bridge

A frequent objective of defensive play against a suit contract is to try to run declarer out of trumps. If this can be achieved, the defenders may then be able to cash tricks in their own strong suits, or may even establish some trump tricks of their own.

In today’s deal, West applied this principle to perfection and wound up defeating what looked like a surefire game contract. The defence started with three rounds of clubs, South ruffing the third. Declarer then led the king of spades, but West wisely refused to take his ace. The nine of spades was led next, and again West played low. When East showed out on the second spade, South knew he was a goner.

At this point, West still had the A-5 of spades, while South had the Q-10 in his hand and the jack in dummy. But West was in full control of the outcome. If declarer continued with a third trump, West would take his ace and force South to ruff a club, thereby establishing his five of trumps as the setting trick and also allowing him to collect his fifth club for down two.

Declarer therefore decided to salvage what he could and ran his diamonds until West ruffed with the five. West’s only other trick was the ace of trumps, and South finished down one.

Note that if West had taken the ace on the first or second round of trumps, South would have been in the driver’s seat, since a club return could then be ruffed in dummy. By holding up his ace until precisely the right moment, West guaranteed winning the crucial battle for trump control and so ensured defeat of the contract.