DEFENSIVE PROBLEM #18

Rubber bridge
South dealer
East-West vulnerable

	NORTH (dummy) ♠ K J 10 ♥ J 9 ♦ A K Q J 5 ♣ 7 4 2
		EAST (you) ♠ 7 6 4 3 ♥ K 10 8 2 ♦ 10 6 ♣ K Q J

SOUTH	WEST	NORTH	EAST
1 ♣	Pass	1 ♦	Pass
1 ♠	Pass	3 ♦*	Pass
3 ♠	Pass	4 ♠	Pass
Pass	Pass

*forcing

West leads the heart ace.

Plan your defense.

Solution

	NORTH ♠ K J 10 ♥ J 9 ♦ A K Q J 5 ♣ 7 4 2
WEST ♠ 5 ♥ A 7 6 5 4 ♦ 8 7 4 3 2 ♣ 8 6		EAST ♠ 7 6 4 3 ♥ K 10 8 2 ♦ 10 6 ♣ K Q J
	SOUTH ♠ A Q 9 8 2 ♥ Q 3 ♦ 9 ♣ A 10 9 5 3

X-RAY VISION. To avoid allowing declarer to get early heart discards on dummy's diamonds, East should signal encouragment in hearts (with the ten, if high cards are used as encouraging). After winning the second trick with the heart king, East should visualize declarer with 5=2=1=5 or 5=2=0=6 distribution and all the missing high cards (for the opening bid). Any defense will suffice against 5=2=0=6, but if South is 5=2=1=5, East must shift to a diamond (preferably the ten, in case declarer's singleton is the nine) to prevent South from using the bulk of dummy's diamonds. If East instead leads a club or a spade, declarer has ten tricks: five spades, four diamonds and one club.

(Based on a deal and analysis from the 1964 National Industrial Recreation Association Bridge Par-Deal Tournament by William S. Root and Lawrence Rosler.)

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