Defence

 

One of the keys to great defence is ‘counting’.   What should you count?   You should assess both distribution and likely points of the two hidden hands.   Indeed, you should be aware of the likely distribution of all four hands before the opening lead.   This knowledge will help you visualise how the defence will proceed.   Of course, the fewer the bids, the less idea you will have.   The opening lead will usually help you or your partner clarify your view of the total distribution.   This sounds impossible to start with but with practice it will become second nature.   Do not be lazy in defence otherwise it will never improve!

 

Leads

There are many standard opening leads that you just need to learn.   There are occasions when you need to mislead  your partner and declarer by making an unusual lead.   I would suggest that you only experiment with this when you have a familiar and understanding partner.

 

The following are standard leads for those playing a system called 2nd and 4th – which is the most prevalent in Asia. (x means any card of 9 or lower, where xx(x) is shown the highest card is the leftmost x... also the (x) means this and with any more of them, i.e. Jxx(x) means Jxx, Jxxx, Jxxxx, Jxxxxx etc). Where 2 cards are underlined you can lead either.    Generally bad leads are shown in red.

 

Vs NT

x        xx      xxx    xxxx(x)        10xx  10xxx (x)  Jxx        Jxxx(x)

Q10x(x)       QJx(x) K10x(x)     KJ10x(x)      KQxx          KQ10x       

Ax     Axxx           Axxx(x)       AK    AKx(x)

 

Vs suits

x        xx      xxx    xxxx(x)        10xx  10xxx (x)  Jxx        Jxxx(x)

Q10x(x)       QJx(x) K10x(x)     KJ10x(x)      KQxx          KQ10x       

Ax     Axxx           Axxx(x)       AK    AKx(x)       

 

The reason that all these options are shown are that some people play different lead styles and I mention a few here without going into the relative merits.  You should discuss the leads with your partner to ensure you agree before you start of course.

(a) the 10 is treated as a low card

(b) lead the lower of two touching honours J from QJ etc.  (Journalist, Rusinow)

(c) 3rd and 5th where you lead the 3rd highest or 5th highest of any suit no matter whether you have any honour cards in that suit or not

(d) strong 10s.   These guarantee two higher honours, usually played against NT contracts only   so from KJ10x(x).

(e) lead the 10 or J shows 0 or 2 higher honours... very common in the UK now.

 

Special honour leads.   You will see that the AK combination shows the K as the card to lead.   This is usually led against a suit contract and is followed by the Ace and a switch of course.   This shows precisely AK doubleton and seeks a ruff (trump).

 

Some play, and I recommend that you can lead the A or K from any AK combination (as AK occurs infrequently) and the lead has a different meaning.   The Ace asks for an encouraging or discouraging signal and the K asks for a count signal (see below).

 

Signals

There are 2 main kinds of signals used today by most players.   In Asia I list them in the order of highest to lowest frequency.

 

  1. Encouragement – Discouragement
  2. Count

 

Interestingly in Europe, Count is the most prevalent method.    There is nothing to stop you using both methods and, most top players do, however keeping it simple will avoid silly mistakes.

 

  1. Encouragement – Discouragement (also known as ATTITUDE discarding)

There are two main methods used here.   By far the most common is: play high to encourage that suit.   If partner leads the A (assume she has the K and encourage with Q but discourage with J or worse.   Conversely a low card says ‘please don’t lead this suit’.  Often you might have a Q that declarer needs to find or just some small cards.   The reason for both messages, positive and negative if you like, is that you may not be able to spare a high card in the suit you wish to encourage.   The good thing about this method with improvers at the game is that a high card is easy to spot (play the highest one you can afford).  This method requires partner to look at the spot (cards below the 9) to determine whether you have played a high or low one... it is not always immediately clear.   This method is often described as HELD = High encouraging low discouraging.

 

You can improve on the efficiacy of this method by reversing it.   i,e. High card = don’t like and low card = like.   This is slightly better because you don’t have to waste a high card in a suit in which you may wish to take several tricks (especially in No Trumps).   Strangely this method is never described as HDLE, merely as UA (upside-down attitude since most people play HELD).

