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  • Jul 22nd, 2017
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In Bridge, the term 'Table Presence' is often emphasized for a Bridge player to be at the top of his game. Many a time player slips for not having the table presence to remember the cards played or the bidding that preceded it. Alertness at Bridge is vital along with a sharp memory and the foresight to anticipate the possible snags in the making of his contract due to adverse distribution of cards with unfavorable placement of high cards.

Let us learn by example. West east are in 4H after west opens 4H after 3 passes in the 4th seat. North opens the lead with AS, to see the following dummy:

North continues with his top spades-Ace followed by the king and then the queen of spades which west ruffs. When the actual hand in an all American Bridge Tournament was played west, the declarer who ruffed and drew trumps went down. Place yourself in west's seat and see if you can do better than the declarer in the actual play? Plan your play after a close analysis of the bidding and the opening lead and then decide what should you play at trick 1 and what should constitute trick 2, holding the following hand:

Looking at the dummy, one can see that declarer has 7 solid tricks in trumps besides ace of diamonds taking his tally to 8 tricks. He needs to develop 2 tricks to make his contract. One way the contract can make is if the diamond finesse is right. The other is if declarer can get the clubs good by ruffing out the ace of clubs after finesse JC. Suppose you go for the diamond finesse by playing the QD. But if it goes wrong a certain club loser sinks the contact. Suppose you play the ace of diamonds first, then only a lucky drop of KD can give you the contract. Even if QD is covered say by the KD, the contract is not fool proof if the king turns out to be a singleton. So keeping all the above considerations in mind, how did you proceed to make the contract?

Well, let us now turn out to our play- a play that requires, above all, table presence and the pause at playing the first trick to plan out your play before touching the dummy.

4H is unbeatable if you remember the bidding. There were 3 passes remember before west bid 4H. And if you had the table presence and remember that north had originally passed and then produced the 3 top honouring spades that give 9 high card point to him. Logic debates that north can neither have the ace of clubs nor the king of diamonds. Once you grasp this, the solution can come readily to mind. Did you get it now? What should be the most solid play at your trick 1 and trick 2? Yes, table presence dictates that dummy's 8 of trumps is a very important entry card that is vital to the success of your contract. So the QS needs to be ruffed, not carelessly with the 7S but with the higher spade, keeping the 7S as an continuation to reach the dummy with the 8S. Now what should be the most logical play to guarantee your contract of 4H at trick 2. A club playing to KC will not help you? For you do not know the location of the JC. So the only sure way of ensuring your contract is if you finesse the 9C losing perhaps to the JC. But now the contract is ice cold. Whatever the return from south- a heart gives you the 2 hearts and then KC-AC ruffed out make the QC good for your third heart in hand to be discarded. A club return gives the same scenario. So perhaps a trump return is best for south. But west is in dummy now with the carefully presented 8H to take the ruffing finesse of the AC, setting up 2 clubs for diamond discards. All that becomes possible because of table presence in Bridge.





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8 5 4 10 6

8 A K Q J 10 9 7

A 10 7 6 5 Q J 8

K Q 10 9 7

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