Bridge is a mind sport. It calls for a good memory and simple counting, with deductions. All good declarers keep a track of their opponents' moves to find a clue to their distribution of cards and strength. The bidding, of course, reflects the general strength that each player holds. It is now up to the player's ability to use the clues to his advantage.
This is all the more necessary for the opponents defending the hand. For they need to plan their defence strategy with their opening move and the subsequent moves after Dummy exposure. While the bidding and declarer's moves do help in guiding their defence for the kill, it is basically the mental alertness on the table along with the ability to count that makes a good defender.
See if you are one on this defence in East's chair defending 4S with the following hand after your partner leads the AD on conclusion of following bidding.
THE DUMMY, EXPOSED ON YOUR RIGHT, IS AS UNDER, ALONG WITH YOUR FOLLOWING HAND AS EAST:
On the AD opening lead, you encourage by signalling the 4 while declarer plays the deuce. Yet West switches to 3C, looking at the massive clubs in dummy which is quite indicative of it being a singleton. Declarer wins in dummy with QC and plays the KS followed by AS, looking shaken up at your discard of a low heart. Next, he leads 6H to the Ace, partner playing the 3H, and continues with KH on which he discards the 6D while your partner follows with 8H. When declarer leads 7H from dummy, the crucial point of defence has reached. How do you defend?
The one unusual thing about the whole sequence of plays so far is a good indicator for you to think as to what in God's name is declarer's game plan for being in a suit contract of 4S where he is not yet drawing the outstanding trumps and instead is indulging in the play of Hearts. What is your answer? Well, it is quite obvious that declarer lacks QS which may well be with your partner along with another trump. The declarer's main worry is, of course, the impending club ruff if you gain an entry with the QD. He is therefore angling for a diamond discard to execute the scissor's coup - cutting off communication between the defenders, so that you are unable to gain an entry in Diamonds with QD to give your partner a club ruff, which along with QS would sink the contract.
This is not a very difficult hand to defend, if one is alert enough to cater to the declarer's motivation in playing the way he is. The moment partner led the 3C, the agile declarer immediately resorted to a counter move whereby he could isolate the defenders and sever their communications depriving them of the ability to conjure up the setting trick with a club ruff.
LET US NOW REVEAL THE DECLARER'S AND PARTNER'S HANDS AS UNDER:
In fact, your partner was a little sleepy in failing to unblock the JH so that there could be no chance of declarer slipping the lead back to him to avoid the club ruff. But do you now see what needs to be done at the 7H led from dummy? Yes, go. up with QH, knowing well that JH is crashing on it to make 10H in Dummy Good. But that really matters little. The declarer's problem remains. He can't let the lead rest with you, and neither can he cut communications in diamonds to avoid club ruff. A little slip on your part with a low Heart and Declarer would discard a diamond, avoid club ruff and sail Home. As it is, he sinks one down due to alert defence. The declarer's hand was counted out quite early, to be holding precisely 3 clubs - (J94), of course the singleton 6H, a 6 carder spade lacking QS and of course 3 rags of Diamonds. Good defence begins and ends with 'counting'.
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N - S
I C - 1S
2 H - 2 S
4 S - ALL Pass
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North (You) West South
(Dummy) East (Declarer)
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K 7 2 Q 6 4 3 A J 1 0 9 8 5
A K 1 0 7 Q 9 5 4 2 J 8 3 6
8 5 Q 4 3 A K J 1 0 7 9 6 2
A K Q 1 0 8 7 6 5 3 J 9 4
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