Hold-Up Plays

 

A Hold-Up Play is the withholding of a winner until a later round of the suit, usually to disrupt the enemy communications.  For example, Declarer has Axx opposite xx in a No Trump contract.  The defense leads the suit and Declarer holds up the Ace until the third round, hoping that the suit is split 5-3 and that the hand with the length has no outside entries.

 

Related Play Problems            Play Problem 3

                                                 Play Problem 12

                                                 Play Problem 208

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

18	♠ KQT94 ♥ KQ63 ♦ 987 ♣ 8	5th May, 2010
♠ J865 ♥ 84 ♦ 52 ♣ QT765	North West             East           South	♠ A ♥ T9752 ♦ AQ64 ♣ K92	Dlr       East Vul      N-S
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ 732 ♥ AJ ♦ KJT3 ♣ AJ43	West    North   East     South                         1♥        Dbl Pass    2♠        Pass    3♠? Pass    4♠        Pass    Pass Pass

 

Before we play 4♠ from the North side, let’s try playing 3NT from the South side.  West leads a Club to East’s King.  Declarer ducks this and also ducks the second round.  This routine hold-up play severs communications between the E-W hands and 3NT now rolls home.  A piece of cake for the 3NT brigade.

 

Now, North plays it in 4♠.  East finds the aggressive opening lead of a low Club, which works out rather well as it happens.  Dummy’s Ace takes the trick, and the Spade Ten is finessed, losing to East’s Ace.  The Club Nine is fired back, and Declarer ruffs that, crosses to the ♥A, cashes the ♥J, and finesses again in trumps.  That wins but when East shows out, Declarer has only 9 tricks.  After drawing trumps she must lose a trick to the ♦A and has no trumps left to ruff the defenders’ Club winners.

 

Do you see how Declarer could have made 4♠?  Yes, she must use the same strategy that we saw in the play of 3NT.  It’s OK to win the first Club with the Ace, but when East continues Clubs Declarer must pitch a Diamond, and then ruff the third round of the suit.  This play cuts the communications between E-W as East is out of Clubs when he later gets in with the ♦A.  This line brings home 10 tricks, but gives up on the 11 which would have been possible if trumps had been 3-2.  11 tricks are also possible if East fails to find the opening Club lead.

 

 

21	♠ QJ83 ♥ 853 ♦ 52 ♣ J743	From 3rd June, 2009
♠ K4 ♥ KT6 ♦ K9863 ♣ T98	North West             East           South	♠ A9765 ♥ QJ ♦ AQ7 ♣ A52	Dlr     North Vul     N-S
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ T2 ♥ A9742 ♦ JT4 ♣ KQ6	West    North   East     South             Pass    1NT     Pass 3NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

Those solid citizens who open 1NT will declare 3NT.  South will lead a fourth-best Heart and that’s 10 easy tricks.  Next, suppose that North happens to be on lead (as she will if East opens 1♠).  North will probably lead a Club, and now things are less comfortable for Declarer, at least on a temporary basis.  Declarer will hold up his Ace until the third round, just like the books say.  And the books turn out to be right!  The ♥A turns out to be in the hand without the 13^th Club, and that’s 10 tricks once again.

 

 

24	♠ K9432 ♥ 953 ♦ 973 ♣ K9	From 3rd February, 2010
♠ AJ75 ♥ J86 ♦ 84 ♣ 7543	North West             East           South	♠ T8 ♥ Q42 ♦ AQJT5 ♣ 862	Dlr     West Vul     None
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ Q6 ♥ AKT7 ♦ K62 ♣ AQJT	West    North   East     South Pass    Pass    2♦!       Dbl Pass    2♠        Pass    2NT Pass    3NT     Pass    Pass Pass

 

Against 3NT, West leads a Diamond and East inserts the Ten.  At this point a careless Declarer (assuming that West has a singleton Diamond) might grab her King.  But that would be a big mistake, guaranteeing the defeat of the contract.  The winning play is to duck the first Diamond, after which it is possible for Declarer to build tricks in the majors without letting East back in.  Nine tricks with correct play.

 

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