Clarity of purpose leading to focused thought leads to wonderful results at the bridge table. What is your plan to arrive at 9 tricks on the opening lead of â™ 2?

7 tricks are available off the top – 2 diamonds, 2 clubs and 3 spades. The clubs will always provide 2 more regardless of the distribution provided the defense does not switch to hearts and scamper away with 4 tricks in that suit. If East is required to lead hearts, there is no way the defense can take more than three heart tricks. Now, is there a ray of light on how to tackle the clubs? The intent must be to keep West off play by rejecting the club finesse and playing them off the top. Even if the finesse works, it is redundant!

What about an early diamond finesse as an alternate line of play? In case it fails, you will be forced to bring in the clubs without loss because the defense is always capable of eking out 3 heart tricks with minimal effort. Even if the diamond finesse works, you will need to figure out which is the best way to play clubs. In case you cash ♣AK you may well set up ♦Q for West. The defense may now collect 3 hearts apart from the winning queen in each minor! So the decision about what to play at trick 2 is really simple – you have no choice but to cash the top clubs! For the sake of completeness, West held ♠10962♥K532♦875 ♣Q3 in the actual deal.

You receive the opening lead of the spade Jack and wonder what the best way to maximize your chances is? The only possible losers are in hearts. In case West holds both missing picture cards in hearts, you might end up losing 2 tricks in the suit. The double finesse in hearts gives you a slightly better than 75% chance of avoiding 2 losers. Is there a way to knock off the 24% chance that you might fail to arrive at 12 tricks? Thankfully, such a solution exists provided trumps divide 2-1!

Aim to ruff a spade high at trick 2 after winning the opening lead in dummy. Now a low trump to dummy and another spade ruffed with a picture. Repeat the plan to remove the last trump and eliminate the spades. Now you play 3 rounds of diamonds, ruff-ing the last one in dummy. Dummy and declarer end up with 3 hearts and a trump in the 4 card ending. Simply play a heart from dummy and insert the 10 in case East does not play an honour! West may win but must now either return a heart into AQ or give you a ruff & sluff! The key to the hand is timing it right so that you are in dummy after playing to the first nine tricks. West was a mere spectator holding ♠J1096♥KJ62♦J76 ♣75.

This hand had a spectacular effect on the eventual outcome of a Teams match between two fairly strong teams. In the room where I happened to be kibitzing, the auction unraveled as given below. West is confronted by a number of difficult to fathom options on lead. Being an optimist and hoping to strike partner with both black Aces, he chose to start with his singleton club. The expert declarer in the South seat could not contain his frustration as the futility of the contract dawned on him – 3 obvious losers – one in each suit barring diamonds. Hoping that his team-mates might double the contract he found himself in, declarer recognized that the only hope of gaining on the board was to minimize the damage by settling for 10 tricks. After winning the Ace of clubs, he chose to cash two top trumps ending in dummy. At this point, he toyed with the idea of playing a low club (having dropped club Jack at trick one) in the hope of deceiving East. After much rumination, he came to the conclusion that if indeed the lead was from a singleton East would hop up with the King since the opponents were using standard carding methods (high-low to signal an even number)! Consequently, he played a diamond and suffered a mild tremor when East discarded a spade. Once the initial shock wore off, he mentally let out a squeal of delight! He had found a way home by sheer serendipity. The spade loser was parked on the fifth diamond and 11 tricks were in the bag. The bidding was more forthright and aggressive in the other room. North opted for the immediate raise to game (4♥) after hearing his partner open 1♥. East felt the  4♠ bid might turn out to be an excellent 2 way bet – either a cheap sacrifice or the perfect spot if partner turned up with the right cards. Having heard opener’s direct jump, South was not enthused about pushing ahead despite the excellent shape. North, a great believer that the 5 level belongs to the opponents, was in a minor quandary on hearing what was ostensibly a forcing pass by his partner! Double seemed the least of the evils, and, that is where the bidding concluded. NS do not have even the slightest whiff of defeating 4♠X. A glorious swing for the  uncomplicated Polish team.

