BRIDGE

In notrump contracts, declarer frequently refuses to win the first trick even though he has the ace. This refusal to win the trick, called a holdup play, usually occurs when declarer is under attack in a suit where he is relatively weak. The purpose of the holdup is to interfere with enemy communications.

The holdup occurs much less frequently in suit play, but it can be just as effective. Here is a case in point. South reaches five clubs as shown, and West leads the king of diamonds. If South takes the king with the ace, he ultimately goes down one. Whenever he gets around to leading a second diamond, West wins with the jack and shifts to a low heart. East’s king forces the ace, and declarer winds up losing two diamonds and a heart.

But if South ducks the diamond king at trick one, he makes the contract regardless of what West does next!

Suppose West continues with a diamond. Declarer takes his ace, draws trumps and plays a third diamond. Dummy’s remaining diamonds thus become established and easily take care of South’s heart loser.

Now let’s suppose West shifts to a low heart at trick two. Declarer wins East’s king with the ace, draws trumps and returns the 10 of hearts. West wins with the queen, and South avoids a second diamond loser by later discarding the diamond nine on dummy’s jack of hearts. Note that there is no risk attached to ducking the diamond king. Even if West has the K-Q-J-10 of diamonds, it makes no difference whether or not East ruffs a diamond continuation at trick two. Either way, South cannot be stopped from establishing dummy’s fifth diamond as a trick.