 

The other main method is ODDS & EVENS.  Here, an odd card usually encourages the suit and an even card discourages.   You can reverse this by agreement.  This has the advantage of being clearer when you have the right card but, infuriatingly you may have only even cards in the suit you wish to encourage and odd cards in the other suits.

 

 

  1. Count

There are two main methods here.   Standard (most commonly played) follows the sort of things you are taught in terms of your lead style (lead the top of a doubleton) so high card (usually followed if you can with a low card1) will show and even number and a low card, followed by a higher card2, shows an odd number.    Conversely you can play that a high card shows and odd number and a low card an even number of cards in that suit.    This latter method, called simply, upside-down count has some benefits that I won’t go into here.

 

1 Usually with 4 cards in a suit you would play the 2nd highest followed by the 3rd highest to make it easy to distinguish between 4 and 2 cards.

 

2 Usually you will play this cards up from the bottom so if you play a higher than expected card on the second round, (your advanced) partner should read this as a suit preference signal for the higher of the other suits.

 

Note that when your partner leads a suit which you win and then return the suit, the following convention is used to show your length in this suit.

With 3 cards (out the outset) return the middle one.   With 2 or 4, return the lowest one.  With 5, return the second lowest one (4th highest).   If your length is known (say you overcalled (5 likely) or opened a weak 2 (i.e. you have 6) then your return should carry a suit preference meaning (more of this later).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discards

 

There are 3 main kinds of discards used today by most players.   In Asia I list them in the order of highest to lowest frequency.

 

  1. Encouragement – Discouragement
  2. Suit preference
  3. Count

 

Interestingly in Europe, Count is the most prevalent method.    There is nothing to stop you using all three methods and, most top players do, however keeping it simple will avoid silly mistakes.

 

A word of warning:  If you are using method (1) or (2) above it should be to help partner NOT to ask them to stop thinking about the hand.  See examples at the end.

 

  1. Encouragement – Discouragement (also known as ATTITUDE discarding)

There are two main methods used here.   By far the most common is: throw away a high card encourages that suit, usually because you have an honour holding in the suit.   Conversely a low card says ‘please don’t lead this suit’.  Often you might have a Q that declarer needs to find or just some small cards.   The reason for both messages, positive and negative if you like, is that you may not be able to spare a high card in the suit you wish to encourage.   The good thing about this method with improvers at the game is that a high card is easy to spot (play the highest one you can afford).  This method requires partner to look at the spot (cards below the 9) to determine whether you have played a high or low one... it is not always immediately clear.   This method is often described as HELD = High encouraging low discouraging.

 

You can improve on the efficiacy of this method by reversing it.   i,e. High card = don’t like and low card = like.   This is slightly better because you don’t have to waste a high card in a suit in which you may wish to take several tricks (especially in No Trumps).   Strangely this method is never described as HDLE, merely as UA (upside-down attitude since most people play HELD).

 

The other main method is ODDS & EVENS.  Here, an odd card usually encourages the suit and an even card discourages.   You can reverse this by agreement.  This has the advantage of being clearer when you have the right card but, infuriatingly you may have only even cards in the suit you wish to encourage and odd cards in the other suits.

 

 

 

 

  1. Suit Preference

Again there are two main methods with one predominant.

Since the suits are arranged in descending order of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs you can discard in a suit to indicate in which of the other 2 suits you wish to encourage partner.   For example, let us say that you are out of hearts and wish to encourage partner in spades.   If you throw a high ♣ or high ♦ this asks for the higher of the other two suits (based on the order above).   Conversely, a low card ♣ would ask for the lower of the other two suits (♦ in this case) and a low ♦ would as for a ♣.

This method is very effective and is useful in other situations in defence (when partner is about to trump the card you play and you wish her to play back the higher of the other two suits lead a high card for her to trump, conversely if you wish her to return the lower of the other suits lead a low card for her to trump).    This is slightly more difficult to spot but is very rewarding and means that you have far more cards available in which to discard and help partner.   This method is often called Lavinthal. Or simply suit preference (as most people will play this method).  