South finds himself at the wheel in 6NT, having responded 3NT to North’s 1♦ opening! West leads the ♣10. How do you intend to arrive at 12 tricks given that you have started life with only 8 sure winners? If both major suit finesses are on, there is a well established safety play to bring home 3 tricks in diamonds whenever declarer holds K9xx in diamonds. By playing the ♦A and then low towards the King, covering whatever East plays, you can protect against the most calamitous distribution and still secure three tricks. In case East shows out, simply play the King and a low card towards the knave! Given declarer’s actual holding, the safety play works only if West’s first card is either 9 or 10. What is the best way to tackle ♥s? Cash the Ace to guard against a singleton Queen and try the finesse only on the next round. You are pleasantly surprised to find West dropping ♥Q on the first round! Now all that remains to be done is to attempt a â™  finesse. The gods are smiling because that holds as well! What next? Do you cash the top diamond and hope the 9 or 10 falls? If you play the ♦A now, West drops the 9. You compliment yourself on the brief but effective auction (1♦ – 3NT – 6NT) and are delighted to bring your knowledge of safety play technique to the fore at this moment. East plays the ♦7 on the second round and you cover smugly with the 8. Bad luck – the experts mugged you. West wins the Queen and returns a spade. You finesse and East comes up with the â™ K!

So what went wrong? It is essential to repeat the spade finesse before touching the diamonds. When East wins the second time, declarer has no choice but to play W for either Qx or Qxx in diamonds! The West seat was graced by the maestro, Anil Padhye, who was dealt ♠9762 ♥Q ♦Q96 19864! The lesson is that the genuine bridge legends never give up and create “chances� for themselves – mark the ♦9 for future reference!

Watch Roger Federer play the backhand slice with under-spin or Brian Lara hitting a majestic cover drive and their mastery is apparent. The same is true for the truly outstanding bridge players. From the moment he takes his seat at the table, it is clear that he is ready to cope with every problem that may arise. The gift of superior technique available to him is a considerable part of the edge he enjoys over less talented rivals. Watch Kamal Mukherjee in action during an early round of the Lalit Mohanka Memorial event recently held in Kolkata.

Kamal Mukherjee landed in 4♥ after his LHO had come in with a 3♠ pre-empt over his 1♥ opening. West opened the King of spades. How do you intend to get home? In the other room, playing in the identical contract, declarer won the opening lead in dummy and cashed two top trumps and ♦AK. Now he chose to exit with a third diamond and the roof caved in when East won the Queen of diamonds and returned ♣J. The only difference was at trick one when Kamal-da asked for a low spade! When West persisted with spades, declarer won the Ace pitching a small diamond from his hand. Queen and Jack of trumps, followed by three rounds of diamonds, was enough to establish the suit. The trump King remained as the entry to the winning diamond, providing a club discard. As an aside, West held ♠KQJ1095 ♥6 ♦987 ♣AQ8.

The next hand occurred in a local teams-of-four contest in Mumbai. Quite possibly some of the bidding may not meet with your approval, but most experienced tournament players are happy to enter the bidding on the slightest pretext! The final contract is not unreasonable and after casual inspection of all four hands it seems that the clubs can be picked up without loss via the double finesse. So what is all the fuss about – three clubs, two heart ruffs, one top heart and four spades add up to ten tricks?

West’s lead of the heart King was won in dummy. Declarer realizing that three club tricks were needed to land the contract played the club Jack at trick two. East duly covered and declarer won the trick and exited with a heart. East wins the trick, cashes a top diamond and leads another diamond won by his partner. West dutifully shifts to trump. Dummy wins and safely negotiates a second club finesse. It is now that the first clouds appear on the horizon! This is the position after the play to the first seven tricks with South to play.

A heart can be ruffed in dummy and declarer’s hand re-entered with a trump to get a second heart ruff. Now hoes declarer get out of dummy without promoting a trump trick for West? Noting the hitch with the plan to ruff hearts, declarer changed tack. He chose to draw trumps finishing in his own hand. This left East tangled up in knots, since he can no longer locate a safe discard. Had he thrown a heart, declarer can now ruff a heart and return to hand with the club King. A club discard was equally embarrassing since it would set up dummy’s last club for the tenth trick!

Winning bridge is all about asking yourself the right questions as the hand unfolds at the table. A genuine effort to detect what is going on round the table will lead to better results more often than not. The hand that features below came up in a local tournament in Mumbai and surprisingly, even top-flight experts failed to spot the clue to the winning line.

Playing Precision, with neither side vulnerable, South got the ball rolling with 1NT. After his partner made the transfer to spades, he found himself at the wheel in a contract of 4♠. West led the 7 of clubs to his partner’s Ace. After a brief pause, East chose to return the Queen of diamonds. Did something take place at trick one to get your antenna up? Have you figured out who holds ♣K? If it’s West, what has provoked him to under-lead from a suit headed by King and little else? Or has East made a deliberate false-card? Possibly, West led from 7x and East holds AK9xx. In that case, why did he not continue with King and a third club? The only reason is that East holds the ♠K singleton! Or could West have led from 97xxx with East holding ♣AK doubleton?

