JENS
AUKEN, of Copenhagen, a lawyer by profession, is a member of the European Bridge
League Executive Committee, a vice-president of the
IT
is often stated that the best a bridge player can do is always play in an even
tempo. That statement is wrong. How many tricks have been lost by not playing in
an even tempo?
We have all tried playing in an even tempo and a trick too late realised that at the trick before we should have stopped to think. Instead we made a mistake. We are beyond the point of no return now, and there is no way to recover. We say once again, 'Sorry partner, I lost concentration.' But maybe it is not good enough to concentrate if you do it in an even tempo.
My
belief is that on almost every bridge hand
there is a point of time — a trick — when the
action of a bridge player is decisive for the fate
of the contract. The spotlight is on
him. What he is doing the rest of the
time is not decisive as long as he does not do anything foolish. I call that
point the 'kill point'. If you are clever at spotting kill points you are
a strong player and you will gain yet
more strength from being able to relax the
rest of the time.
DURING
the Philip Morris European Mixed Championship in
|
West
Dealer |
ª |
A 9 8 3
|
|
|
|
Game
All |
© |
A
K 10 6 2 |
|
|
|
|
¨ |
A |
|
|
|
|
§ |
J
9 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
N |
|
|
ª |
K
8
|
|
|
ª |
J
10 7 4 2 |
© |
Q
J 8 5 |
|
W
E |
© |
9
7 3 |
¨ |
10
7 6 4 |
|
|
¨ |
9
5 2 |
§ |
A
K 5 |
|
|
§ |
10
2 |
|
|
|
S |
|
|
|
|
ª |
Q
5 |
|
|
|
|
© |
4 |
|
|
|
|
¨ |
K
Q J 8 3 |
|
|
|
|
§ |
Q
8 7 6 4 |
|
|
W |
N |
E |
S |
Chemla
|
Rogstad |
Chevalley |
Ludvigsen |
1♠ |
Dbl |
Pass |
2♦ |
Pass |
2♥ |
Pass |
3NT |
|
All Pass |
|
|
The
opening lead was the ace of clubs, followed
by a diamond switch to dummy's ace.
South
continued with the jack of clubs from dummy
and saw to his horror the ten of clubs on
his right. He had not unblocked the nine of clubs
on the first trick. West ducked and South
had no sure way to get to his hand or to make
his contract and in the end he went down.
South's
kill point was at trick one when he should have unblocked the nine of clubs, a play
that could never cost. He could then lead the
jack, overtaking with the queen when the ten turned up. South missed his kill
point.
Kill
points occur often at trick one for declarers. But
usually crop up later in the play for
defenders, simply because defence is more
difficult than declarer play.
|
North
Dealer |
ª |
J 8 2
|
|
|
|
E-W
Game |
© |
10
5 |
|
|
|
|
¨ |
10
9 8 7 |
|
|
|
|
§ |
A
J 6 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
N |
|
|
ª |
K
3
|
|
|
ª |
10
9 5 |
© |
A
K 4 3 |
|
W
E |
© |
J
9 7 6 2 |
¨ |
J
6 2 |
|
|
¨ |
Q
4 |
§ |
Q
8 5 4 |
|
|
§ |
9
7 2 |
|
|
|
S |
|
|
|
|
ª |
A
Q 7 6 4 |
|
|
|
|
© |
Q
8 |
|
|
|
|
¨ |
A
K 5 3 |
|
|
|
|
§ |
K
10 |
|
|
W |
N |
E |
S |
|
Pass |
Pass |
1♠ |
Dbl |
2♠ |
Pass |
3♦ |
Pass |
4♠ |
All |
Pass |
Defending
as West against Four Spades on this
hand, I cashed the two top hearts and, with a
certain trump trick to come, I got off lead with
the obvious diamond: an honour with partner
and the contract would be one down if South had at least four diamonds.
South
had listened to the bidding, however, and took
the diamond queen with the king to proceed with the ace and a low trump.
More or less endplayed, I switched to a low
club to partner's nine and, after a
short pause, South's king.
I had missed the kill point! Three rounds
of trumps, and I would be finished. South correctly cashed two rounds of trumps,
the other top diamond, and then the last trump, squeezing my hand in the minor
suits.
Awareness
of the kill point would have made me stop to think at the moment I could see
three defensive tricks and a probable fourth. South's distribution could easily
be 5-2-4-2 with the queen of spades and king of clubs, all I had to do was
switch to a club at trick
three and continue clubs later to break up
his communications for the simple squeeze. The bidding had already told declarer
about the lie of the remaining high cards.
My BOLS bridge tip is simply this:
Develop
an ability to spot kill points.