Avoidance Play

 

An Avoidance Play is one that is designed to keep a particular defender off lead.  For example, when we are setting up our suit and have a choice of plays, we sometimes choose one particular line over another, not because it is theoretically better way to handle the suit combination, but because it loses a trick to the "safe" hand.  A couple of examples will clarify the idea.

 

Related Play Problems             Play Problem 8

                                                   Play Problem 101

                                                   Play Problem 132

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

15	♠ AKT86 ♥ K4 ♦ KQ9 ♣ KQ9	From 14th June, 2006
♠ Q3 ♥ A8 ♦ J8652 ♣ 8763	North    West            East              South	♠ J752 ♥ QJ763 ♦ 4 ♣ JT2	Dlr     South    Vul     N-S
© BES, Inc   All Rights Reserved	♠ 94 ♥ T952 ♦ AT73 ♣ A54	South   West     North   East   Pass     Pass     2NT     Pass 3♣        Pass     3♠        Pass 3NT     Pass     Pass     Pass

 

After this auction, a Heart lead will seem most unattractive to East, and the safest and most obvious start is the J♣.  Now, the safe way to play the contract, and also one which gives you good overtrick chances, is to win the opening Club lead with the Ace, and run the 9♠ (this is the best way to develop the Spade suit while also keeping West off lead and avoiding the potentially dangerous Heart shift).  Normally (and on the actual hand) this will lose to the Queen or Jack, and a Club will come back.  Now, Declarer cashes KQ♦, then a Diamond to the Ace.  Then, another Spade lead collects 10 tricks.  And, if the Diamonds had been more accommodating, it would have been 11 tricks.

 

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All Rights Reserved