To get to the bottom of this strange play at trick one, the best line is for declarer to win in hand and play another club. If West wins the Queen, the odds favour finessing the trump King. If East pops up with the ♣K, win the diamond return in dummy and play a third club. In case East follows, ruff high and play to drop the singleton spade King if it holds. If he shows out, ruff low and finesse in trumps! In the actual deal, East held ♠K ♥A96 ♦QJ107 ♣AK965.

The next hand comes from a BBO team match littered with star players. EW were vulnerable and South landed in 4â™  after a 2NT opening since he judged that his club holding might be too fragile in a 3NT contract.

The opening salvo is the ten of trumps by West. It seems like declarer is destined to lose two trump tricks unless RHO holds precisely KJ doubleton. Since there is a definite club loser, the hearts will have to be brought in without loss. Quite apart from the need to find ♥QJ onside, declarer also needs to ruff a club to arrive at 4 trump tricks, 3 heart tricks, the two top diamonds and club Ace.

Recognising that the key to the hand was getting the timing right, the Turkish international ducked the first trick as declarer! Now he won the trump continuation with the Ace and crossed to the ♦King. East needs to be kept out of the lead to prevent a third round of trumps being played, which highlights the need to lead clubs towards AJ. Clearly, East cannot hold more than one club honour if the contract is to have a prayer! West, a reputed American professional put in the King on the first round of clubs at trick four – to no avail. Declarer rose with the Ace and continued with the ♣J! West returned a diamond after winning the club trick. Now declarer executed the end-game with clinical precision. After winning ♦A, a diamond was ruffed and the ♥10 was led from dummy. East did well to cover but declarer was up to the challenge. Another diamond was ruffed and in dummy and the ♥9 was played with the intent of setting up the third trick in the suit. It is worth noting that the club ruff must wait till the third heart has been established, else declarer would have been an entry short. East covers again and now the heart 8 provides the link to the club ruff! As an aside, East held ♠KJ8 ♥QJ73 ♦J1094 ♣K6.

The old Turk had just shown what a star rating means on BBO!

Skilful declarer play technique is a joy to behold. It requires not just meticulous planning, a sense of timing, an ability to combine chances but foresight and imagination as well. The deal given below featured in the second World Team Olympiad held in New York in 1964. An alert declarer will gain a fair number of clues from the bidding. Despite this help, it seems difficult to get rid of the heart losers.

The Chinese declarer came up with an ingenious solution. Realizing the futility of winning the lead (â™ K) in dummy, he chose to duck! West chose to continue with â™ Q which was ducked again in dummy and ruffed with ♦6. Next came the trump Ace followed by a trump to the King once both defenders followed to the first round of diamonds. When the finesse of the ♣Q held, declarer discarded one black Ace on another. This allows him to take a ruffing finesse against East and arrive at two heart discards. The carefully preserved ♦4 helps him to stay in touch with dummy! The West hand was â™ KQ10972 ♥AQJ62 ♦J2 ♣ – while East was dealt â™ J64♥94 ♦8 ♣ K876532. As an aside it is worth pointing out that 5â™  by East-West cannot be defeated.

For most bridge experts the humble part-score does not get the same attention as the tricky game or the intricate play required to bring home a tight slam. Yet for the true master, the delicate nuances of handling the limited resources available to fulfil a part score are just as challenging! Here is a wonderful example played by the French bridge legend Jose le Dentu.

With barely enough to scrape up an opening but wholly aware of the power of the spade suit, Le Dentu opened 1♠. His partner, familiar with Le Dentu’s outstanding technique as declarer, and the pre-emptive value of the single raise chose to bid 2♠. The lead of the ♣7 is won by East with the Ace. Back comes the ♦8 which is won by West with the Queen. At trick three, West plays a low heart and when East plays the Queen it is allowed to hold. A second low diamond appears instantly leaving declarer in no doubt about the opponents’ holding in the suit. Assume declarer wins the Ace. Six losers appear obvious – a trump, two hearts, two diamonds & a club. How do you make one of these vanish into thin air?

It took Le Dentu the flicker of an eyelid to realize that his best hope was a singleton spade honour with West! After felling the singleton Queen in his LHO’s hand with the trump Ace, he continued with a third diamond setting up the suit. When West returned ♥J, he won the Ace in dummy and played a fourth diamond! This led to the rare manoeuvre aptly named by the French le Coup de l’Agonie! East is now helpless. If he chooses not to ruff, declarer discards a heart. Obviously, it is hopeless to ruff high. Therefore, East ruffs with a low card and declarer now over-ruffs. He enters dummy with a club ruff and extends East’s misery by playing the fifth and final diamond. The heart loser is now happily floating in the ether.

