Top bridge players count points — high-card points. It is one of the most important aspects of the game. This deal shows why.
West opened one no-trump, showing 15 to 17 points. East, with such a weak hand, ran to two hearts via a transfer bid. South then overcalled two spades. West passed, knowing his partner would act again with suitable values. Here, East should have bid three hearts, which could have been made.
Against two spades, West leads the club ace, and East drops the queen, showing either a singleton or the queen and jack. West cashes the club king, then plays a third club. East shifts to a heart. How should South continue?
There are only 18 high-card points missing, and East has already produced three in clubs. West must have the rest. So the normal play in diamonds — low to dummy's queen, then low to declarer's 10 — cannot work. Instead, South needs to endplay West. Declarer should win the heart, cash the spade ace and second heart, then play another trump. Annoyingly, West wins and returns a spade, but South takes that trick and leads his diamond king to West's ace.
If West returns a heart, declarer ruffs in the dummy and sluffs a diamond from his hand. If West leads back a low diamond, South runs it to his 10. But without counting the points, declarer would surely have gone down.
******
COPYRIGHT: 2012, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE
North06-21-12
SPADES 10 6 5 2
HEARTS Q J
DIAMONDS Q 8 6 3
CLUBS 9 7 4
WestEast
SPADES K 4 3SPADES 7
HEARTS 9 7 3HEARTS 10 8 6 5 4 2
DIAMONDS A J 4DIAMONDS 9 7 2
CLUBS A K 10 2CLUBS Q J 5
South
SPADES A Q J 9 8
HEARTS A K
DIAMONDS K 10 5
CLUBS 8 6 3
Dealer: West
Vulnerable: Neither
SouthWestNorthEast
1 NTPass2 DIAMONDS
2 SPADESPassPassPass
Opening lead: CLUBS A
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
Steven Tyler, Joe Perry on Award, Tour, 'Idol'
ShowBiz Minute: Jackson, Mumford, Songwriters
Taylor Swift Will Make Stadiums Just As Intimate
ShowBiz Minute: Duchess, Jackson, 'Demand Zero'
ShowBiz Minute: Mumford, Gatsby, E3
ShowBiz Minute: Lynch, 2 Chainz, Jackson
ShowBiz Minute: Tonys, Box Office, Hobbit
ShowBiz Minute: Jackson, Brooks, Nelson
Paris Jackson Hospitalized
Pitt Buys 'Something Dirty' for Jolie
Bollywood Actress Jiah Khan Found Dead
Michael Douglas' Cancer Highlights HPV Risks
ShowBiz Minute: Kardashian, Jolie, Box Office
ShowBiz Minute: Minaj, Winfrey, Boston
ShowBiz Minute: Cox, Harris, Timberlake
ShowBiz Minute: Bieber, Khan, Jackson
ShowBiz Minute: McCartney, Daft Punk, Affleck
ShowBiz Minute: Shelton, King, Lopez
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
