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Attack or Go Passive but not both.

There are deals where the defence has to find a dramatic switch part way through in order to beat a contract. The signs are ominous if you do not, like declarer running a long suit. Yet, that is not always the case. Take a look at this deal from last weekend’s National Swiss Pairs.

The stakes are high as you are defending a doubled game.

 

Your 1NT was 11-14 (still is!) and your partner’s first double was for take-out. The second double was not! What do you lead?

That is the first of two questions about the defence to this deal. Since your partner has doubled, the opponents must be short of the 25 needed normally for 3NT. There must be some wild distribution around the table. So, what is your choice?

You elect to choose 8 and this is what you see in dummy.

 

 

Not the great lead you might have hoped for. Declarer plays low from dummy and partner’s 9 is taken by declarer’s ace. At trick 2, South leads J which you duck, to try and break declarer's communications to dummy. That wins the trick and is followed by a small heart taken by your ace, with East holding an original 94.

What now?

Up to now, your defence has been passive, although you might have wished that the opening lead had worked out better for the defence. You know your partner has to have some high cards in the black suits. Should you switch to one? Although the J switch should work as long as East had withheld their ace, the best continuation was another passive card, another diamond.

If East has a doubleton diamond, it forces declarer straightway to take their diamond tricks:

 

East and South have to find four discards on three diamonds and K. These cards remain with declarer still needing two tricks:

A spade goes to the J and ace and Q does not leave South well placed..one down. Had South not cashed K, they would need an extra trick from their hand, and that would not be forthcoming. 

J does still beat the contract as long as East withholds their ace, though there is doubt whether West has led an interior sequence or indeed wants a spade switch (correct if South’s spades are Kxx). Best of all though is the passive diamond exit which cannot really hurt.

Even better than all would have been an initial spade lead, the unblocking T being the best choice, a distinct option with East promising 4 spades in the bidding. Then, when West wins A, the defence can take three spades and two aces.

Start one way. Stay that way!

However, we cannot always find the right opening lead. There seemed no need here to open up new suits when our first choice appeared to be very passive. Note it was very unlikely that East held A and KQ to a number. That would make South’s leap to 3NT extremely lightweight.

Patience or passive defence was the best for West after the start made.

Richard Solomon

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