David Bird: Entry Management

The first essential of entry management is to make sure that you are in the right hand at the right time. In other words, it’s part of planning the play of a hand. The second involves special techniques within a single suit — to create extra entries and to avoid blockages that would kill a necessary entry.

This is the first of five introductory deals. They will be followed by 36 problems, where you can test your own skills.

In this deal: Stop to Make a Plan

On the lay-out shown, the thoughtful overtake of the ♥Q with the ♥A was the only way to make the contract. It promoted dummy's remaining ♥J9, thereby creating a total of three trump entries to the dummy.

What would have happened if West showed out on the second round of hearts? Overtaking with the ♥A would then have been pointless, because you would still only have two entries to the dummy. What's more, overtaking would cost you a trump trick (East holding ♥10862). So you would play a low trump from dummy and continue with a trump to the jack. With only two entries available to dummy, and therefore only two spade finesses possible, you would have to hope that East's ♠K was guarded fewer than three times.

How to Play:

There is a Chinese saying:
'An image is worth 1000 words!'

You may want to take the
Online Player Guided Tour

1 - Bidding: Click the 'Play' button in the middle of the page to display the bidding box.

When you are ready, click the 'Start Bidding' button.

When a bid is alerted, it is shown on a yellow background. You can then click that bid to display the related alert.

When there is a comment or a question about your own bid, you can read it on the bidding box comments pane, and then, click the 'Ok' button to continue bidding.

Click 'Close Bidding Box' to proceed to playing the hand.

2 - Playing: The lead is automatic if you are declarer, otherwise you'll see the 'It's your lead' warning in the center pane.

You will play your cards and dummy's as if you were at a live table.

2.1 -Touching cards are considered equivalent! e.g. if you have 876 and you play the 7 while Vu-Bridge expects you to play the 6, then the 7 will blink and the 6 will be played.

2.2 -Sometimes there will be a comment or question during the play.
You should read it and click the 'Click to continue' button at the top of the comment text.

If its a question, there will be a 'Show Answer' button to click at the bottom of the comment panel.

2.3 - When a comment bears a 'Finish flag' button, you can click it to reveal hidden hands and continue playing. We use this to explain technical coups like end-plays, squeezes etc.

2.4 - You can review the last trick by clicking on the last won or lost trick (back of card) at the bottom of the screen. The last trick will show during 3 seconds and then play will continue.

2.5 - You can click the 'Undo last trick' button at the left of the screen in order to redo one or several tricks and review the attached comments.
You can review the auction by clicking the 'Auction' tab in the same area.
3 - Moving the comment panel:

When the mouse hovers the dark green background of the bidding box or the comment panel, you'll see a crosshair cursor and you can drag and move it around the page.

The left and right arrows on the top left corner of the comment panel allows you to increase or reduce the width for better readability.

4 - When a hand is finished, you can click the 'Board List' at the top of the comment panel, and play other hands From the same Series.

To play other Series, visit the Vu-Bridge's home page and click the 'Bridge Hands' button.