East held ♠K53♥KQ96♦87 ♣AJ95 and sardonically asked partner in the post-mortem what additional values he needed to overcall 2♣!

The Mohanlal Bhartia Bridge Grand Prix (the 4th edition concluded a couple of weeks ago in New Delhi) has justifiably gained recognition as one of the most prestigious events in the Indian bridge calendar. Quite apart from the meticulous organization and amazing hospitality, the event serves to showcase the best Indian talent on offer. Kudos to the entire crew responsible for raising the bar!

Getting to the right spot as the auction proceeds is half the battle won at the highest levels of the game. Here are a couple of hands from the Pairs Final and a gem from the Teams Final which demonstrate why technique needs to be combined with imagination to achieve the thrill of coming to terms with the complexity of this game.

Playing Match-Points, most experts prefer to play in a no-trump contract provided the shape and combined high card assets provide the partnership an option. Given the horrible spade break and the actual lie of the cards, EW cannot arrive at more than 9 tricks with ♥s as trumps and 11 tricks in a spade contract. The 4-4 spade fit and 31 high card points lured a number of partnerships to the ill-fated 6â™  contract. Somewhat surprisingly, very few pairs found the way to reach the cast-iron 6NT slam. Playing Standard American or its many variants, the bidding table above offers one possible way of getting there. The bid of the fourth suit (FSF) – 2♦ – establishes that the partnership cannot stop below game. East confirms 3 cards in hearts since he would have chosen to bid 2♥ at his second turn with 4 card support. West now joins the party by communicating that he has four spades. Not only is the 2NT bid by East essential to protect the ♣K in case the partnership eventually lands in a NT contract, it conserves bidding space. The subsequent bids (3♦& 4♣) are cue-bids confirming first or second round control in the bid suits. West has heard enough to take charge and explores a slam in spades with the use of Roman Key Card (also known as 5 Ace) Blackwood. The 5 spade response by East confirms 2 Key cards and the Queen of the agreed trump suit. East either has the 2 minor suit Aces or the spade and diamond Ace! Either way 12 tricks are odds on in a NT contract – 5♥, 3♦, the club Ace and 3 spades or 5♥, 3♦ and 4 spades if East holds â™ AQ!

The next deal is highly nuanced and requires a number of subtle inferences to land in the best spot.

2♠ is fourth suit forcing to game and 3♦ clarifies that North has a 6 card diamond suit of decent quality. The next three bids are cues indicating first or second round control. The 4♣ bid by South is the stepping stone to reaching the slam since it conveys two crucial messages to partner – by consciously going past the level of 3NT (a favourite resting place, particularly at Match-Points) it suggests a better than minimum hand with interest in a diamond slam. 4♦ is RKCB with diamonds set as trumps. North, looking at 3 key cards knows that 4♥ means one with partner, either of the red suit Aces. If it is the ♦ Ace, and the bidding hints at ♣K and ♥K as well, then the diamond slam is likely to be in jeopardy on a heart lead. The prospect of South holding ♥KQ in addition is ruled out since he would have made an opening bid of 1NT with 15 points. The most likely extra values that South holds are either ♠K with one of the minor suit knaves or ♠QJ and the knave of diamonds. Spade King and the jack of clubs make 6NT a near certainty. The worst case is ♠QJ, ♥K, ♦AJ & ♣?K wherein 6NT will hinge on either the spade hook working or the heart Ace being favourably located and clubs dividing 3-3. Alternately if the key card is ♥Ace combined with 3 additional kings, the slam will depend on partner holding the ♦J. Even if South were to hold ♠QJ, ♥AK, ♦J & ♣K there are 11 certain tricks with either the spade finesse or club break providing the twelfth trick.

Not only did the deal below set Texan Aces on the path to victory, it was marked by high drama since the declarer – North – could have brought home a doubled contract. After partner pre-empts 3♣, North lands in 4♠. With just three deals to go in a needle match, you summon the courage to double and find yourself on lead holding ♠Q62 ♥K103 ♦A10762 ♣J4. Which card do you pick? The major suits are ruled out and the ♦A may well prove too risky. Finally the ♣J hits the baize and declarer ruffs with a low trump. He plays the trump Ace next hoping to drop the singleton 10 but to no avail.

Fearing a 4-1 trump split with East holding Q10xx for the double, he takes the marked heart finesse and ruffs a second club. Clearly, declarer is banking on East being 4-3-4-2 with an eventual heart throw-in to land his contract. With this in mind, he plays a low diamond towards dummy. Take a look at the hand below and decide where your sympathies lie!

