Sometimes you need to worry about entries.
Other times you can get help.

Dealer: East   
Vulnerabilty: East-West 
 

                    ♠  AJ86
                    ♥  Q43
                    ♦  964
                    ♣  K72

♠  109732                     ♠ 54
♥  K95                           ♥ A1062
♦  53                             ♦  10872
♣ 1083                         ♣  AJ4

                 ♠  KQ
                 ♥  J83
                 ♦  AKQJ
                 ♣  Q965

Bidding:

 E     S     W   N

 P  1NT   P   2C

 P  2D    P   3NT

    On this hand from the recent Waverly Sectional, I downgraded my 18-point hand because of the doubleton honors, the over-concentration in a four-card suit, and the weakness of the unsupported queen and jack, and opened a 15-17 NT. My partner checked for a four-card major and bid 3NT when I had none.

   The opening lead was the ten of spades. It looks like I have four spade tricks, if entries were not a consideration. I clearly have four diamond tricks, so I need at least one more -- two if I can't resolve the entry problem.

    I let the opening lead ride to my king. I led a club to the king and East's ace, and a diamond came back. I led a small club, which East won with the jack, and another diamond came back.

    They could have helped me out by leading hearts, providing my ninth trick (and incidentally holding me to nine tricks). But it turned out their failure to cash out helped me even more. I won the queen of clubs, observing the 3-3 split, and took my diamonds, discarding a heart from dummy. But look at the position as I lead my last club:
 

                     ♠  AJ8
                    ♥  Q4
                    ♦ 
                    ♣ 

♠ 1097                       ♠ 54
♥  K9                          ♥  A106
♦                                ♦ 
♣                               ♣ 

                 ♠  Q
                 ♥  J83
                 ♦ 
                 ♣ 9
 

    If West discards a spade on my last club, I can overtake the queen of spades and win three spade tricks. If he throws the small heart, I win the queen of spades and exit with a small heart. West wins, but has to lead a spade, providing the entry to my two winning spades in dummy.

(It's called "a stepping-stone squeeze".)

    One last alternative - East can win the heart trick, but then has to lead a heart to my J8, and it's pretty obvious to finesse the eight.

Richard Freedman
richard@rfreedman.org

AI beats top players at Bridge in two-day tournament

From https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/03/in_brief_ai/:

AI algorithms crushed eight world champions playing the card game Bridge, marking another milestone in machine learning systems becoming better than humans at specific games.

Top Bridge players were invited to play against NooK, AI software developed by French startup NuukAI, in a tournament over two days in Paris. They battled against one another across 80 rounds, and the machine won 67 sets, beating humans at a rate of 83 per cent, according to The Guardian.

NooK is made up of a combination of modern deep learning and older rule-based programmes. NuukAI's co-founder Jean-Baptiste Fantun said the company had developed the software over five years, and its decisions are easier to understand compared to today's black box-like systems.

It should be noted, however, that the software did not play Bridge fully. Some parts like the game's bidding stage were left out; it's a complicated process that involves trying to trick your opponents by using various strategies concocted with your teammates.
 

Richard Freedman