BY DAVID LINDOP
PLAY OF THE HAND
BY DAVID LINDOP
As declarer , we sometimes encounter suits we ’ d rather not play ourselves . In such cases , we should look for ways to get the opponents to help us out .
On this first deal , we are declarer in 4♠ . West leads the ♣J .
Dummy
♠ K J 7 6 3
♥ Q 6 3 4♠
♦ 9 6 4
♣ A 8
LEAD :
♣J
W
N
S
Declarer ( Us )
♠ A Q 10 8 5
♥ J 5 2
♦ A K 7
♣ K 9 We have three heart losers and one diamond loser , one too many . We can ’ t do anything about the diamond loser , and the hearts are a frozen suit – a suit we ’ ll likely lose all three tricks if we lead it . What can we do ?
We can get the opponents to help us out ! We first have to eliminate their other choices by drawing the missing trumps and taking our remaining club winner . We then take the ♦A , ♦K , and lead a third round of diamonds . That puts one of the opponents on lead in this position :
Dummy
♠ J 7 6 4♠
♥ Q 6 3
♦ —
♠ — ♣ — ♠ —
N
♥ A 9 7
♥ K 10 8 4
W E
♦ —
S ♦ Q
♣ 10 7 5
♣ Q
Declarer ( Us )
♠ Q 10 8
♥ J 5 2
♦ —
♣ —
E
Putting the Opponents to Work
2 Audrey Grant ’ s Better Bridge | July-August 2024
We don ’ t care which opponent is on lead . If , for example , East is on lead and leads the ♥4 , we play low . West can win the ♥A but now we have a guaranteed heart trick with the remaining ♥Q and ♥J . If , however , either opponent leads either a diamond or a club , it gives us a ruff and a sluff – allowing us to ruff in one hand and discard a heart loser from the other hand .
Let ' s see how we can put the opponents to work for us on this next deal . We are in a 4♥ contract .
West leads the ♦5 . We play a low diamond from dummy and East plays the ♦Q . What ' s our plan ?
LEAD :
♦5
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
Dummy A Q 6 Q 9 6 3 8 4 9 5 4 3
W
N
S
Declarer ( Us )
♠ K 9 4
♥ A K 10 8 5
♦ A J
♣ K 7 2 We have no heart or spade losers , but there is one diamond loser and three potential club losers . We can ’ t do anything about the diamond loser , but we could plan to lead a club from dummy toward our ♣K , hoping East holds the ♣A . That ’ s a 50 % chance . Can we do better ?
We can certainly hope to do better by putting the opponents – our helpers ? – on lead at the right time . We win the first trick with the ♦A . Even though it ’ s a loser , we want to keep that precious ♦J for
E
♦ Q
4♥ later . We play the ♥A just in case one defender started with all four missing hearts , but both defenders follow with low hearts . We take a second round of hearts with the ♥K , and both defenders follow for a second time . That takes care of the trumps .
Next , we want to eliminate any escape route for the opponents , so we take our three spade winners . Now a defender can ’ t lead a spade without giving us that dreaded ruff and a sluff . Finally , we exit – put the opponents on lead – with the ♦J . Since East played the ♦Q on the first trick , we hope West will win the ♦K . The remaining cards will look something like this :
Dummy
♠ — 4♥
♠ —
♥ Q 9
♦ ♣
— 9 5 4 3
♠ 2
N
♥ —
♥ —
W E
♦ 10 7 3
S ♦ 9 6
♣ A J 8
♣ Q 10 6
Declarer ( Us )
♠ —
♥ 10 8 5
♦ —
♣ K 7 2 If West wins the ♦K , West has no winning play . Another diamond lead would allow us to ruff in dummy and discard one of the club losers from our hand . If West leads a club , we are guaranteed a trick with the ♣K .
What if East , somewhat surprisingly , wins the diamond trick with the ♦K ? It ’ s still not over . If East leads a low club , we can play low and let West win . Again , West has no winning continuation . If East does lead a high club , we are back to our 50 % chance that East started with the ♣A . So we have everything to gain and nothing to lose by trying to get the opponents to help us out .
Let ' s try another deal . We are in 4♠ , and West leads the ♥K .