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Card-reading is the process by which a player can determine the makeup of the unseen hands and, as a result, play his cards to best advantage.
Consider this deal from a national pair championship. At most tables, South arrived at four spades after East had opened the bidding with one heart. But the real challenge of the hand depended not so much on whether the spade game was reached as it did on whether declarer made 10 tricks or 11. In pair events, an extra trick is worth its weight in gold.
Those declarers who bid and made just ten tricks received an under-average score on the deal. They lost the opening heart lead, later finessed the queen of clubs unsuccessfully and eventually finished with 10 tricks, losing a heart and two clubs.
The declarers who made 11 tricks fared much better, achieving a multiple tie for top by scoring 650 points instead of 620. These Souths paid homage to East’s opening bid and quite reasonably decided that East had to have the king of clubs.
Accordingly, after East won the heart lead with the jack and returned a diamond, these declarers won with the ace, drew three rounds of trump, played a club to the ace, a diamond to the king and then a low club toward dummy.
When West followed with the ten, they played dummy’s six and were rewarded for their perspicacity when East was forced to win with the king. The club duck, though only a minor challenge to anyone versed in card-reading, earned these Souths a top score.
Tomorrow: Out of the darkness.
(c)2026 King Features Syndicate Inc.