Contract Bridge

A matter of timing

The right time to win a trick is crucial in many deals, and this applies just as much to the defenders as it does to the declarer. Consider this deal from a team-of-four match. At both tables the final contract was three notrump, but the contract was made at one table while it was defeated at the other.

Both Wests led a diamond. At the first table, East won the queen with the ace and returned the nine to the king. South had eight sure tricks at this point, and in an effort to gain a ninth he led a low spade to the ten.

West took his queen but had no satisfactory return. When he led a heart, declarer won in dummy and played a spade to the king. West took his ace and cashed the jack of diamonds, which he would otherwise have lost, and South made exactly three notrump.

At the second table, the defense was more effective. On the opening diamond lead, East signaled with the nine instead of winning with the ace. Declarer could not prevail against this thoughtful play. After the queen held, he also led a spade and finessed the ten, but West won with the queen and returned a diamond.

East took dummy’s king with the ace and returned the five, allowing West’s J-8 to score two tricks over South’s 10-7. Thus, the defenders at this table scored three diamonds and two spades to put South down one.

At the second table, East recognized that it would be better to take the ace of diamonds later in the play, when he could more effectively lead through whatever holding South might have in diamonds.