New: All Vubridge

What Can You Do?
A great defensive hand!

East-West brush aside your opening bid and reach game.

How might you prevent declarer from establishing his tricks?

Bidding.

As dealer we open 1♠. West overcalls 2♥ (just about tolerable, given the vulnerability) and East raises to game.

Some overly-aggressive Norths might have given us a courtesy raise to 2♠; we think that a waste of time.

Play.

North dutifully leads a low Spade and we play three rounds of the suit. West ruffs the third Spade high, draws two rounds of trumps and plays a Diamond to the Nine.

We take the ♦J at trick six and lead back?

It’s time to count the hand and count declarer’s tricks. We have a partial count of the hand – West started with two Spades and six Hearts, so has five minor-suit cards. Were we to lead back a Diamond we’d be giving him six Hearts, three Diamonds and a Club. No good.

What about a Spade lead and a ruff-and-sluff? Well, if declarer were precisely 2·6·3·2 then he’d ruff on table, pitching a Diamond from hand, cash the ♦A and ruff a Diamond (bringing down the King) and would discard his losing Club on the thirteenth Diamond.

If he were 2·6·2·3 then the play would be even easier. Declarer would ruff in hand, pitching dummy’s ♣J. Now it would be a simple matter to ruff two Clubs on table.

The only defense that gives us a chance is a Club shift. For that to work partner would have to have the ♣Q. Unlikely, but just about possible.

We lead a Club, therefore, and partner obliges with the Queen. Declarer has to concede one off.