September 2020 - 29

Defensive Maneuvers - part 4
BY PAUL ROSS

Playing matchpoints, with only the
opponents vulnerable, you pick up this
hand as dealer (you are East):
♠A 9 8 2 ♥9 8 5 ♦A 10 9 6 ♣J 10.
You pass, and left-hand opponent
opens 2♣, which is Alerted and explained as showing 11-15 HCP with
six clubs: The opponents are playing
Precision. Partner passes and RHO
bids 2♦, artificial, asking opener for
more information. LHO bids 2♥,
showing four cards in either major, and
RHO bids 2♠ asking for clarification.
Opener confirms a maximum (14-15)
and four hearts with 3♦, and RHO
jumps to 4♥, ending the auction.
Partner (West) leads the ♠J:
North (Dummy)
♠Q73
♥Q764
♦Q752
♣A8
East (You)
♠A982
♥985
♦ A 10 9 6
♣ J 10
What is declarer's distribution?
Declarer has shown four hearts and
six (or more) clubs. That gives declarer
three cards in spades and diamonds,
but you don't know whether those suits
are 2-1 or 3-0, and you don't know
which fragment is longer.
Dummy plays low on the first trick.

declarer has six or more clubs and four
hearts. She can't have more than three
spades, and may well have only one
or two. Don't worry about setting up a
third-round spade trick for declarer;
your plan is to try to take three tricks
in spades and diamonds right away,
before declarer wins a trick. Or possibly, declarer may have a slow loser in
hearts or clubs.
So you play the ace and declarer follows with the king.
What do you lead to trick two?
You know declarer has at least six
clubs. That means that, after she draws
trumps, she may well be able to discard
all of dummy's diamonds on the clubs
in her hand and then ruff diamonds in
the dummy. Therefore, you must take
whatever diamond tricks you can now;
they won't be available later. Do you
lead the ♦A or do you lead low, hoping
that declarer will misguess?
Oh, come now! Declarer has no guess
in the diamond suit. If she has the
king, she will lose a diamond trick if
you cash the ace now, and no diamond
tricks if you lead low. If partner has
the ♦K, the defense will take the first
two diamond tricks whether or not
you start with the ace. You will set up
the queen in the dummy, but what will
declarer discard on it? Her sixth club?

Lead the ♦A.
Declarer plays the ♦3, and partner
plays the ♦J.
What now?
Play another diamond. You have no
other option. Partner wins the ♦K and
exits with the ♦4. Dummy's queen
wins.
At this point, you have three tricks,
and you can sit back and wait for whatever tricks you have coming in hearts
and clubs. Unfortunately, you don't
have any tricks coming in those suits
because declarer's holdings are solid.
The complete deal:
♠Q73
♥Q764
♦Q752
♣A8
♠ J 10 6 5 4
♠A982
♥ 10 2
♥985
♦KJ4
♦ A 10 9 6
♣652
♣ J 10
♠K
♥AKJ3
♦83
♣KQ9743
Yes, declarer has 16 high-card points
instead of the 14-15 she said she had
during the auction. She discounted the
singleton ♠K.
◾

What do you play?
The usual play in this situation is to
hold up the ace until dummy plays
the queen. That holds declarer to one
spade trick if declarer has the king
singleton, doubleton or tripleton (or
no spade tricks in the unlikely case
that partner has led the ♠J from
♠K J 10 x x).
Don't duck. This isn't a "usual" situation. You know from the auction that
September 2020 Bridge Bulletin

29
September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020
