Bridge A defense for a year and the ages

The Gidwani Family Trust Defence of the Year award from the International Bridge Press Association in 2020 went to Brad Bart from Canada for his play in this deal. It was originally written up by Danny Miles, also from Canada.

Cover the East and South hands. Against four hearts doubled, you (West) lead the diamond king: two, three, 10. Since you and your partner use upside-down signals, you do not know who has the diamond four. What would you do now?

In the auction, North’s redouble showed spades, of course! If North had known his partner was going to bid four hearts, he probably would have doubled four diamonds and collected 300for down two, declarer losing one spade, one heart, one diamond and two clubs. But then it would have ruined a great story.

What did you lead at trick two? If the diamond ace, declarer will ruff, cash the heart ace and play a spade, leaving you with no riposte. If you duck, South pitches his second spade on the diamond queen. If you take the spade trick, declarer can get home if he reads the layout correctly. A trick-two shift to a trump or a club is also ineffective, chewing up partner’s queen in that suit. After the spade ace and another spade, South can run dummy’s heart nine, then go back to the spades.

Bart found the only defense — at trick two, he led the spade queen! Declarer won with dummy’s king, ran the heart nine and played another spade. West took that trick and led the diamond ace. South, cut off from the dummy, had to lose two club tricks, going down one.

— JANUARY 10