East now rose with the Ace, gave his partner a subsequent diamond ruff and eventually collected a trick in each major. The mind of the expert is truly a black-box that is error-prone under intense pressure. Three nerve-wracking choices arose on a single deal – first, should South raise partner to game, second is the double warranted by East and finally, should declarer play East for 4-3-4-2 or 3-3-5-2.

As Mr Spock put it in Star Trek, “logic is a wreath of pretty flowers that smell bad�.

The legendary Skid Simon was fond of saying “bid what you think you can make�. The advent of fancy bidding gadgets and an increasing sway towards “scientific� methods in competitive auctions has led many contemporary experts to neglect the wisdom inherent in the idea. A closer scrutiny of the merit of “getting the hand off your chest� is definitely worth thinking about. The deal featured below came up in the 1966 World Pairs Championship and severely dented the hopes of a renowned EW pair!

West loses the obvious three tricks, and prima facie minus 100 is not an earth shattering loss despite the fact that North-South are beaten by a trick in 4♥. The double by East suggests a contract in either of the un-bid suits. West, fully cognizant of the strength afforded by his major suit distribution, missed a trick in getting to the best result possible. The reasoning is rooted in elementary logic. If South had passed over the double, West would have been obliged to bid 3♣ even with tram tickets. The actual hand clearly warranted more than a free bid of 3♣. Based on the bidding till that point it is fairly difficult to construct an East hand that would not provide a decent play for 10 tricks with clubs as trumps. Equally, if West is prepared to bid 4♣ at his subsequent turn far better to bid the full value of the hand at the first opportunity. Not only would this warn partner not to bid again, it is almost certain that the opponents would also be silenced. The difference between scoring +130 for 4♣ and conceding -100 in 5♣ doubled is enormous in a top drawer match-points event! East can hardly be blamed for bidding 5 since his partner’s bidding suggests a 6 card suit and limited values in defence. His conclusion that the prospects of defeating 4♥ are remote is as it should be!

The 2♥ bid is a transfer to spades and  was well received by partner. As South was unable to draw trumps when the 4-1 break came to light, he chose to tackle clubs. Consequently West arrived at a ♣ ruff and the defence came to six tricks in all. However, a score of +200 was nothing to crow about for East-West given they had fluffed a sitter in 4♥ which scores with an overtrick. Quite apart from West’s failure to double 3♠, the greater crime was in not bidding 4♥ immediately over 2♠. In all likelihood, the heart game would have been doubled by South and led to a fabulous result when the overtrick rolls in. Much like the previous hand, East’s double suggests values in hearts and a minor. If West thinks carefully about partner’s distribution in conjunction with South’s initial 1NT (15-17) opening, it is virtually impossible to conceive a hand with partner that will not lead to 10 tricks with hearts as trumps.

Here is a final example of the advantage of getting in the first word.

At every single table except for the one where the British legend, Tony Priday, was North East –West had an uninterrupted auction ending at 4♠ with East as declarer. Not a single declarer failed to fulfill his contract. Tony Priday, a young talent at the time, was playing with the formidable Maurice Harrison Gray. With West as declarer, 4♠ has absolutely no chance! After the ♣ King was led, South refused to win a spade at trick 2. Needing to finesse in hearts, declarer played a diamond to King and chose to put up the heart Queen at the next trick. Now, a club return forced the table and despite the hearts dividing evenly and the ♦Q coming down on the third round the hapless declarer had to settle for 8 tricks!

Bidding theory has evolved significantly in the last couple of decades. Even the humble pass has received tremendous attention from the “scientists� considering the creation of a bidding system called Forcing Pass. Yet a bid that is used fairly frequently – Double – remains relatively neglected in bridge literature. Perhaps, this derives from soccer psychosis about the “red card�. Apart from Mike Lawrence’s treatise on the balancing double and some incredibly insightful comments by SJ Simon (Why You Lose at Bridge), the meaning of the bid in different situations remains surprisingly ambiguous. Also worth mentioning is that the confusion created by misinterpretation is typically very expensive! What follows is an attempt to suggest some ground rules that are based on fairly elementary reasoning and lead to profitable outcomes!

