DAILY BRIDGE CLUB

“Simple Saturday” columns are meant to help aspiring players improve technique and logical thinking.

Defenders tend to view the trump suit as declarer’s sacred domain, but they often have opportunities to win, or manufacture, tricks in trumps.

In today’s deal, West led the ace of clubs against four hearts. East encouraged with the nine, won the next club and led a third club. That was a promising defense — West was sure to score a trump trick with his queen — but declarer had a counter: He pitched his spade loser. West ruffed and led a spade, but South ruffed, drew trumps and took the rest.

Defenders can create a surprise trump trick in several ways: for instance, with an “uppercut” or (as here) with a “trump promotion.” But a defensive principle is that they must cash their side-suit winners first. Otherwise, declarer may survive with a loser-onloser play.

At Trick Three, East must take his ace of spades. Then the lead of a third club beats the contract. DAILY QUESTION You hold: S A J H 10 3

D J 7 5 C K 9 7 6 3 2. Your partner opens 1NT. The next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: A raise to 3NT might work, but if partner has K Q 7 6, A 6 5, A Q 4 3, J 5, 3NT will be poor. You need him to hold help in clubs so he can set up your suit. Many pairs have a way to show a hand such as yours. Some might treat a bid of two clubs, then three clubs, as invitational. Others might use a direct jump to three clubs in that way.