 

The other method may be more complex to understand depending on how your mind works.   It is called Revolving.   The reason is that the suits are not considered highest (♠) to lowest (♣) but in a circle and relative to the suit in which you discard.  So heading clockwise from your suit ♣♦♥♠,  a high card asks for the suit furthest away and a low card asks for the nearest suit.   So if you throw a high ♦ it asks for a ♣!

 

  1. Count

There are two main methods here.   Standard (most commonly played) follows the sort of things you are taught in terms of your lead style (lead the top of a doubleton) so high card (usually followed if you can with a low card1) will show and even number and a low card, followed by a higher card2, shows an odd number.    Conversely you can play that a high card shows and odd number and a low card an even number of cards in that suit.    This latter method, called simply, upside-down count has some benefits that I won’t go into here.

 

1 Usually with 4 cards in a suit you would play the 2nd highest followed by the 3rd highest to make it easy to distinguish between 4 and 2 cards.

 

2 Usually you will play this cards up from the bottom so if you play a higher than expected card on the second round, (your advanced) partner should read this as a suit preference signal for the higher of the other suits.

 

At the outset I said that you can play 2 or more of these methods at the same time.  To keep it simple, try to play that the first discard is encouraging or discouraging and then after that subsequent discards of another suit (the same suit may be needed to clarify the first signal) are either count or suit preference.

 

See the common examples below to see how effective discards can be.

 

 

 

 

Board 1 Dealer N Love all

 

♠ AJ9

♥ 1052

♦ KJ9

♣ A1095

♠ 854                                       ♠ KQ102

♥ AQ97                                   ♥ 864

♦ 62                                         ♦ 1087

♣ K864                                   ♣ Q32

♠ 763

♥ KJ3

♦ AQ543

♣ J7

 

How the bidding went:

N         E          S          W

1♣       P          1♦        P

1NT1    P          3NT     All pass

1 Does not deny a 4 card major (Walsh style)

You lead the K♠ dummy plays the 3 and partner the 4 (discourage) and declarer plays the 9.   What do you do next?   Let’s say that you switch to the 8♥, declarer plays the K♥ from dummy and partner captures this with the Ace and switches to the 8♠.   Declarer wins the Ace and plays 5 rounds of diamonds with the defence having 2 tricks, leaving:

 

♠ J

♥ 10

♦

♣ A109

♠ 5                                           ♠ Q10

♥ Q7                                        ♥ 6

♦                                              ♦

♣ K8                                       ♣ Q3

♠ 7

♥ J3

♦

♣ J7

Declarer now runs the J♣ to your Q.   What do you play next?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see that a club will allow the contract to make but if declarer has

 

♠ J5

♥ 10

♦

♣ A10

♠                                              ♠ Q10

♥ Q7                                        ♥ 6

♦                                              ♦

♣ K98                                     ♣ Q3

♠ 7

♥ J3

♦

♣ J7

 

Or

♠ J

♥ Q

♦

♣ K109

♠ 5                                           ♠ Q10

♥ Q7                                        ♥ 6

♦                                              ♦

♣ A8                                        ♣ Q3

♠ 7

♥ J3

♦

♣ J7

How do you KNOW what to do?   Well partner discarded the 9♥ to encourage that suit.  Yes, she could have thrown the 5♠ away to give you the count but was not sure you had an entry.   So you can safely play the 6♥ and wait for partner to exit either a spade or club.   You may get this right by accident and think nothing more about it.

 

Also Board 2 Dealer E, NS Vulnerable

♠ Q75

♥ J764

♦ KJ7

♣ Q108

♠ 4                                           ♠ KJ9832

♥ A32                                      ♥ 5

♦ Q8653                                  ♦ A102

♣ J765                                     ♣ 932

♠ A106

♥ KQ1098

♦ 94

♣ AK4

 

How the bidding went.

N      E       S          W

         2♠     3♥        P

4♥              All pass

 

The auction should be fairly normal.   The lead, 4♠ should also be normal. This will go to the J and Ace.  Next declarer plays a top ♥ and the key moment is reached.   If West takes this immediately she will have to guess which minor suit to lead.  You can tell that your partner has at most 1  ♥.  If you duck the fist trick you may get a clear discard signal from partner to say which minor to play.   Here, you should get the 10♦ to encourage ♦ or perhaps 2♣ to discourage ♣.   Switch to the ♦ and partner will win and give you a spade ruff after winning the K♠ to defeat the game.

