2007-12-15 01:26
 
Hand Evaluation – Tactics ( Divorce )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            There is a strong relationship between bidding & defense. When you are defending you cannot divorce yourself from the bidding that went on to arrive at this contract. Along with patterns , this bidding - defense relationship is how you “think” . A simple act of covering an honour with an honour came up the other day. You have Qxxx & the board has 10x . Declarer leads the 10 so do you cover ? Not enough information to answer the question. How about if I told you declarer made a 2/1 in diamonds & the contract is 6NT. Now it is silly to cover an honour with an honour. Covering an honour with an honour is pattern dependent. The bidding has given you two patterns in which to work. 6-4-2-1 & 5-4-2-2. in either of these case it is futile to cover. Give declarer AJ9876  & covering would collide with partners stiff K !! In the 2nd case of 5-4-2-2  partner wins the K but declarer still cannot pick up your Q. There is no logical reason to ever cover with this combination.

 

            The next hand , a normally good defender divorced the bidding from the defense & a contract made that should go one or two down vul. She opened an off colour 1NT with ♠Ax xx AKQJ10 ♣xx & partner bid Stayman which go doubled. Her 2bid was passed to partner who bid 2. This was passed around to LHO who bid 2 which ended the contract. Partner leads the K & the board came down with

 

♠xxx xxx xx ♣AK10xx   . Declarer ducked the heart & won the next trick . He lead a small diamond which you win so now what ? Lets not divorce the bidding from the defense. Partner bid Stayman followed by showing a 5 card suit & sold out for 2♠. Partner should have 4-5 in the majors to sell out with this auction . So the opponents are on a Moysean probably based on a club fit.  Since the clubs are favourable for them , you can not relinquish control of the trump suit , so you lead a small trump. Partner should not have a high spade honour along with the KQJ or they would be playing this doubled.  Declarer wins & leads another diamond. You win , cash your spade ace & pump the dummy with a diamond. Declarer now has no hope . If he leads a heart , he loses control & goes for –200 . If he leads a club , the queen falls & he loses a club ruff & a heart for +100.

 

            Another line of defense is to simply win your diamond & switch to a club while you control the trump suit. Declarer wins the club & leads another diamond. You win , and give partner a club ruff. Partner cashes a heart & leads a diamond for a dummy lock & another club ruff for +200. This line of play is apparent because you know partner is 5-4 in the majors & has shown 3 diamonds when declarer led a small diamond towards the board. 5-4-3-1 equates to a stiff club.

 

            The bidding gave you the blueprint in which to defend . Defending is mostly using the bidding with its inherent patterns to form a defensive plan . Unless , of course you chose to ignore the bidding & defend randomly. Divorce lawyer anybody ?