CONTRACT BRIDGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21921, 3 October 1934, Page 16

CONTRACT BRIDGE

FLAY OF THE HANI) THE TIME FACTOR BY FINESSE While it is generally recognised that good bridge players have an instinctive understanding of timo valuation in the plav of the hand, it is a curious thing that this all-important factor has never been mentioned or described in any book 011 whist, auction or contract bridge until Culbcrtson drew attention to it in lvis recent book on leads and plays. The indispensable knowledge of timing to the expert was probably subconscious, acquired after years of trial and error. There is no reason, however, why the beginner or student should have to wade through such an apprenticeship: a few weeks or months of intelligent, study and application of the fundamental principles should suffice to put him au fait with the all important element of time valuation. The application of the time factor, or timing, to actual play consists in a precise count of all the winning and losing moves, or "tempos" in the hands of a partnership and its opponents. It is impossible to time any play without timing the opponents' play as well, for every manoeuvre has the purpose of avoiding or breaking down the enemy's fortifications. When there aro no more fortifications, the victory is won; and when the point comes in the play of a bridge hand when one side has no more stoppers, the opponents cards can be shown and the balance ol tricks claimed. Leading Trumps The usually sound theory that it is proper, in playing a suit contract, to deal out trumps, h.is to some extent had a destructive influence upon bridge instruction. Because this rule is incomplete the student has come to consider all other cases in the I'ght or exceptions to the general rule, llius every hand in which it is not proper to lead trumps will appear to him as an individual type, and he may never attain a" grasp of the underlying prm* eiples. How much easier if he were to learn timing, so that by counting the tempos he could definitely place every hand in one category or another. The following simple example shows the mechanical trend of thought in the fime valuation of a hand:

South is the declarer at a contract of four spades, against which West opens the diamond queen. In counting his losers, South sees that be cannot escape the aces of spades, hearts and elnbs —even in so elementary a thought as this the time factor is involved; we cannot prevent the adversaries from taking a trick in any suit when wo havo no card to stop that suit. South has a fourth loser in the small diamond ho holds, and this would he the opponents netting trick, so be must seek to avoid their taking it if possible. Preparing for a Discard After winning the first trick. South will have only one stopper in diamonds; this means that he can afford to allow East and West only one tempo (or lead) before disposing of that losing card. In two tempos they could both drive out his stopper and cash their winning trick. If South leads spades (trumps) to trick two. West will win with the ace and continue a diamond; now South must surrender another tempo to them and they will win their third diamond irick. South therefore cannot lead trumps; he must immediately establish a winning card on which to discard his losing diamond. As it happens this can be done by means of either hearts or clubs; hearts offer the best chance because if one adversary holds only two clubs and South tries to establish that suit he can ruff the round on which South hopes to discard his small diamond. There is little likelihood that either opponent, will have a trump stopper for the third round of hearts. So to the second trick South leads a heart; East wins with the ace and returns a diamond; South wins with tho diamond king and plays two rounds of hearts, discarding dummy's small diamond. He ruffs a small diamond m dummy and from this time on he has all the time he needs. He drives out the spade ace, draws trumps and concedes a trick to the club ace, fulfilling his contract. Use in :Ho-tiump Hand O'bserve how definitely we can find the best course of action by diligently applying the timing principle to a notrump hand:

South is playing a three no-trump contract. West opens the spade 5 and South wins the trick. His mental processes run along these lines: Nino fcricks must bo ivon to make the game. I have four top tricks—two in spades and two in clubs; it is necessary to establish five more. One lead will develop three tricks in hearts—but the ti:mo factor is against me. Since East and West had nine spades between them, one originally held at least five, so East and West only require two more tempos to win three low cards in that suit. It will bo necessary to surrender these two tempos if I play hearts, so I must abandon that suit. Taking the Best Chance Almost surely four club tricks can bo established by giving up one trick. But the time factor again proves this to be unwise; for by this means only eight winning cards could be developed, before East and West could gain their two tempos and cash at least five tricks. I cannot win nine tricks when there are only eight left to bo played. The diamond suit is dangerous—my only play to establish it is »o frnesso immediately for the queen; if this finesse loses I shall have lost a tempo and not one of my suits will he established. Yet in the diamond suit lies my only hopo of developing nine tricks with the loss of only one tempo. It is my only chance —therefore my best one. South consequently leads the diamond nine to the second trick and finesses for West's queen; the nino forces East's ace, and after winning the second spade lead South takes five tricks in diamonds, two in clubs and two in spades, making his contract of three no-trump. When analysis showed that there was no time to play the other suits, South had tc- take tlio course of leading a diamond, knowing that although this method might fail, it was the only way which could possibly succeed.