 

This next one is a textbook hold-up play to retain communication with partner

Board 3 Dealer S, EW Vulnerable

♠ AQ7

♥ J6

♦ Q10843

♣ Q103

♠ 85                                         ♠ 10943

♥ A10872                                ♥ K93

♦ 76                                         ♦ A2

♣ J765                                     ♣ 9842

♠ KJ62

♥ Q54

♦ KJ95

♣ AK

 

How the bidding went:

N         E          S          W

                        1NT     P

3NT                 All pass

 

West leads a 4th highest 7♥ and East should win the K and return the 9♥ to show 3 of them... the 3 would show an even number (2 or 4), the key moment in the deal has arrived... If West wins her Ace it is curtains for the defence.  With no other entry, the ♥ suit is dead and declarer will surely take 10 tricks.  If West ducks preserving the communication with her partner, Her partner will win the Ace of ♦ and lead her last Spade and that will be 4♥ and a ♦ for the defence – a 2 trick difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Board 4 Dealer W, All Vulnerable

♠ J9

♥ AKQ4

♦ 10654

♣ 1032

♠ A10543                                ♠ K876

♥ 1098                                     ♥ J72

♦ AQJ7                                    ♦ K8

♣ K                                         ♣ AQ98

♠ Q2

♥ 653

♦ 932

♣ J7654

 

How the bidding went:

N         E          S          W

                                    1♠

P          2♣       P          2♦

P          4♠        All pass

 

EW will surely reach game in spades.  North will surely lead 3 rounds of ♥.   Then comes the key moment. You can be fairly sure that declarer’s shape is 5341 or 5350 in any case without Ace♦ there will surely be insufficient points to open so is there any chance of a setting trick?   In such situations, look at the effect of getting partner to ruff high.  This will establish a trump trick for the defence that would surely not be there on any other play.  This is called an ‘uppercut’.

 

Board 5 Dealer N, Vulnerability NS

 

♠ KJ74

♥ 762

♦ A753

♣ Q6

♠ 832                                       ♠ 1096

♥ AK543                                 ♥ Q9

♦ J8                                          ♦ 10942

♣ K75                                     ♣ 8432

♠ AQ5

♥ J108

♦ KQ6

♣ AJ109

How the bidding went:

N         E          S          W

P          P          1NT     P

2♣       P          2♦        P

3NT                 All pass

If you chose the 4♥ lead on this occasion you strike gold.

If however you lead the A♥ and treat the 9♥ from partner as encouraging, you will continue with a ♥ but which one do you play?  If partner has Qxx♥ it won’t matter.  If she has Q♥ she will have to return another suit but which one?   If you return a high ♥ this will ask for a ♠, a medium ♥ will ask for a ♦ so your smallest ♥ asks for a ♣.   How can declarer make the contract if East does not return a ♣?

 

Board 6 Dealer E, EW vulnerable

♠ KJ765

♥ J3

♦ A92

♣ A83

♠ 8                                           ♠ 109

♥ AK975                                 ♥ Q1062

♦ 1076                                     ♦ QJ54

♣ J1076                                   ♣ Q54

♠ AQ432

♥ 84

♦ K83

♣ K92

 

How the bidding went:

N         E          S          W

            P          1♠        P

2♣1      P          2NT     P

4♠        All pass

Unless you play 2NT as a forcing game raise in the major opened (Jacoby) then you either invent a bid at the two level (good hand = bid slowly) or blast out game and hope you partner does not have more than a minimum (highly unrecommended!).

Anyway, West will surely lead A♥ and continue a ♥ at trick two.   Will declarer the switch or play a 3rd ♥?   If the latter, this time the ‘ruff & discard’ conceded the otherwise unmakeable contract.

 

Board 7 Dealer S,  All Vulnerable

♠ K64

♥ 863

♦ Q92

♣ KQ108

♠ Q1083                                  ♠ 5

♥ KQ1092                               ♥ A75

♦ K10                                      ♦ J8653

♣ A2                                        ♣ 6543

♠ AJ972

♥ J4

♦ A74

♣ J97

How the bidding might go:

N         E          S          W

                        1♠        X

2♠        3♦        3♠!       All pass

Or maybe..

