WHEN THIS SUIT IS YOUR ONE CHANCE

Usually, when defending against a notrump contract, you hope to win several tricks from one suit and a drib or drab from the other three suits. However, getting those tricks from the long suit sometimes requires a critical play or two. In this deal, because East overcalled one spade, West leads the nine of that suit. How should East defend?

South's two-no-trump rebid shows 18-19 points, more than a one-no-trump opening but not enough to start with two no-trump. It is in theory game-forcing. Responder may pass only if he "miscounted" his points on round one, bidding with three or four.

Now to the defense. The opening lead marks South with the spade ace and jack. Also, if declarer has four spades, the contract is probably ironclad. So, East must assume that South has only three spades. Here is the key point: Whenever the defenders are trying to establish a suit in which declarer has two stoppers, they should drive out one of them as quickly as possible -- and trick one isn't too early. So, East must play the spade 10 (or eight), forcing South to win with his jack.

eclarer will probably cash the heart ace and queen (hoping to take two spades, four hearts and three clubs), but when East discards a diamond, South will have to play a diamond. West wins with his king and returns his second spade, establishing East's suit while East still has the diamond ace as an entry.

If East plays the spade queen at trick one, declarer ducks and, here, is home free, as the expression goes.