Counting Counts

On an unrelated errand some years back I found myself sitting at the back of a bridge class as an experienced teacher gave a lesson. She knew her students well and cutting the lecture short, quickly got them playing example hands. We began to chat but she was soon called to a table and I made myself 'useful'. I watched a pair bid uncertainly to the intended contract – but I kept my counsel. Hardly had dummy been revealed declarer was off like a whippet. "Have you counted your tricks?" I asked, "I haven't got time for that, I've got a hand to play" he replied.

Failure to count tricks is endemic at all levels of play. This was a deal from the most recent county match against Essex.

  • J84
  • AK653
  • A762
  • 5
N
W
E
S
  • K106
  • Q10987
  • 8
  • QJ104
West
North
East
South
1
1
Pass
2*
X
2
Pass
4
All Pass

North, presumably protecting a diamond holding, led a trump and South followed. West could now count ten tricks; five trumps (in one hand or the other), three ruffs (in one hand or the other), the diamond ace and a spade. However declarer elected to play South for both top clubs, conceding the queen to the ace and taking a ruffing finesse against the king. That was an unnecessary risk amd West still had to lose two spades when the ace-queen were with South.

Perhaps using the combination of three spade honours to force a trick is easy to overlook. I think it was a more a case of declarer counting losers rather than winners – it's easy to be swayed by the false equation, winners plus losers equals thirteen. Here is a simple example from a club game:

  • AK87
  • K52
  • Q64
  • KQ9
N
W
E
S
  • J632
  • AQJ763
  • 1032
  • ---

West became declarer in four hearts and North led the club eight. There are only three losers, does that mean there are ten winners?

Yes and no. There are just eight winners at the start but if declarer is prepared to lose this trick, throwing a diamond from dummy, the tally will go up to ten winners (six hearts, two spades and two clubs) and still only three losers. True, if South is sneaky enough to withhold the club ace (unlikely), there will be just nine. But with a trick in the bag and a diamond gone from dummy, declarer can attend to the spade suit which will almost certainly produce a third trick. Ruffing the opening lead will not reduce the loser count but neither will it increase the winners either.

Published Saturday 10.Aug.2013