Most advanced players are familiar with the territory covered by negative, balancing, support and penalty doubles. Announcing extra values via a double is also fairly typical. However, using it as a tactical weapon in deciding whether to commit to a high-level contract is a nuance that escapes most players at the table. Playing Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC), partner opens 1♦ and right hand opponent (RHO) comes in with 4♠. You hold ♠Kx ♥J1098x ♦K10x ♣Kxx. What action should you take? 11 tricks in a 5 level contract in either red suit is not ruled out. But it is equally likely that partner has 2-3-4-4 or 3-2-5-3 shape in which case a contract at the 5 level would be in serious jeopardy. A double suggests decent values and at least 4 good hearts, or 5 if the suit quality is poor as well as tolerance for diamonds. Partner is now in a good position to judge what leads to the best result! Quite often, it is tricky to figure out which suit provides the best fit and whether a part score is the limit of the hand or not. As dealer you get the ball rolling with 1♥ based on a holding of ♠Kx ♥A10xxxx ♦xx ♣AQ10. LHO bids 2♦ and partner 2♠. RHO competes with 3♦ and you wonder what next? Is partner 5-2-2-4 which would make hearts the right suit to compete in or has he been dealt a 6-1-2-4 shape in which case spades work best. As you debate your options, it strikes you that 5-1-2-5 with partner is not ruled out. A double at this point by you tells partner that you wish to compete but are not sure which suit offers the best chances. Partner should comprehend that you have 6 hearts, tolerance for spades and possibly a secondary club suit.

Playing a local Teams event, I picked up ♠AQ9xxx ♥Axx ♦KJx ♣x as dealer. My LHO chose to make a 2♣ overcall on hearing me bid 1♠. Partner and RHO chose to pass. Obviously, partner does not have 4+ hearts and most probably holds less than 3 spades. Given my shortage in clubs and values in the 3 other suits, I chose to keep the auction alive with a double. Partner was delighted to defend since he held ♠x ♥Qxx ♦Qxxx ♣ K1098x! A low level double can suggest you are happy to choose between 2 different suits while keeping the NT option open.

You hold♠109x ♥K9 ♦AJ10xx ♣Qxx and the auction goes:

Bidding diamonds may deter partner from re-bidding a mediocre 6 card heart suit but might work wonderfully if he has 4 diamonds or three to the King. A double at this point shows length in the un-bid suit and tolerance for hearts. Partner cannot misconstrue your bid as a spade stack since you would choose to pass in that case. As a corollary, if opponents find a suit fit it is obvious you do not want to double for penalties at a low level. You hold:

This is a situation where 3♥ should hint at a weaker type of hand with a desire to compete. Since low-level doubles after opponents establish a fit are not for penalties, the only meaning a double can have in this context is to suggest a game try.

2♠ by LHO is a Michaels cue bid denoting at least 5-5 with hearts and an unspecified minor. 3♣ by RHO asks the Michaels’ bidder to pass with clubs or bid diamonds if that is his suit. This a classic example of the double turning into a winning 2 way bid. If LHO passes the double, partner knows he must take out. In case he bids 3♦, partner knows your second suit is clubs. Exactly the same logic applies when your LHO opens with a Multi 2♦ bid and RHO bids 2♥.

RHO opens with 1♣ and you are looking at ♠x♥QJ10x♦KQJxx♣AJx. Should you look for the red card? Not really, since a take-out double tends to promise adequate support for all the un-bid suits. Partner might well possess six spades headed by the KQ and little else of worth. After a double by you, it would hardly come as a shock if you eventually landed in 3/4 ♠ and opponents doubled to get a juicy penalty. Bid 1♦ at your first opportunity. As a corollary to this concept, avoid using the double when you cannot stand a penalty pass by partner. Finally, do not enter the auction with a double when the bid lacks clarity or has not been previously discussed with your partner. You hold ♠Axx♥Qx♦J10xx ♣K98x and RHO starts the auction with 1♠. After 2 passes, partner comes in with 2♥and RHO re-bids 2♠. What is your best bet – 2NT, 3♥or Double? It is true that the double cannot be for penalties and has responsive overtones. But there is definite room for confusion if you opt to double. No perfect bid exists but it is probably best to cheat a bit and bid 3♥.

Sitting South, non-vul against vulnerable opponents, you hear LHO start proceedings with 1♠. East bids 2♣, which is natural and forcing to game, after your partner passes. You are blessed with ♠x♥QJxxxx♦KJ10xxx ♣- . While a double would certainly indicate interest in both un-bid suits, the hand is short on points and defensive value. If partner has 5-4 distribution in the black suits and 10 high card points, he would be well within his rights to double a 3 level partial by the opponents with potentially disastrous results. Once again, both 2♥and 2♦ could turn out to be winning bids but most experts would start with 2NT, showing great shape but limited defensive values. Partner can subsequently decide whether to double or sacrifice in one of your suits if the opponents find the right spot.

