Know thy opponents — experts make a point of it. When you’re at the bridge table, it’s just as important as knowing your partner, or indeed yourself. Strong players, after all, are far more likely to duck tricks, or play false-cards; weak players are altogether more predictable.
An interesting declarer problem came up during a game the other evening, and the following day I bumped into Zia Mahmood and asked what he would have done. ‘I can’t possibly answer,’ he replied, ‘unless you tell me how good my right-hand opponent is, and how good my left.’
West leads the ♠10. You play low. East wins with the ♠K and returns a spade to dummy’s ♠A. You now play a low diamond from dummy towards the ♦J, and it holds the trick. You continue with a diamond towards the ♦AQ, and West follows small. Which card do you play? (Note that if East started with ♦Kxx, there’s nothing you can do.
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