The right card aids partner’s defense

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE® GARFIELD® BIG NATE® ARLO & JANIS® ZITS®

Voltaire wrote, “Each player must accept the cards life deals him. But once they are in hand, he alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.”

In a way, that is true, but sometimes a bridge defender must be careful with the card he plays in order to give partner the necessary information so that they can defeat the contract.

In this deal, for example, how should the defenders card to beat four hearts after West has led a low diamond?

North might have rebid four diamonds, a splinter bid showing at least four-card heart support and game-going values with a singleton (or void) in diamonds. But with all of those club losers, he settled for a less-revealing rebid. (If you employ two-over-one game-force, North would rebid three hearts, and South would raise to game with his minimum.)

At trick one, East can see two defensive tricks: the diamond ace and spade king. It is clearly right to shift to clubs, hoping to gain two winners there. But he must be careful to lead the club nine to deny an honor in the suit. Then, after South plays the king or queen, West ducks to keep communication with his partner. (If West takes this trick and returns his club eight, declarer can win with dummy’s 10.) When East gets in with the spade king, he can lead a second club to defeat the contract.

Often from 9-5-4-2, one would lead the five, second-highest from a weak suit, but here that would be very dangerous. West might think it was from H-9-7-5 and that his side could cash three club tricks.