Expert partnerships frequently tend to use lead-directing doubles at a low level. However, such bids require great discretion to succeed. You pass as dealer with ♠x♥xxxx♦AQJ10x ♣Kxx and hear LHO bid 1♠. Partner is quick to pass and RHO bids 2♣. What goes through your mind as you get a second chance to enter the auction? There is little doubt that opponents hold the majority of high card points and should eventually buy the contract. Is this the time for some fancy footwork with a lead-directing double? Most definitely not. If you double and LHO is declarer eventually in either a spade or NT contract, partner will be on lead and believe the double suggests values in hearts. You will be off to the worst possible start thanks to your ill-judged double. The only two real options are 2♦ and Pass. My vote is for the former, since partner will now get off to a safe lead. In case the hand is violently distributional, 2♦ might also open up some interesting possibilities in the latter stages of the auction.

Anticipating the consequences of your bid is what separates the men from the boys at the bridge table. I paid tuition fees to get this lesson at a major national event. RHO opened 1♦ and I chose to make a fairly mechanical double holding ♠KQ10♣KQ10xx♦x ♥KQxx. Disaster struck when LHO bid 3♦(pre-emptive in nature) followed by 2 passes. After much humming and hawing, I eventually went quietly. I had just missed a sitter in 4♥ and sold my team down the river! As fate would have it, partner held ♠Axx♥Jxxx♦xxxx♣xx.

A recent holiday in Hyderabad was filled with great pleasure, particularly when I encountered the sinfully enjoyable “Double ka Meethaâ€�. It is hardly surprising that the cognoscenti in Hyderabad have a whiff of contempt for their country cousins who are thrilled with comparatively trivial desserts such as the “Shahi Tukraâ€�! Here is a marvelous hand from the recently concluded Kalani Trophy held in Indore that is the perfect bridge equivalent. With neither side vulnerable, partner North) opens 1â™  and RHO overcalls 2♥. You are looking at â™ x♥xxx•x ♣KQJxxxxx. Given your amiable, peace loving character and lacking adequate high card strength, you pass quietly at your first turn. LHO ventures a 2NT bid and after a pass from partner, East bids 3♥. Since partner might be affronted that you concealed an 8 card suit, you now bid 4♣ – better late than never! But LHO refuses to be subdued by your brave action and bids 4♥. Two green cards appear in a flash and the bidding tray is back to you. What next?

Having fallen in love with his magnificent club suit, the actual expert in the South chair chose to unilaterally bid 5♣. This was enough provocation for the Royal Bengal Tiger sitting West. Had he been allowed to bid in his native tongue, chances are a thunderous “Godah� (translated in English as mace) would have disturbed the peace! Unable to give vent to his true urge, he had to content himself with “Dobol�(the bid which gives Bengali experts maximum joy!) and collect 300. The full deal was -

A double by South conveys a number of important messages to partner. First, the absence of spades. Second, the ability to ruff suggesting the prospect of 3 hearts. Combine this with the 4♣ bid which virtually assures partner of a 7 card suit and you have given him a near perfect picture of your hand. Armed with this knowledge of what you hold, partner is bound to pass as you savour the sublime bliss of wielding the axe!

Just as an aside, readers should know that the most frequently played and loved contract in elite Kolkata bridge circles is 1NT Dobol!!! Not only does it sharpen card-play technique, it also caters to the proverbial sweet tooth.

Effective bidding in bridge is a genuinely challenging task. Figuring out how to arrive at the best contract with opponents’ intent on making your life difficult by interfering in the conversation is enough to destroy well established partnerships. The contemporary bridge idiom required for consistent success is typically incredibly extensive and demanding. Not surprisingly, even the most legendary partnerships struggle to make the grade in mastering such complex methods. Yet if the effort is lacking, it is unlikely to foster the trust needed at the table that makes winning more likely. The major challenges in developing sound bidding technique relate to the use of bidding space, priorities in communication, eliminating ambiguity in description while preserving the merits of artifice!

At the risk of being called lazy, it is vital to point out that “systems� do not get you to great contracts – people do, using the system. If the system is incredibly difficult to fathom, places a huge strain on the memory and, therefore, tough to play at the table in all likelihood the gains will be crushed by the “accidental� losses. My bridge guru once said, “Just get the logic right and then express it in a way that partner cannot fail to understand�. Clearly, the importance of effortless recall, absolute clarity and total familiarity among both partners is fundamental to minimizing the room for error to creep in. Rather than putting the memory to test, time is far better spent exercising the imagination, calculating the odds in your favour and anticipating the consequences of your action. It also allows us to answer any questions asked by the opponents’ with confidence, eliminates the possibility of acquiring unauthorized information and helps to conserve energy for superior declarer play.

The hands that follow illustrate not only the myriad possibilities built into each deal but the need for flair and judgment as well.

