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Defenders Must Count Tricks too.

We left you on Friday with a problem for a defender. Not only must we learn to bid and play well but we need to defend as accurately as we can as well. We have heard the bidding. After the opening lead, we can see dummy as well as our own hand. Defending should be easy.

Any bridge player will tell you that that last statement is just not true. It can range from the tough to the impossible!

No more of that, though as we want you to improve and lots of players really enjoy defending. Back, then, to our defensive problem:

 

Your partner, West, led A then K and then a third spade which you ruffed, with South following with a spade each time. Which card do you play at trick 4?

The answer should be the K. Let’s see why.

As a defender, your main aim is to defeat a contract. While it is nice to beat a contract by two or three tricks, your first target is normally one down, a much better result for you than when the contract makes!

So, always keep check on the number of tricks you have taken and also the number you need to take to beat the contract. In the above deal, the defence has taken the first three tricks and therefore needs two more since they are defending 3.

Assuming South has more than one diamond, you can set up a diamond trick for your side by leading K. This will lose to the ace. If your partner can gain the lead, your Q will be the fifth defensive trick…down 1. Wonderful. Can you see any better way to score two more tricks?

Either your partner will score a trick with A or maybe Q or else with A. Let’s look at all 4 hands:

 

If you exit with a passive trump, South will win, in hand (playing J under the queen) and will lead a club. West will play low as the king scores. Declarer will play K and overtake with A and will play another club. West has no answer. If they play low again, the defence will not score a club trick as Q wins the trick. If West takes their A, the Q provides a discard for South’s losing diamond. Either way, South makes 9 tricks.

It will be even easier for South if you had switched to a club.

After K switch, declarer will win and draw trumps before playing a low club from hand. West should win the first round and play their low diamond to your queen. Contract down 1…+ 50 to East-West.

Notice that there was no cost to the defence even if South had just one diamond or even three diamonds headed say by the jack. Since we know South had three spades and probably six hearts, if they have three diamonds, they are likely to have only one club…and dummy’s club honours will provide discards for diamond losers.

If South held A and had a diamond loser but was missing A, they would play clubs to discard the little diamond. Basically, switching to the K would never cost but could only gain.

Defenders, just like declarers, must count their tricks, too.

Back to the bidding

Our bidding lesson was about not letting the opposition play at too comfortable a level if you can. Thus, West was correct in bidding 2 as South will always make 8 tricks in hearts. 2 will also make 8 tricks (only the lead of K and two more rounds of hearts will stop West making an overtrick).

Thus, South was correct in bidding on to 3 even though they should record a minus score (-50). Whether you are playing the Pairs or Teams versions of the game, conceding -50 is much better than conceding -110 or -140. So, a well bid, and hopefully, well defended board by all four players.

Richard Solomon

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