How could I tell?

'"There was no way in which I could tell." - How often is it true?' So Terence Reese started one of his best books, The Expert Game, answering his own question in inimitable style, "Early in the play, not often; towards the end, never". Pairs play is often maligned but every trick is crucial and concentration, ensuring you "know what's going on", is paramount – and that phrase a compliment to those players who do. Take this ordinary deal from a weekly club event:

  • 853
  • A107
  • K109
  • K987
  • A64
  • Q4
  • J852
  • QJ106
N
W
E
S
  • QJ10
  • J6532
  • 764
  • 53
  • K972
  • K98
  • AQ3
  • A42

South opened a 14-16 no-trump and I raised directly to game, liking my controls and intermediates if we were a point shy of the regulation twenty five and giving my partner, Peter Gemmell, an opportunity to flex his declarer play. West made the reasonable lead of the club queen but dummy and the early play weren't as he hoped; the ace won and Peter led another club, low, eight, low then set about spades; queen, king, ace. West established a club winner and another spade was conceded to East. We were here:

  • 5
  • A107
  • K109
  • 9
  • 6
  • Q4
  • J852
  • 10
N
W
E
S
  • J
  • J653
  • 764
  • ---
  • 97
  • K98
  • AQ3
  • ---

East, not fancying leading to dummy, cashed the ♠J and got out with a diamond, South winning the ace. Declarer now played his spade winner and West had to discard. He chose a heart as that honour was already unguarded, dummy parted with the heart ten. Peter cashed the diamonds and finished with heart ace, dropping the now singleton queen, and a finesse of the knave by leading the seven to the nine.

Notice that South endangered his contract for an overtrick – how could he be sure West had made an error? To give East his due, he kept his diamonds, otherwise it would have been simple to realise that West's last two cards were a diamond and a club. However, East had done some earlier damage by leading his highest diamond in order to tell his partner he held no honour but even without that, when getting off lead after the spade tricks, it was natural to play the 'safe' suit – in which he held vulnerable card.

"How could West know?" – he should have reasoned that had South four diamonds, he would have run the lead to dummy's ♦K109. There could be no fourth round trick and a diamond was the marked card to throw.

Published Saturday 25.Nov.2006