Basketball legend Michael Jordan’s advice on how to be successful: “Practice like you’ve never won; play like you’ve never lost.”
Bridge is an intellectual challenge. No one ever stops learning. No one ever plays a perfect session, but players are driven to achieve perfection.
Bridge is like any other endeavor: You get out what you put in. To excel, you must apply yourself: read, study, practice. If I were asked to name the single most important quality a successful player needs, I would say “desire”.
Today’s business is a tough exercise. Bridge can give rise to complex situations. West leads the heart queen against 3NT. The declarer sees nine suits: four diamonds, three clubs and two hearts. He takes the king of hearts and unblocks the AK of clubs. Then, trying to keep communication, he leads the Queen of Diamonds. East plays low and plays low again and when dummy leads jack next.
South can only get three diamond tricks; he needs a shovel. At Trick Six, dummy leads a spade.
East must be on the ball. It is a principle of notrump defense that when your partner has led a long suit, you must aim to win an early trick to restore his lead. Also, if the declarer has the ace of spades, the contract can be unbeatable. So East should set up his king. When it wins, he leads his last heart, and West sets up his hearts with the ace of spades as entry. South wins only eight strokes.
Being in a duel between the declarer and the defenders like this is exciting. That’s why we play the game.
Southern Dealer
NS vulnerable
NORTH
S 7 5 2
HK 6 4
DAQJ 10 9
CAK
WEST
SA 9 6 4
HQJ 10 8 5
D 8
C 8 6 3
EAST
SK 10 8
H 9 3
DK 7 5 3
CJ 9 7 4
SOUTH
SQJ 3
HA 7 2
D 6 4 2
CQ 10 5 2
South West North East
Pass Pass 1 D Pass
1 NT Pass 3 NT All Passes
Opening Command — HQ
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