righty held three trumps (as was the case on this hand), then in order to make 12 tricks without bluffing righty, I would have to ruff two clubs in dummy.

Playing double­dummy, this is easily done. Ruff the first club low and the second club with the HQ. Now finesse the H9 and claim 12 tricks. Easy enough, right? Well, lefty could easily have started with H96, foiling this line of play.

The key mistake in my play was the H10 at trick 1. Righty is almost surely marked with the HJ on the opening lead, so by playing low, I could have discovered the position of the H9 at trick 1. Had my bluffing play not worked out as well as it did, I could have ruffed two clubs in dummy and finessed the HJ for 12 tricks.

Vul: Us
Dlr: Me
Contract: 4H
N/S Score: +680
Result: Average
 PARD (dummy)
S Q 10 9
H Q 10 5 2
D K J 7 3
C K 3
LEFTY
S K 7 4 3
H 6
D Q 10 9 8
C Q 10 9 8		 RIGHTY
S 8 5
H J 9 7
D A 6 5 4 2
C 6 5 2
ME
S A J 6 2
H A K 8 4 3
D --
C A J 7 4


Incidentally, most lefty's led a diamond or a club at trick one, which established the DK or the CJ immediately.
All my hard work brought us back to an average score, plus some bragging rights.

It is hands like these and the stories that go with them that create enjoyment at tournaments and new friends at the bridge table.

The Fallible Genius - a chronicle by Brad Bart
August 19, 1998