October 2022 - 58

Intermediate Players
Boehm on Bridge
Tenacious defense - part 1
T
oo many players neglect defense.
There is a natural but
unfortunate tendency to lose
interest when holding weak hands,
yet defense is perhaps the most important
part of the game. On average,
you defend twice as many hands as
you declare, as every deal contains
two defenders to one declarer. Defense
is inherently the most difficult
part of the game, more so than
declaring, because a defender must
visualize partner's hand and relevant
card positions, while declarer has all
26 cards at his disposal in full view.
Another difficulty is maintaining focus
when holding bad hands - many
players lose concentration. They
think that they can afford a breather,
assuming that their performance can
hardly matter. This is a dangerous
mindset which this mini-series will
attempt to correct.
You hold:
7 6 k10 9 8 6 5 2 lK 8 7 6 5 '-.
Opponents vulnerable, LHO opens
1, partner intervenes with 2NT
(minors), RHO chimes in with a
3l cuebid, indicating a limit spade
raise or better, and it's up to you. If
you count 3 HCP and call it a day,
you are missing a big opportunity.
At least a 10-card fit in diamonds
and the club void strictly limit your
minor suit losers, and the lK has no
defensive value. If partner holds the
lA, at least one of the opponents has
a singleton diamond or even a void.
Your hand contains great offensive
potential and very little defense. That
ratio of high offense to low defense,
plus the vulnerability, is what should
encourage sacrifices. On highly
distributional deals, sole reliance on
58 | Bridge Bulletin | October 2022
high-card points is a losing proposition.
Accordingly, bid 5l, which also
blocks their use of Blackwood.
LHO squirms and finally bids 6,
passed back to you. 7l might be
tempting, but I suggest you pass. You
have forced the opponents to guess -
hope they have guessed wrong. They
may be a level too high or too low.
Remember, RHO's 3l cuebid had a
wide range, either a limit raise or an
opening bid. Partner tables the lA
and this is what you see:
Dummy
 K 10 4 2
k Q J 7
l Q 2
' K 7 5 2
You
 7 6
k 10 9 8 6 5 2
l K 8 7 6 5
' -
If you are on automatic pilot, you
encourage in diamonds. If you are
fully engaged, you see the futility of
that defense because there is no second
diamond trick. This is an attitude
situation because a diamond continuation
is plausible; from partner's perspective
you might hold king-fourth.
Desperately wanting a club shift,
your best approach is to discourage
diamonds. The rest is up to partner.
The full deal:
North
 K 10 4 2
k Q J 7
l Q 2
' K 7 5 2
West
 Q
k 4 3
l A J 10 9 3
' J 10 9 8 3
East
 7 6
k 10 9 8 6 5 2
l K 8 7 6 5
' -
South
 A J 9 8 5 3
k A K
l 4
' A Q 6 4
If partner trusts you, the 'J will be
forthcoming at trick two. He should
strongly doubt that you jumped to
5l on l8 7 6 5. Crediting you with
the lK and yet a red-light diamond
signal, he ought to reach the winning
conclusion. South showed strength
by jumping to slam, so your 5l bid
on few points was likely based on exciting
distribution. Without the club
ruff, the slam sails home; declarer's
fourth club disappears on dummy's
third heart.
Notice how important your contributions
were. First, you deprived
them of a key-card ask, then your
thoughtful signal torpedoed their
contract. Note also that 5l is a
worthwhile sacrifice against a vulnerable
spade game. Instead of sulking
because of your lack of points,
you thrust yourself into the spotlight.
That's one of the charms of bridge -
an exciting, balanced 23-HCP hand
might end as a no-brainer 3NT, while
this 3 HCP hand was packed with
interest.
BY AUGUST BOEHM
October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2022
