Think about partner’s hand, too
I hope you can defend better than did I on this hand.
Over RHO’s 15-17 1NT, I entered the auction with a DONT call of 2♦. (Btw, since the opponents were vulnerable, I am not so sure that my entering the auction was best; perhaps it was better to pass). LHO doubled (for takeout), opener bid 2♠ and responder raised to game.
I decided to lead a small heart (3rd and 5th).
Declarer played the ♥K from dummy, followed by a small spade to his king. A small club was led by declarer, small from me, honor from dummy, odd count shown by partner. A second spade to declarer’s ace was followed by a second club.
What is your defense?
At the table, my (myopic) thinking went no deeper than focusing just on the club suit. Placing declarer with three small clubs, I knew that if I ducked, declarer would be able to enjoy the thirteener club only by using a side entry in dummy, of which there were not many. So I ducked the second round, dummy’s other high honor winning.
But declarer found the winning play: he played a heart to his ace, and ruffed a heart in dummy. Then he exited with a club, endplaying me with my now-stiff ♣A. The whole hand was:
Had I thought more deeply – such thought to include consideration of not only my hand and the club suit being played but to also include partner’s hand – I would have chosen a different line of defense. Key is the expectation that partner has four spades, in all probability four small spades. Had I won the second round of clubs and exited with a club, declarer would have been unable to immediately enjoy the long club, since partner could then ruff the long club. And because of partner’s spade length, declarer could also not “draw trumps ending in dummy” to cash the long club. Good defense – that is a defense that thinks about partner’s hand, too – would lead to the defeat of the 4♠ contract.
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Bridge-related
Imagine at the critical moment you play club ace and a club. Declarer can play club (ruff over-ruff), pull the last trump and setup diamonds right?
Leon, after the last trump is drawn, if declarer next plays a diamond, my side will win two diamonds and a heart, along with the CA already won.
Jeff, after the last trump is drawn there is still one trump in dummy (as east/south used one trump in ruffing/overruffing). And you still have the heart ace. Therefore there is no time for EW to set up the heart. Declarer will only loose two diamonds and a club.
Right?
My suggestion that my hand exits with a club after winning the second round of clubs is inadequate. The winning defense is to continue the heart attack begun at Trick 1. Declarer will win the HA.
No matter what declarer does, the defense now has an answer: If declarer does not ruff a heart in dummy on is own, to eliminate the suit, the defense will eventually force dummy to ruff. The defense is a tempo ahead, having forced out a heart high card at Trick 1 while the offense cannot force out a high diamond until later.
In short, the opening lead was a winning one. But only if followed up by winning the second club (so as to avoid being endplayed) and by continuing the good work at Trick 1 by playing hearts again.
I think Leon’s comment is right based upon the stated defense. But that a defense of continuing hearts will set the contract.