Thursday, February 09, 2006 2:44 PM

Hand Evaluation - Visualization

PITBULLS:

Expert Bridge players have visualization skills . What do we mean by that ? In declarer play , defense , opening leads & bidding , they “see” the entire picture. How do they do that ? Visualization or taking a picture equals the application of hand patterns. It is that simple. Once you have the patterns memorized , your visualization skills are set . You just need to apply them & literally “take a picture” with your mind’s camera. Translate information like bidding , showing out of a suit or signals into a pattern & take a picture of the hand or suit.

Playing with a tormentee against Harry & Val. The auction went 1♥-2♥*-P-2NT

P-3♦-P-P

Two hearts , of course was Michaels so I dutifully lead a heart. The board came down ♠ Jxx ♥ xx ♦ Axxx ♣ AKQx . The tormentee had ♠K9x ♥AKQxxx ♦x ♣xxx so she cashed the two hearts with everybody following. When the opponents make a “picture bid” like Michaels or a pre-empt , the auction is built for patterns. You just have to apply them . In this case you just say 5-5-2-1 to yourself with declarer showing up with two hearts. You decide not to break spades for them so what do you return ? You know the trump pattern is 5-4-3-1 so returning a trump is a no-no as you may pick up Qxx for declarer. A heart return might give them a sluff & a ruff so you return a club by default. This switch can never hurt because you “know” declarer has a stiff club on the bidding. Your passive defense beats the contract as playing the spades themselves , they lose 2♠ & the ♦Qxx of trump for 5 tricks. The tormentee broke spades for them as the club suit looked so daunting & they made the contract by floating my ♠Q . Taking a picture of the hand would have prevented the spade switch. Let them play their 5-3 spade fits.

A few hands later a Tormentee had a chance to visual the situation again by applying patterns but this time in declarer play . Against Lorna & Anita , the Tormentee opened 1♠ , Lorna doubled & I bid 2♠ with Anita passing. This came back to Lorna who doubled again & I re-doubled. Everyone passed , Lorna bid 3♦ which I doubled & the Tormentee pulled to 3♠ with ♠AKJ87 ♥Jxx ♦x ♣K10xx . This went around to Anita who doubled & back to me who re-doubled. Lorna led the Ace of hearts & the dummy hit with

♠ xxxx ♥ xxx ♦ AQ9x ♣ Qx . Lorna continued with the King of hearts and a 3^rd heart to Anita’s queen. Anita now cashes the club Ace . This should start bells ringing as Lorna should have held that card for doubling twice ( only 12 HCP’s ) . You side has 20 HCP & Anita has shown up with 6 HCP & the presumed ♠Q ) . Review the bidding to apply patterns. & take a picture of Lorna’s hand. Lorna pulled the redouble to 3♦ . This must show a 5 card suit as she bypassed bidding two other suits or did not bid a scrambling 2NT with equal length in the minors. Therefore, Lorna has 5♦ & doubled twice without a great many HCP’s. If she is not 5-4-4-0 on this auction, I would eat the cards. A spade void is the only thing that could justify a 2^nd double with 12 HCP’s.

Now take Anita’s penalty double & reluctance to bid over 2♠ when she showed up with the queen of hearts & the club Ace. Would she double you into game with just the Q109 of spades ? Maybe, but Lorna’s bidding is the real clue. You apply the spade pattern before you touch a spade & since you “know” they are 5-4-4-0 from your visualization skills, you insert the spade 7 & make your redoubled contract. Going up King got you –400 for a zero as Anita got a spade trick with Q109x of trump. Patterns are the game of Bridge but you need to apply them from the clues given to you from the bidding. Picture taking is translating information from the bidding into patterns.

You have ♠J ♥AJ10987x ♦x ♣xxxx , they open 1♠ so you pre-empt 3♥. They bid 4♠ so around to you for the opening lead. You dislike leading blind in this type of auctions so you make the excellent lead of the heart Ace. The board comes down with ♠KQ10xx ♥xx ♦AJxx ♣xx , partner plays the heart deuce playing standard count. Visualization thru patterns again to take a picture of the heart suit in your mind. . Say to yourself 7-3-2-1 so if partner has three of them , they are the KQ3. If three to an honour in partner’s hand , declarer has to play a stiff honour. You can not lose by continuing a heart as switching to your singleton diamond is futile as you or your partner is unlikely to hold a trump control . In addition , as you pre-empted , declarer is going to read you for a singleton anyway. Declarer made things easy for you. Declarer held ♥KQx so she can apply patterns also. 7-3-2-1 with RHO showing 3 with their methods. Declarer should false card with the heart king ! This may give you the impression of ♥Qxx in RHO’s hand. You switch & the game makes as partner could have ruffed a heart. You just saw the discouraging heart signal & reacted to it rather than taking a picture of the heart suit with your camera.

The above three hands are not errors for 99% of all Bridge players. For expert players or people who aspire to become expert players they are errors. Not applying patterns when you have them memorized is deemed to just being mentally lazy & poor Bridge. For players just learning this must have skill , look for pattern “triggers” & then say the pattern to yourself to hone the newly acquired habit. “Take a picture” of the entire hand(s) or suit(s) by applying a pattern.