This deal came up on BBO in a Team match with both sides scrambling to get ahead. East, a competent player, chose to remain silent. Ironically, what seems like a fairly innocuous pass may well be the key to EW missing a high percentage slam. In fact, the grand slam is unstoppable if declarer plays the trumps right! South opened with a Multi 2♦showing either a weak two in one of the majors or a strong hand with 17 or more high card points & 4441 shape with an unspecified singleton. West appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place and elected to pass for the time being.

When the bidding came around to him again with his right hand opponent (RHO) suggesting a weak 2 in spades, he re-opened with a double. North can clearly be accused of being timid – 4â™  would be the popular choice. Or was he being wily, since the “rationalâ€� 4â™  bid may well give EW a sniff that slam is on? Should West press on with a 4â™  cue bid on hearing partner bid the game in hearts? A tough call but the odds certainly favour it given that the West hand is blessed with 2 Aces & 2 Kings. Even if East should turn up with wasted values in spades but has a four card heart suit headed by an honour and both minor suit queens, stopping at 5♥ should not prove to be a disaster.

This hand from the league match between Italy and the USA in the 1959 World Championship must qualify as one of the luckiest slams ever made. Fishbein and Hazen seem to have stayed out of trouble in the Open Room with their pedestrian auction. With either spades or clubs as trumps, declarer can score 13 tricks if a heart is not led. However, the ♦ lead is lethal! In the Closed Room, the American East not to be intimidated by his renowned opponents, Giorgio Belladonna (S) and Walter Avarelli (N), made an intrepid 2♦opening. The 3♦ bid conveyed a power-house and Belladonna, keen to conserve bidding space, bid 3♠. On hearing partner bid 4♣, Belladonna made an imaginative 4 ♥ bid. The logic behind the 4 ♥ bid was that if partner was short in spades, he must certainly have heart length. Not surprisingly, Avarelli was happy to reach the little slam in hearts provided Belladonna possessed the ♦A. 5NT confirmed the Ace and Avarelli blissfully bid the slam in hearts, landing the partnership in the worst of the three suits. Except that 6 ♥ proved to be the only unbeatable slam!

The play was unexceptional by Belladonna’s superlative standards. He won the diamond lead, cashed spade Ace and followed it by cashing the three top clubs. When a dazed East ruffed with the ♥10 to prevent a diamond discard, Belladonna simply over-ruffed with the King. A high spade provided a diamond discard in dummy. The coup de grace was delivered when he simply ran the ♥6 to East. Curtains for the USA once again!

As an investment analyst, I am often asked by people about the essence of making superior decisions while creating a portfolio. My constant refrain “cut down your basic errors� is usually not appreciated. Much like investing, minimizing your errors at the table while playing bridge is the best way to improve. In my view, this idea can even be taken a step further – it is possibly the only way!

Intermediate investors attach huge importance to technique – mastering the art of financial statement analysis, delving into the quirks of human behaviour, sharpening their understanding of monetary policy and public finance et al. It is worth recognizing that these skills can only contribute up to a point in achieving investment success. Temperament, common sense and a nose for what’s going on around you are worth a lot more. Bridge is identical with a law of diminishing returns whittling away the gains from mastery of esoteric squeezes and coups. For most social bridge players, not only is this effort truly agonizing but also the single most important reason why they fail to enjoy the game. If you play bridge for fun, the knowledge of knowing how to execute a squeeze without the count is pretty worthless considering you are unlikely to encounter it more frequently than once in 5000 deals. For most of us, being considered the “club expert� or winning money on a regular basis at low stakes rubber bridge is adequate reward for pursuing the game fairly seriously. This is easily achieved by keeping your errors to a minimum and keeping your wits about you.

Human nature is such that we are happy to trumpet our successes but keen to bury our failures. The better you are as a player, the more embarrassing are the mistakes since they bruise the ego like nothing else. But you must accept and admit these lapses to yourself since there can be no improvement if you remain in denial. Each mistake is an opportunity to learn. Extending the logic further, do not neglect the deals where you did well. On a fair number of occasions, your “success� will either be the result of poor play by opponents or conceal the fact that you simply got lucky!

My chief inspiration in putting together this blog is to highlight the litany of errors that have plagued me during the last thirty years and focus on blind spots that seem to get the better of even the finest players. I also intend to celebrate the triumph of logic and skill over dumb luck! Bridge is a game of infinite variety and our behaviour at the table often represents foibles of human character. On occasion, I shall turn the arc-lights on these aberrations in the hope that we will emerge as finer individuals by understanding our limitations. Paying attention to my common failings has certainly helped to improve my game and my sincere hope is that reading about them will help yours.