Bridge Play

A basic defensive concept is “active-passive.” If you defend against a contract of four spades and can count 10 tricks for declarer, you had better get four first. That’s “active” defense.

Today’s West leads the ten of diamonds against four spades: jack, queen, king. Declarer leads the king of trumps to West’s ace. How should West defend?

South’s jump to game suggests a six-card suit (since North might have only two spades for his bidding). So West can count five trump tricks, two diamonds and two hearts for South.

UNBEATABLE

If South has the ace of clubs, the contract is unbeatable. But if East has it, West should shift to clubs to get the defenders’ tricks quickly: South might hold the queen of hearts. As it happens, the “active” shift to a low club works when East produces the ace and returns a club.

Defenders must distinguish the times when they must get active, as here, from those when declarer has a struggle for tricks. Then the defenders can sit back and wait.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠♥ 8 7 J 10 7 4 ♦ Q 5 4 2 ♣ A 8 5. Your partner opens one spade, you respond1NT and he bids two hearts. What do you say?

The non-jump change of suit by your partner, as the opening bidder, is not forcing. He could have as many as 18 high-card points but will have no more than that and could have 11 or 12 in a distributional hand. Pass. You would bid three hearts with J 7, J 10 7 4, 7 5 4 2, A K 8, but your actual hand is too weak. —Tribune Media Services

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