Bridge in Greenwich: Quiz tackles hands with a single honor

Bridge in Greenwich

Greenwich area players who placed in the overall rankings at one of the local duplicate clubs during the past week were: The Bridge Deck (White Plains): June 5, Cliff Wald, first in Strat A; Mary Scarfi-Lois Spagna, fourth in A. June 6, Linda Otness, third in A. June 7, Mary Scarfi-Lois Spagna, fourth in A. The Harte's Club (White Plains): June 5, Donna Malitzis, first in A. Come Play Bridge (Darien): June 7, Helen Donohue-Rich De Martino, fifth in A.

Today's quiz: Here is another in the current series of quizzes on the proper play of common suit combinations. You (the declarer) are given your own and the dummy's holding in a particular suit. Assuming free access to either hand and that you have no clue from any opposing bidding, how would you play so as to give yourself the best chance of making one trick in the suit?

1. You — Q652; Dummy — 8743.2. You — J1043; Dummy — 752.

Answers:1. Lead low from either hand and duck completely, then lead up to the queen subsequently. Chance of making one trick in the suit: 84 percent. Since you have eight cards in the suit, you will always make one trick if the opposing cards are divided 3-2 — a 68 percent probability. But by playing in the prescribed fashion, you will also score a trick against several 4-1 divisions.2. Lead low from dummy and, if your right-hand opponent (RHO) follows low, play the jack. Assuming this loses, next lead low from dummy toward the 10. Chance of making one trick in the suit: 68 percent. This approach will yield a trick not only when the opposing cards are divided 3-3 — a 36 percent probability — in which case anything you do will eventually produce a trick, but also whenever your RHO started with any number of cards in the suit including two or more honors.