Daily Bridge Club

Dangerous opponents

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

Declarer must often try to place the lead with one defender or the other: Only one defender may be able to make a damaging lead. “Avoidance” is the technique of keeping a “dangerous” defender from getting in.

Today’s declarer wins the first heart with the king. His contract looks safe, but say he takes the high clubs next, and West discards. Since the missing spades split 4-2, South can’t win four spade tricks, and if he concedes a club to set up dummy’s fifth club, East can lead the jack of diamonds. South will lose four diamond tricks to go down. Club loSer

The defense can never take four diamonds if the first lead comes from West. So South should lead a spade to dummy at Trick Two and return a club. When East plays low, South plays the nine, passing his club loser to West, the “safe” opponent.

If West shifts to a low diamond, and East takes the ace and leads the jack, South covers with the queen and loses only three diamonds. When he gets back in, he has nine tricks. Daily queStion You hold: ♠ AK 6 4 ♥ 63 ♦ 82 ♣ K Q 6 3 2. Your partner opens one heart. The next player passes. What do you say?

anSwer: The hand is worth forcing to game; it has prime values and a good five-card suit. Hence you can show the suits in the logical order: longest first. Bid two clubs. If partner rebids two hearts, you can bid a space-saving two spades. If you respond one spade and clubs next, you will suggest longer spades and crowd the auction. South dealer N-S vulnerable