MindZine - Bridge

In chess there is the opening, the middle game and the end game. The authors here follow a similar path, using sixty deals on each of which the reader has to take part in the early bidding, then decide on the final contract before being put in charge of the play.

The first deal in the book provides a perfect example:

Dealer West. Game All.

J 10 9 4

A K 10 4

10 8 6 4

8 5 2

	N
W		E
	S

A 7 3

A Q 8 7 4

J 10 5

Q 6

J 5

K Q 7

A J 9 5 2

K Q 6

K 9 6 2

9 8 7 3 2

Initially, having been shown just the West hand, the reader is asked what action West should take after opening 1 and seeing partner respond 2. The authors advise a raise to 3, then ask what West should do when East continues with 3. In Acol, this is not forcing, and West's hand is fairly limited, but, as the authors point out: "When faced with a close decision take the action with the bigger reward if successful."

So West raises to 4, against which North leads A and K before switching to J, taken
by dummy's Ace. Next comes J to 2, 4 and 3, followed by 10, K and A, North discarding a diamond. Now, having been shown just the East-West hands, the reader has to find the best continuation.

Finally, the reader is shown all four hands and given the solution, which is to lead one of the top two clubs from hand, then overtake with the Ace in dummy in order to draw trumps via the marked finesse against South's 9. South then shows out on the second top club, enabling declarer to finesse against North's Ten and make all of dummy's clubs for an overtrick. Note that, if West first leads a small club to enter dummy, then the club suit is subsequently blocked.

Going back to the advice to "take the action with the bigger reward if successful," on this particular deal the meaning becomes clear. After the same start to the defence, success in both 3 and 4 depends mainly on the heart finesse, so why not be in the higher contract?

As can be seen from the above example, the 'chess' formula works very well. Also, Rimington and Klinger ensure that the one hundred and twenty pages in the main body of the book are packed with instructive material.

Peter Littlewood