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 In control.

That’s how you might feel as a defender with 5 trumps to an honour and two outside aces and a little bit more. Your opponents have decided to play in 4S where you have a more than decent holding. Our first question is would you double this contract holding:

 

2 is a Weak 2 with South responding to a forcing enquiry by showing a singleton or void diamond (3). Well?

Our West did not double. On a really bad day, South will hold a diamond void and although the lead of A would use up one of South’s trumps, it would also waste one of West’s potential tricks. Also, with East holding next to no high cards, there was a chance that North might pull the contract to a making 4NT.

So, you lead A and this is what you see:

 

Your partner plays J which would indicate 10 but is likely not to show K (a low encouraging heart would show that card). What would you play next?

West continued with A which drew J from South and then played their remaining heart which was won by dummy’s Q.

South then played A from dummy, getting an unwelcome diamond discard from East. They then played J. Would you win this trick?

If you did, then South would soon be recording +420.

South would then be able to ruff the diamond continuation and draw West’s remaining three trumps before taking advantage of the very favourable club lay-out to make their contract.

However, as long as West ducked the J, South could not come to 10 tricks. If they played two high clubs, West would be able to ruff a third round. If they ruffed a diamond to play K then another spade forcing West’s Q, West can trap declarer in dummy once more with a third round of diamonds. South could ruff this trick but would then have less trumps than West.

So, South had to try a third round of hearts to their K. However, West could ruff this trick and await Q as the fourth trick for the defence.

Not flashy but just sound defence to beat this contract, defence not found at all tables. As to 4NT by North, this would certainly fail on a diamond lead. However, East might lead J. Now, it becomes much harder for the defence if North guesses the actual heart position. Yes, the defence could have collected an extra 100 points by doubling 4 (even an extra +400 should North bid 4NT) but not doubling but producing sound defence still got a good result for East-West.

Note also that had declarer taken a first round trump finesse through West, they would still be trapped in dummy. Also, had they played 2 rounds of spades finishing in the South hand, then West's 8 is automatically promoted as a second trump trick for the defence. Certainly, West was, or should have been, always "in control".

Richard Solomon

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