Friday, August 04, 2006 1:37 PM

Hand Evaluation – Defense (Patterns )

PITBULLS:

If somebody asked me to define defense in the game of Bridge , I would answer the application of hand patterns. Initially , you translate the bidding into a hand pattern based on the bidding before you make an opening lead. During the hand , you apply hand patterns based on partner showing you count which is done by translating leads or discards into hand patterns. You also apply hand patterns based on who shows out of a suit. Finally from the hand patterns , you are aware of how many tricks declarer has so you know where your tricks are coming from to defeat the contract.

If I were a defense cop who had the authority to write tickets for defensive violations , I would have given a tormentee 4 tickets the other night in one hand for essentially not thinking “in patterns” . The auction went (everybody vul) 3♣-X-P-P . You doubled with ♠Qxxxx ♥AKxx ♦Axx ♣x so you are not unhappy with partners conversion as you have 3 defensive tricks to contribute. The first ticket that gets written is for the opening lead. It is horrible , especially in a doubled contract , to guess & just lead blind. I often lead bare Aces in doubled contracts so I can see the board. Luckily , you have an AK combination to you do not have to lead blind, so a heart is your opening lead. Violation #1 the Tormentee lead her 4^th best spade.

The board hits with ♠AKJxx ♥xxxx ♦KJ10x ♣ void so you can see why partner converted. The club pattern is either 7-5-1-0 or 8-4-1-0 so partner has 5 or 4 clubs. For your horrific opening lead you deserved to have AKJ of spades 3^rd on the board , declarer a singleton so she would finesse & pitch two of her hearts away. However, you are lucky as declarer let the spade lead ride around to her 10. Ticket violation #2 as you were too lazy to apply a pattern to the spade suit. 5-5-2-1 so declarer can not have a stiff spade as she would not be able to return to the board. Therefore, partner has the stiff spade !

Partner gets in with the Ace of trump , now switches to the heart queen , so you encourage. Partner ignores your signal & switches to the diamond 8 so now what ? In Bridge , if you want a switch continued , you lead a low card saying please continue as I have an honour. Partner carefully chose the 8 saying please do not continue diamonds as I want a spade ruff or a heart continuation. From hand patterns , you know that declarer has 10 or 9 black cards ( 2 spades & 7 or 8 clubs ) so 10 of declarer’s 13 cards are accounted for. This next play is worth 2 tickets. In a doubled contract , where partner is counting on you for your 3 defensive tricks & knowing that partner is getting a spade ruff , you duck the setting trick in diamonds ! You get this ticket ( #3) for not reading partners 8 of diamonds which says diamonds are not to be returned so we are just getting one diamond trick. You get a 4^th ticket for not being aware that you need 5 tricks to defeat a 3 level contract so it is folly to play declarer for 4 diamonds which is the only holding a duck would make sense.

Applying patterns is Bridge defense. This is how you think on defense. Everything in defense stems from patterns as the building block. You got a well deserved –670 on this board instead of +200. Everybody in the field was in 3NT down one so you were about to win 9 IMPS. Instead you lose 14 for a 23 IMP swing. Who needs patterns anyway ? I probably have never mentioned them before L