IF YOU COUNT POINTS, YOU WILL SEE TRICKS

When defending, what do you do as soon as the dummy comes down?

You start to plan the defense, of course, but you should always count dummy’s high-card points. This will give you an idea of how many points partner can be expected to hold.

In today’s deal, East has to direct the defense. In answer to East’s double of Stayman, West leads the club seven: four, queen, six. East cashes the club ace: 10, two, nine. What next?

East should not be misled by declarer’s false-card. If West had started with 7-5-2 of clubs, he would have led the two at trick one. You should lead the lowest from a tripleton (with or without an honor) in partner’s suit when you haven’t raised. However, after cashing a third club trick, where should East go for a fourth winner?

The natural inclination is to shift to the singleton diamond, but check the points. East has 13, dummy has 11, and South opened one no-trump. That leaves at most 1 point for partner. The diamond switch is pointless.

Whenever you have taken all possible side-suit tricks, concede a ruff-and-sluff. Lead a fourth club.

If partner has either the spade eight or nine, his ruff will effect an uppercut. Dummy overruffs, but then East will collect a trump trick by covering an honor when it is led from the dummy. Note also that it doesn’t help South to ruff with the spade nine. East still scores a trump trick.

North wished he had responded three no-trump, a sensible choice with such a strong doubleton. West would never have found the club lead.