N         E          S          W

                        1♠        2♥

2♠        3♥        3♠!       All pass

 

Note 3♠ breaks the law of total tricks and surely gets its just reward.

When you have a good holding in trumps it is usually best to lead you long suit – forcing declarer to trump and, often, losing control of the hand.   Well done to any NS who score more than 6 tricks in ♠ here!

 

Board 8            Dealer W, Love all

♠ Q65

♥ K32

♦ AJ9532

♣ 4

♠ A2                                        ♠ K43

♥ Q65                                      ♥ 10987

♦ 10876                                   ♦ KQ4

♣ KQ103                                ♣ 985

♠ J10987

♥ AJ4

♦ -

♣ AJ762

 

How the bidding went.

N         E          S          W

                                    P

P          P          1♣       P

1♦        P          1♠        P

1NT     P          2♠        P

3♠        All pass

 

Holding a good quality ♣ suit, it looks likely that declarer will try to trump his ♣ losers.  You also know that the opponents are short of points for game so lead a trump.   Here the ace works best.  If the defence starts with 3 rounds of trumps, declarer should have no hope of succeeding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Board 9 E/W vulnerable dealer N  Bidding 5; Play 5; Defence 8;

 

♠J10754

♥A1097

♦K72

♣3

♠Q6                                         ♠K92

♥8542                                      ♥K3

♦953                                        ♦AQJ4

♣AJ94                                     ♣Q1062

♠A83

♥QJ6

♦1086

♣K875

 

How it should go

N         E          S          W

P          1NT     All Pass

 

If north balances to show the majors this will likely be doubled.

This hand occured in the recent National teams here.

West led a ♥ against 2♥X (usually correct against part scores where your side has the majority of the values and there is not likely to be a running side suit) and a slight error at trick one (ducking) allowed the defence to proceed as follows.   East won the K and returned the 3♥.   Declarer won (1) in hand (could have overtaken to run the J♠ trying to restrict losers in the suit to 1 – though that would not have worked here), Cashed the A♠ (2) and exited to West with another ♠.   West continued with another ♥ won in hand with the Q♥ (3) and played another ♠.   East won and switched to 10♣, covered with the K and taken with the Ace.  West returned the 5♦ to East’s J.  East reverted to Q♣ won in dummy with A♥ ruff (4) that was the last trick for declarer as the spade exit was ruffed by West who played another ♦.   Result NS -800. at the other table 1NT made +3 for +180, a loss of 620 (12 IMPS).

10. Vulnerability: All    Dealer: E  Bidding 6; Play 8; Defence 8;

 

♠ K972

♥ J76

♦ J98

♣ AJ7

♠ J8                                          ♠ 10654

♥ KQ982                                 ♥ 103

♦`AQ6                                     ♦ 10432

♣ 654                                      ♣ K32

                        ♠ AQ3

                        ♥ A54

                        ♦ K75

                        ♣ Q1098

 

How it should go.

N         E          S          W

1♥       

P          P          X         P

1♠        P          1NT1    P

3NT  all pass

1 This shows 15-17.

West must avoid a fatal lead in either red suit.  Careful defence after this MAY hold declarer to 8 tricks however some sharp card reading by South can see this good contract home.

 

 

11. Vulnerability: Nil    Dealer: S  Bidding 3; Play 5; Defence 9;

 

♠ AJ65

♥ QJ6

♦ QJ1052

♣ Q

♠ 1043                                     ♠ 982

♥ 4                                           ♥ A983

♦`964                                       ♦ A

♣ J107653                               ♣ A9842

                        ♠ KQ7

                        ♥ K10752

                        ♦ K873

                        ♣ K

 

How it should go.

N         E          S          W

1♥        P

2♦        P          3♦        P

4♥  all pass

The J♣ lead makes interesting reading for trick one.  J,Q,A,K makes it fairly certain that South is 3541 or 2641 shape.   Can you defeat the contract as East?   You have scored one Ace and the chance of your partner having a trick is almost nil.   You should try to force declarer by playing clubs at every opportunity.  If you cash A♦ first declarer will see her way home.