Bridge Endings - The End Game Made Easy with 30 Common Basic Positions, 24 Endplays Teaching Hands, and 50 Double Dummy Problems

By Raphael Cioffi

This classic instructional book explains how to recognise and execute ‘end plays’ in the game of bridge, and is aimed at the average contract bridge player. Providing useful advice and explanations, in a simple format, this vintage bridge endings text will suit anyone interested in the game, particularly players with basic knowledge. Contents include: Card Games - foreword - 1. Thirty Common Basic Positions - 2.Twenty-Four End Plays Teaching Hands - 3. Fifty Double Dummy Problems - 4. Solutions to Fifty Double Dummy Problems. We are republishing this rare text in a high quality, modern and affordable edition, complete with a new introduction and the original illustrations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Jan 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447483632

Book preview

CIOFFI

1

Thirty Common Basic Positions

Bridge endings occur in three basic types and a compound type involving elements of two basic types. Throwins force the enemy to make a losing lead; squeezes force him to discard winners; and the true coups pick up natural enemy trump tricks.

ENTRY THROWIN

At notrump South loses the heart to East in order to let North score the spade trick. South has no entry to North except via East’s hand.

FORK THROWIN

At notrump South needs two tricks. South loses his heart to West in order to force the spade lead up to South’s fork in spades.

South needs two tricks, so he lays down his Queen. If West wins, he is endplayed; if West lays off, South leads again to set up North’s King for the second trick.

FINESSE THROWIN

At notrump South needs the spade finesse to win two tricks, but South lacks entry to North to take it. So South loses the heart to East and forces the spade return for the finesse.

CROSSRUFF THROWIN

With spades trump South needs two tricks. South loses his diamond to West to force a diamond return and let South discard his heart loser from one hand while he trumps in the other.

CROSSRUFF ENTRY FORK STRIP

With spades trump South needs four tricks. South leads his heart which West wins. Now West is endplayed three ways. North wins a heart return or ruffs a diamond return while South discards his club loser, or West must lead up to South’s club fork.

ONE-WAY SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all three tricks. South leads his good club. What should West discard?

Note the three elements of the squeeze by the EFG formula: E for entry, the quick spade entry to North; F for the forcing card, the Ace of clubs; and G for guards, West’s stoppers in two suits, one of which is broken by the squeeze.

If East held West’s cards, North would be squeezed first. Only one defender in this matrix, West, can hold the guards to make this squeeze effective, hence the term: one-way, to differentiate the matrix from the automatic squeeze in which either East or West may be squeezed.

JETTISON SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all three tricks. South leads his good club. West must discard a spade in order to stop hearts and North jettisons his Ace! This lets South score two spade tricks.

AUTOMATIC SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all three tricks. South leads the good diamond and North discards a low spade. What should East discard?

The squeeze is purely automatic, for North does not have to await a defender’s decision to discard. If West held East’s cards, the squeeze is just as effective.

DOUBLE SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all three tricks. South plays his good club. West must discard a spade lest North’s heart become good. North discards his now useless heart, and East is squeezed. The squeeze on both opponents makes it double.

DOUBLE AUTOMATIC SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all four tricks. South leads the good club, and West must discard a spade to stop diamonds. Now East must also discard a spade to protect hearts, leaving each defender with only two spades apiece. North finesses the Queen of spades and the Ace draws all enemy spades, making North’s little trey good for the last trick.

OVERTAKE SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs two tricks, and lays down the King of spades. West is squeezed in three singleton suits. If West discards a red Ace, South keeps the lead with the King of spades and scores his good red King; if West discards the Ace of clubs, North overtakes the King of spades with the Ace in order to score the King of clubs.

REPEATING SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all four tricks. South leads his good club. West is squeezed in three suits (triple squeezed). He must give up an Ace lest North score all his spades at once. South next scores a trick in whichever red suit West discarded, and repeats the squeeze on West for a second squeeze trick.

SPLIT SQUEEZE

At notrump South needs all four tricks. South wins the spade. If East discards a diamond, South cashes the Ace of diamonds to draw East’s last diamond, and the Ace of clubs to let North score the now good diamond. If East discards a club, North makes his Ace, then South re-enters via the Ace to score his Queen.

This ending is called the split squeeze because a duplicated combination of entries and threat cards are symmetrically split in declarer’s two hands. On account of the feature of two vital quick entries in opposite hands, the ending is also called the cross-cross squeeze.

PROGRESSIVE SQUEEZE