Dubious Logic

"A reader writes…"

"A reader writes…" well, you may be surprised to learn readers do write. Gone are the days of the bridge correspondent taken to task in the letters section, they belonged if not to the days of Culbertson and Lenz, then to Reese and Schapiro. Over the years I have received real letters but as the Royal Mail sadly reflects, these days it is via email which at least earns you a quick response.

If you have any comment or query, or have a hand or deal of interest, then do get in touch: also linked from the web location mentioned last week, http://www.dubiouslogic.com/bridge/eadt.

Years ago letters were almost exclusively about mistakes in the layout of diagrams. It is annoying but I have sympathy for the compositors dealing with unfamiliar layout conventions. For a while now the newspaper has taken electronic copy and such errors are now rare. Needless to say all errors in analysis are very much mine. Edward Lockhart took me to task about this situation in November:

You declare 2NT as West. I criticised my play at the table which was to win the diamond knave in hand and take a club finesse. My correspondent defended it; counting defensive tricks, they can make a club, two diamonds (if North has five) and two spades. The most likely route to failure is to lose an early trick to North who finds a heart switch. Taking the club finesse first protects the heart queen and allows time to set up a trick in spades.

Although I was writing about remembering your contract and not being put off by the sight of dummy, it appears I forgot when writing the article, so thanks Ed, I'm not used to people defending my line at the table. To show how easy it is to get this wrong, here is another 2NT from the Suffolk Knock-Out in December, you are West:

Your cautious approach looks well founded when North leads the spade four, South wins the ace and returns the eight. You naturally hold up and the defence clears the suit, South showing ace-eight-seven putting North almost certainly with five. You have to play diamonds and if the ace is with the spades you will lose five quick tricks but South wins and plays a club – do you finesse?

No. You have eight tricks, you don't need any more. It is not quite a 'Practice Finesse' – where even if it wins you don't gain a trick – but it's not essential for your contract. West did finesse and was successful but it didn't gain anything; he still lost 10 IMPs against game in the other room.

Most recently a correspondent wrote to correct line-ups for a county match (apologies!) but whether for fault or interest, I am always pleased to hear from you.

Published Saturday 9.Jan.2010