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Blocking and Unblocking
Successful declarers and defenders are adept at unblocking their own suits and blocking the enemy suits. Here are some examples.
Related Play Problems Problem 50
Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games
Against 4♠, North leads a Heart, and all roads lead to 11 tricks. But, lurking within this deal, there is one of those nasty traps for the unwary. Suppose that South wins the opening Heart lead and shifts to a Diamond, won in Declarer’s hand … then the losing Spade finesse and another Diamond … trumps are drawn, and then when the Clubs come in it’s 11 tricks. So, where’s the trap? When playing Clubs, Declarer must play the Nine to King, then a Club back to the Ace, followed by a finesse of the Eight. If Declarer fails to unblock the Nine the last two Club winners will be stranded on the board.
3NT is a most interesting contract. So many finesses to take, so few entries to Declarer’s hand! Double dummy it’s possible to make no fewer than 12 tricks: Diamond lead won by Declarer, finesse the J♣, cash A♣ which drops the King and provides two entries back to hand for the Spade finesses.
But, in the real world, Declarer will not even be sure of 9 tricks, let alone 12. For example, if Declarer runs the Q♣ and it loses to North, a Diamond will come back and this last entry will be used to take a Spade finesse … even if this finesse wins Declarer will still have only 8 tricks.
Suppose that Declarer tackles Spades first and the Q♠ holds. This is fine if the King really is onside, but a cunning North will smoothly duck the Q♠, perhaps stifling a yawn as she does so. If this is the case, Declarer will no doubt be lured to his doom … he’ll cash the A♣, lose a Club to the King, win the Diamond return, and blithely take another Spade finesse … this time the finesse loses and the defense scores two black Kings and 3 Diamonds for down one.
Is there a way of combining the chances in the black suits? Yes, at Trick Two, Declarer leads the Q♣, and if South plays low she unblocks the J♣. This clever play provides an entry (the 7♣) back to Declarer’s hand for a later Spade finesse. Here is the full line of play: Diamond lead to the King and Declarer’s Ace Q♣ covered by the King and Ace Cash three more Clubs, ending in Declarer’s hand Spade finesse Cash A♠ Q♠, won by South’s King Diamond return Declarer’s Ace Now Declarer has 11 tricks, but more interesting is what would have happened if the Club finesse had lost. North returns a Diamond to the Ace … Spade finesse working … cash the Clubs ending in hand … another Spade finesse which takes Declarer up to 9 tricks … and that becomes 11 when the K♠ turns out to be tripleton.
Post Script: That unblocking play in Clubs will cost a trick when Clubs are 4-1, but it still looks like the best chance to us.
It’s quite likely that the final contract will be 3♠, played by East, and, in the play of the hand there is a trap for the unwary. Let’s say that the defense gets two Hearts on the go, and then North shifts to a Spade, won by South’s King, then a Spade continuation. Now, the hand hinges on the Club situation, and Declarer needs two entries to the board to pick up North’s KJx. Yes, Declarer must carefully unblock the 8♠ on the first round of the suit … this gives him that second entry to the board via the Spade Six.
A simple enough auction, with 9 tricks available to Declarer. Let’s say that West leads a Spade, and that the defense forces out Declarer’s King. Next the A♥ is knocked out, the defense cashes their Spades, and East shifts to a Club, won by Dummy’s Ace. Now, Dummy’s Q♦ is run around, the Diamonds come in and it’s 9 tricks.
Yes, in the play of the Diamond suit, Declarer had a chance to show off her flawless technique. If Diamonds are 3-2 (with the K♦ onside) then, when Declarer is in Dummy for the first and last time, it is sufficient to run the Q♦ in order to pick up the suit. But suppose that East has K9xx … now there’s nothing to be done, Declarer can score but 3 Diamonds in the absence of another board entry. Finally, suppose that East has Kxxx and West has the singleton Nine. This is where that flawless technique pays dividends! Dummy’s Q♦ is led, East ducks, and Declarer unblocks the Jack! This costs nothing in the 3-2 case, but, if West contributes the singleton Nine on this trick, the thoughtful unblock gets its just reward … now the Eight can be run around, and the whole suit is picked up.
P.S. Yes, it's true that if West started with K9xx we'll only get two Diamond tricks, but if that is the case, two is all we need, that will be 7 tricks, and the defense will already have their 6.
It’s often a good idea to lead through Dummy’s second suit, so East might well start out the defense with the Q♠. Things could get interesting now, especially if East has a vivid imagination: Spade lead, won by Dummy’s Ace Low Heart and East flies with the Ace! Now, the defense continues Spades and Declarer’s entry is knocked out before the Hearts can be unblocked. Declarer can manage no more than 3 Spades, one Heart, two Diamonds, and 2 Clubs, and that will be down one, thanks to East’s great play. Spot the flaw in this logic? Yes, of course, if East can be "double dummy", then so can Declarer … when East rises majestically with that A♥, Declarer flamboyantly jettisons Dummy’s Queen! Now things are back on track for 10 tricks.
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