CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 229, 27 September 1935, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

STUDYING THE HAND PATTERN (By ELY CULBERTSON.) For many years I have been engaged in research to establish the principles of the law of symmetry of a hand, at bridge. The work has been a tremendous one, and the little that has been published in connection with this fascinating subject' has been at l>est fragmentary. However, I am indebted to Mr. James T. Hunter, of North Adams, Mass., for an interesting discussion of the application of some of the .principles of the law to the play of a hand at Contract bridge, in which his partner, through failure to draw correct inferences from the implications of distribution, failed to fulfil a grand slam contract. Without necessarily agreeing with everything that Mr. Hunter states, I append his hand with his comment. Regardless of accurate or brilliant bidding, the proper play of the cards produces the final thrill in Contract. Correct thought process in analysing distribution often determines the plan of play, and the following deal, which occurred in rubber bridge, clearly illustrates the advantages to an informed declarer. Applying the symmetrical factor would have resulted in the correct iplay of the trump suit and eliminated a poor player's poor guess. (This player was poorer after that evening's play —but take your choice, perhaps faulty : is a better word.^

Perhaps North was open to criticism for jumping at once to seven. South might have been bidding a live-card suit headed by Knaveten with a Diamond honour trick, but North was pretty sure the response would have been two no trump if the Spade Ace was not held, so, with the encouraging Club raise it appeared at worst to depend on one finesse for the grand slam. The opening lead was the six of Hearts. Dummy won and South played out the KingQueen of Spades, his theory being to protect the suit against three to the Knave in West's hand, taking the third round with his Ace, claiming a second round finesse of the ten was foolish. What a woe-begone, helpless attitude, and yet how natural to the uninformed! What a perfect picture the two hand* and the opening lead give. Look at them and analyse them.

The lend is obviously away from weakness, through strength bid on the left and denied on the right. East therefore is marked with Queen-Knave. Was West's lead a doubleton or top of worthless tripleton? If a tripleton, West would have led the nine (0-5-4; Ace-Qucen-Knave missing). East played the five, so it now looks like Queen-Knave-0-5 are held by East. Here is the "tip-off." The Heart suit is distributed 5-4-2-2. Soutli's hand pattern is 5-4-2-2. So far the deal is 25 per cent symmetrical. What next? Naturally the trump suit and locating the Knave and possible guards. With one suit and one hand balanced the Diamond singleton in dummy shows one suit and at least one hand unbalanced. What and where? Dummy's hand pattern is 5-4-3-1. Is there a suit like that ? Spades, of course. Diamonds cannot be, 2-1 showing; Clubs cannot be, 4-4 showing; Hearts already are allocated. South has five Spades; dummy three. Therefore the remainders arc 4-1. This determines the play. (The deal is 50 per ccnt symmetrical. If West has four to the Knave, the contract is set. If there is a singleton Knave— O.K. Tf East has four to the Knave one finesse catches it. Therefore lead the King, then low, and finesse. The guess of three to the Knave in the West hand has been eliminated. Two Ileal ts are ruffed out to discard the Diamond loser and West is squeezed in Clubs and Diamonds. If West discards Diamonds only, the. Clubs must be finessed fhrough West. The play being the Ace and then low from dummy I to Soutli's Queen, East is surely a 4-4-4-1, and I when showing out 011 the second Club lead, I West's Knave is "coppcr&d."

MiHunter has made a very interesting nnalysis of a constantly recurring situation.