The Count by Foxymoron

Those of us who watched Sesame Street in the seventies will know The Count, or Count von Count to give him his full title. 

He is Romanian, by birth, and first appeared in the programme in 1972. Many bridge players stand by The Count, and the most common method of giving count is to play high showing an even number of cards in a suit and low to show an odd number of cards.

However, there is another count in bridge. It is the number of tricks remaining to be played, one of which is a loser, and is most relevant in squeezes. Terms like a "squeeze without the count", and "rectifying the count", are known to bridge players. For a simple squeeze, one has an ending with all but one of the remaining cards being winners and a defender holding guards in more than one suit. The Count's erstwhile girlfriend, Count von Backwards, is an expert on squeezes as she counts backwards anyway. She quickly works out how many cards will be left in the ending. A hand from yesterday's duplicate:

Our opponents had the simple auction 1D-6D, which had the virtue of giving plenty of time to get a coffee after the hand, as declarer just ruffed a club in dummy. I think I would have started with 1D-2D, inverted and forcing. Now North might bid 3C and South would bid 3S, showing spade cards and 6D would probably be reached, not 6NT. I was surprised nobody was in the failing 7D.

6D was an average, but more ambitious souls reached 6NT. If East leads a passive spade, then declarer can "rectify the count" by ducking a club at some point. In the three-card ending, West will have sole guard of clubs and hearts and will be squeezed.

A heart lead prevents this line, as West will cash his heart if you duck a club. You now need to play a squeeze without the count, cashing the diamonds and two spades to reach this position.

It is important that South has an entry outside clubs at this point. Now you cross to the ace of spades and West is squeezed. If he pitches a club you make an unexpected overtrick. He must therefore pitch the six of hearts and now you duck a heart to West and make the last three tricks. A squeeze without the count.