Sunday, November 06, 2005 8:05 PM

Hand Evaluation - Fill in the Blanks

 

PITBULLS:

 

            In the game of Bridge , there is a game within a game. For the lack of a better term let’s call this game “fill in the blanks” or the translation game. There are 4 main rules or triggers  to this game which we will discuss below. Opening leads are the first rule in the fill in the blanks game. You lead 4th best or 5th best to allow partner to fill in the blanks.  Using patterns that we have thoroughly memorized by now , you must train yourself  to apply them in this game.  This game should commence automatically & on every hand. This is how you “think” the game of Bridge.

 

Luckily , the rules of the game of Bridge simplify this task. There is a hand called a “dummy” which has all 13 cards exposed. You are allowed to look at this dummy & use the information to help fill in the blanks. The dummy is there in part to assist you to apply patterns. I was playing with a Tormentee against 4♥ . I led a card which held the trick , switched to the spade Q . The dummy had 5 small spades & the Tormentee held AJ10xx . Which spade do you play ? OK , fill in the blanks time. I am looking at 5 spades in my hand , 5 on the dummy so the pattern is 5-5-2-1 or 5-5-3-0 . Partner would not lead the queen from 3 so that pattern is out. It is obviously 5-5-2-1 around the table. If it is partner with the Qx , then declarer has a stiff King . You go up Ace , give partner a ruff when there is no king under your Ace. Simple application of patterns but the Tormentee ducked my stiff queen !

 

            The opponents are in 2♠ vul after a Tormentee has overcalled 1NT . I lead the diamond King , the boards diamonds are ♦Q109x  with the Tormentee holding ♦AJxx. The Tormentee played a small diamond so I continued & her jack won. What now ? Apply a pattern to fill in the blanks . 4-4-3-2 so partner obviously has the two with his opening lead. Accordingly you cash the diamond Ace , give partner a trump uppercut by continuing the 4th diamond. The Tormentee did not play the pattern game & switched to another suit so we lost our diamond trick as well as the uppercut  ! +200 would have been a cold top so an opportunity squandered.

 

            The 3rd example occurred recently when I was playing with an experienced but non expert player. She led the heart Q from QJ98 against 2NT . The board held these beautiful heart spots  3456 . I won the Ace , returned the 10 which declarer ducked. She saw that the ten was holding the trick so left me hold it to continue the suit. Unfortunately by the law of 13 cards , I had no more to return. Applying patterns to fill in the blanks 4-4-3-2 so it is a simple matter to overtake & float declarers stiff King. This would have switched a bottom to a very good result.

 

There are other ways you can play this fill in the blanks game. Declarer’s bidding or partner’s bidding allows the clues to help fill in the blanks. You must translate bidding into a hand pattern to play Bridge properly. When the opponents open a spade & rebid hearts you have a great start in playing the fill in the blanks game. 5-4-?-? so do it !  You cannot defend properly or declare properly or bid properly without playing this translation game ! Especially when you are defending with extreme shortness or extreme length  in their trump suit. When you have the length in their trump suit, it twigs you to apply the patterns because you are looking at them.  However,  when you have shortness , partner may have length so applying patterns by your side is just as important ! Partner held ♠Axx ♥1098x ♦void ♣J109xxx , I opened 1♠ & competed up to 3♠ & passed out 4♦. The board came down with AK10x of diamonds. Even though you are void in trump, you can still play this fill in the blanks game. Partner may have 4 trump with a 5-4-4-0 pattern around the table ! This should assist you in your defense as partner would probably like declarer to be tapped out she they lose control of the hand. This would have set 4♦ but my partner has not “bought into” the importance of patterns.

 

There are certain bids likes pre-empts or overcalls that allow a perfect starting point for the fill in the blanks game. Partner opened 2♣ , the opponents overcalled 2♦ which partner doubled for penalty so this ended the auction. Begin with a hypothetical starting point from the bidding.  You can now utter the word six to start the translation game as that is a tentative guess on the number of diamonds declarer holds. In effect , you have brought in the “6 series” of patterns as your starting point to divining the opponent’s hand. The board was ♠xxxxx ♥xxx ♦xx ♣J109  & partner’s hand ♠AKx ♥AKQxx ♦x ♣AKxx  . I led the ♥Jack which held the trick. I continued  a heart , partner won the queen & cashed the Ace & I showed out discarding the deuce of clubs. The hearts are 5-3-3-2 so declarer is tentatively 6-3 in the reds. Partner cashes the AK of clubs & LHO drops the queen. Is this a false card ?  Let’s find out by cashing one spade ( the king requesting count )  so partner can give you the spade count. You cash the spade & I play the deuce show 3 ( standard count) so 5-3-3-2 again & declarers count is complete 6-3-2-2 . You now cash the 2nd spade & deliberately give declarer a ruff & a sluff in hearts to uppercut a diamond trick for partner. 4 down & +1100 for your side.

 

The next way to play this fill in the blanks game legally is when somebody shows out of a suit. This simple act is a show stopper & allows you the opportunity to apply a pattern. Do not let the opportunity slip by. This is the most natural “discovery play” in the game of Bridge. You have 3 , the dummy has 2 with partner showing out in the 2nd round of the suit. Pattern please !  7-3-2-1 so declarer has a 7 card suit which allows you to defend the hand properly. If you are declaring the hand , the information is just as useful. This means that missing queens should be in the other hand because there are more of that suit in that hand. Fill in the blanks !

 

            My partner used bidding & opponents showing out of a suit to “count the hand” to make a vul 4♥ game the other day. I had ♠AJ10x ♥Q109xx ♦K ♣xxx & partner was in 4♥ with Paula overcalling 2♣ during the auction. Paula cashed the top clubs & partner ruffed the 3rd club with RHO showing out also. 6-3-2-2 in the club suit is the 1st clue to playing this hand. Paula shows up with two trump so you play a few diamonds & Paula shows up with 3♦. This means the odds are at least 4-2 that the ♠Q is with RHO as she has 4♠ to Paula’s two spades. Partner duly finesses the spade the “correct” way so +620 .

 

            The 4rd and last way we can legally play this fill in the blanks game by using patterns is by signaling. Following suit signaling & discard signally either while defending or as declarer are the rules of this game. Partner shows count so you are filling in the blanks. This is the best defense against the dreaded pseudo squeeze or the real squeeze for that matter. There are 6 diamonds to the jack on the board , declarer is in 4♠ . Declarer cannot get to the board so she starts running her solid spade suit . You have Kxx of diamonds & you play standard count. Partner discards the diamond 3 on her spades so playing the fill in the blanks game , how many diamonds does declarer have ?  Partner shows 3 diamonds , so applying patterns 6-3-3-1 declarer has only one diamond. If it is the Ace who cares , so discard all of your diamonds. It’s like cheating playing this fill in the blanks game !!!  You cannot even pretend  you know how to play Bridge unless you memorize & apply patterns automatically. Learn this translation skill !!!!