Bridge: Aug. 5, 2024

“You write about counting the defenders’ hands to help in the play,” a senior member of my club said to me. “I can’t recall every card that’s played: My memory is so poor, I can hide my own Easter eggs.”

Counting takes practice and focus but is easy in principle. At four spades, East takes the jack and king of clubs; West throws a heart. On the ace, declarer ruffs with the ten, and West overruffs and leads a heart.

South wins with the king, draws trumps with the A-K and returns a heart to his ace. He next leads the queen of diamonds: king, ace, deuce. He ruffs a heart back to his hand, and East-West follow.

13 CARDS

South knows that East had seven clubs and two trumps, and he followed to three rounds of hearts and one diamond. Since East had 13 cards, he has only clubs left.

South leads a diamond, and if West follows with the five, dummy plays the six. If instead West plays the eight, dummy’s ten wins, and South get to his hand with a trump to pick up the diamonds.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S A Q 10 6 4 H A K D Q 7 4 3 C 8 5. Your partner opens one heart, you respond one spade, he bids two clubs and you try two diamonds. Partner then jumps to three spades, What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner has extra strength, and his three spades shows good support and diamond shortness. Slam is likely, and to bid six spades or 4NT would be a fair gamble. Partner may hold KJ7,QJ965,2,AKQ7.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S K 8 2

H 9 6 5

D A J 10 6

C Q 7 2

WEST

S J 9 5

H Q 10 8 4 3

D K 9 8 5

C 10

EAST

S 7 3

H J 7 2

D 2

C A K J 9 6 4 3

SOUTH

S A Q 10 6 4

H A K

D Q 7 4 3

C 8 5

South West North East
1 S Pass 2 D 3 C
3 D Pass 3 S Pass
4 S All Pass
Opening lead — C 10

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