Search MSO Worldwide

Daily Bulletin Number 5

Case for the Defence

The late Terence Reese always maintained that every difficult problem in play or defence could be solved by the application of logic.

I wonder how he would have coped with this deal from Round 10 of the Open series.

Take your seat behind North who has the following hand:

	A 10 6 5
	10 4 3 2
	Q 10 8
	K 6

You see this auction:

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	Pass
1NT	Pass	2	Pass
2	Pass	3NT	All Pass

In expert circles leading from ace to four is avoided where possible so North starts with the two of hearts. Now you can see the following:

	A 10 6 5
	10 4 3 2
	Q 10 8
	K 6
	K J 8
	K J 9 6
	J 4
	10 4 3 2

Declarer thinks for some time and eventually plays the jack of hearts from dummy. Your partner is there with the queen and declarer wins with the ace.

After further consideration declarer plays a spade to dummy's jack, your partner showing an odd number, and the four of diamonds. South plays the five, declarer the six and you have to win.

How do you continue?
What do you know so far?

Declarer has no four-card major and from the play so far three spades and two or three hearts. In terms of high cards you assume declarer has 15-17 points. You have 9 and dummy started with the same number. So your partner can only have between 5 and 7 points.

He has already produced the queen of hearts, so at this stage he will be down to 3 to 5 points. What are your options at this moment?

If you exit with a spade you will set up two tricks in that suit to go with the diamond that is already in the bag. You will surely score one more with the king of clubs and partner will have to contribute something useful.

If you are going to come to a second diamond trick then partner cannot have the ace of clubs. You know that declarer is going to score two tricks in spades and at least three in hearts via a finesse that can always be taken. The others will have to come from the minors. Have you made your choice?

At the table North selected a spade, but this was the full deal:

			A 10 6 5
			10 4 3 2
			Q 10 8
			K 6
	Q 7 4	N W E S			K J 8
	A 8				K J 9 6
	A K 7 6 3 2				J 4
	Q 5				10 4 3 2
			9 3 2
			Q 7 5
			9 5
			A J 9 8 7

Declarer was now home and even risked the heart finesse in the ending to collect eleven tricks.

Could North have worked out that the winning defence was to switch to the king of clubs? When partner encourages you cash the ace of spades and then play your remaining club.

Not at all easy, but there was a clue. Why did West cross to dummy with a spade in order to play a diamond? Imagine that his hand was something like this?

	Q 7 4
	A 8
	A 7 6 3 2
	A J 5

Then the natural play would be a low diamond at trick two. Once you think about it you may come up with the winning solution. Full marks to declarer who made life difficult for you.

By the way, did you notice that if declarer has the alternative hand then an initial spade lead would put the defence on top? So leading from ace to four may not be such a bad idea after all!