CONTRACT BRIDGE Importance Of Correct Timing Demonstrated

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31782, 12 September 1968, Page 8

CONTRACT BRIDGE Importance Of Correct Timing Demonstrated

(Contributed By J.R.WJ At lot of people make a lot of money hitting a golf ball, a cricket ball or a tennis ball; others buying or selling shares or property; and others telling funny stories. All of them know the importance of timing. It is the same in bridge where some declarers make a lot of contracts because their sense of timing is good. The others lose a lot, saying as they bang down an ace and scoop up the cards, “It can only win one trick.” When it wins it is all important.

North-South reached their spade game in a canter against silent opposition. South opened one spade and over his partner’s two heart response rebid two spades. North had just enough to raise to three, and South, who would have opened the bidding without the ace of clubs, was justified by his extra strength in going on to game. After West had led the

jack of clubs, the declarer surveyed the prospects. If East held the king of clubs, as appeared likely from the opening lead, they were somewhat cloudy. Even if he trumped a diamond in dummy, he had four apparent losers, two in clubs and one each in diamonds and hearts. It was essential to find a means of disposing of at least one of these losers, and the long heart suit in dummy offered the only hope. The scarcity of entries, however, made careful play and a little luck essential. Suit Establishment

Playing low from dummy on the opening lead just in case East had the singleton king. South won the first trick with his ace of clubs. His next play was a small heart and when West followed with the four dummy played the six, allowing East's 10 to win. A diamond return was taken by the declarer's ace and a heart was led to North’s ace. A third round of hearts was ruffed with the jack of spades, and this exhausted the opponents of the suit, leaving two established hearts in dummy. The wisdom of delaying the drawing of trumps now became apparent. The declarer cashed his king and queen of spades, then crossed to the ace in dummy, thus completing the extraction of the opposing trumps. He was now in the right place at the right time, and played off the two good hearts, discarding two losing diamonds from his own hand. He still had to concede two tricks in clubs, which with the trick already lost in hearts added up to three, but he made the contract with five spade tricks, three hearts and the aces of clubs and diamonds. The key to success was allowing the defenders to win the first round of hearts. The ace of that suit was then used as an entry at the right time when South had no more and was able to ruff the third round. Defensive Timing

If we exchange North’s ace and seven of hearts for East’s

king and queen a different aspect of the timing theme becomes apparent. The full deal would be:—

Again South reaches four spades on the same bidding sequence and again West leads the jack of clubs. After winning with the ace the declarer leads a heart to the queen. If East wins with the ace, play proceeds exactly as before. South takes the next trick with the ace of diamonds, crosses to the heart king and ruffs the third round of hearts. Then he draws trumps in three rounds, finishing in dummy, cashes the two established hearts and claims his contract as previously. But study the effect if East allows the queen of hearts to win the second trick. South returns to hand with the jack of spades to lead another heart to dummy’s king. East captures this with his ace and switches to a diamond, taken by the declarer’s ace. South can now enter dummy with the ace of spades to ruff the third round of hearts and establish '.he last two cards in the suit, but he has no means of re-entering the North hand to cash them. Against this defence he must concede defeat.

What has happenei' is that East, by holding up the ace of hearts on the first round, forced the declarer to use his entry to dummy before he was ready to do so. His timing was then completely destroyed, and he was defeated by a defender who knew his ace could win only one trick but also knew it was allimportant when he took it