Contract Bridge

The holdup play, whether it is used by declarer or a defender, is one of the most effective plays in bridge. It comes in a variety of forms and, properly applied, can completely alter the outcome of a deal.

Today’s hand, from a national championship, provides an unusual example of the holdup play. At both tables, declarer wound up in four spades, and both Wests led a club.

At the first table, declarer put up dummy’s ace and returned a club, planning to ruff one or two of his club losers in dummy. But East had no trouble diagnosing South’s intention. He won the club with the king and played the ace and another spade. Declarer eventually lost two more clubs and finished down one.

At the second table, South anticipated that the defenders would switch to a trump if he played the ace and another club. So instead of taking the first trick with the ace, he played low from dummy. This simple maneuver rendered the defense helpless.

If East, after winning the club, returned anything but a trump, South would win and ruff two clubs in dummy to finish with 11 tricks. So East played the ace and another trump, just as his counterpart had at the other table — but this time, to no avail.

Declarer won the second trump, cashed the A-K of hearts and ruffed a heart. When the opposing hearts divided 3-3, South claimed the rest of the tricks, using the still-present ace of clubs as an entry to collect dummy’s two good hearts.

Not playing dummy’s ace of clubs at trick one, inconsequential as it might seem, thus made a two-trick difference in the outcome.