There are times when, in bridge, a defender is put in a tight corner with no beacon of light visible to lead him out of the dark alleys facing him. Undoubtedly, he knows that probably choosing the right alley can lead him from darkness to light.
But for his choice from amongst the many alternatives, he has to have a sound reasoning and logic behind his judgement of the cards lying with his partner and the opponents. The only clues to guide him are the bids made by partner and the opponents and, of course, above all partner's opening lead.
Let us take up today's hand by letting you view only the dummy and your hand as east, defending a 4S contract bid by south which has been doubled by your partner on the following bidding sequence.
The bidding was on a high note with east already having made a good preempt of 4D with his 8 carder diamonds, putting north under pressure of whether to seek partner's support, if any, for the major or to settle for the solid, strongest major that he held - hearts headed by AKQJX. North chose 4H which was rather injudiciously doubled by west, making south escape to 4S as the best alternative, knowing that perhaps west held at least 5 hearts for the double, if not more. When west doubled 4S, too, there was nothing else north south could do but hope for the best. The opening lead was KD from west - an obvious singleton looking to the 4D preempt bid by east.
With the dummy exposed as above, east had a difficult choice after he cashed the two diamonds with A and Q of diamonds, declarer following and partner discarding 2C. Place yourself in the east chair and take it up from there. How do you beat 4S doubled and what earthly chance can you have?
But more important, a decision that lay at this crucial point of defence for east to take was to analyse the distribution and partner's double of both majors and then make the right move to find the killing defence at the table.
Let me warn you that the defence here is not easy. But if you can find it you will be as good as Bobby Wolf of USA defending in the National Risienger Championship Final. Of course, your are at a disadvantage, for Wolf's partner who doubled was no less than the world champion Bob Hamman whose thin double was based on the confidence he had in his partner's ability to find the right defence.
There was a lot of thinking to do before the right move. Let us pick up the alternatives and use logical reasoning for discarding them one by one. The defence needed 2 more tricks, and Wolf knew his partner held AC and most likely the KS but how would his KS take a trick lying under dummy's Ace - that was the vital question to think of and find a solution. Moreover, Hamman's deuce of clubs was distressing. It meant not leading clubs. So what other alternatives were left? Surely, neither trumps, nor the dummy's solid hearts suit. But then that meant the diamond suit left. But would that be right - to give ruff and sluff.
But the KC lying in dummy meant that if clubs are led, declarer would have no more losers. All he would do would be to enter his hand by a hear ruff and trap partner's king of spades. But the defenders were World Champions and they could visualise that the only way partner's KS could be promoted was, if partner held the 9S along with it in his 3 carder spade suit.
So, Wolf played the JD for ruff and sluff and the declarer was at a dead end. If he allowed it to go to dummy for a ruff, Hamman would ruff with 9S to knock dummy's AS and thus conjure up KS for the setting trick. If, on the other hand, declarer ruffed in hand with say 10S, Hamman would never over-ruff but discard and with his KS placed over declarer's remaining honours, always score a trump trick. In both cases, the declarer would ultimately go down with that superbly imaginative defence.
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North East
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A843 5
AKQJ6 72
102 AQJ98743
K9 63
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The Bidding:
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West North East South
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- - 4D P
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P 4H P P
Dbl P P 4S
Dbl All pass
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