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Scissors Coup
This segment is all about snipping the communications between the defenders, typically by losing a trick early in the play so that the defense will not be able to get together later in the play. As usual, examples are the best way to convey the technique.
Related Play Problems Play Problem 119
Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games
Does 3♥ make? Let’s say that West cleverly finds the best lead of the ♠A, and that Declarer ruffs the second round. Declarer will manage to go down now if she crosses to the ♣A, cashes a second Club (pitching a Diamond), and loses a Heart to West. Now West leads a Diamond to East’s Ace, after which another Club promotes the setting trick for the defense. Down one! Declarer does better by playing on Diamonds before Clubs, spoiling the communications for the trump promotion. It’s the Scissors Coup at work.
Of course, if West fails to find that ♠A opening lead then the defense will have no chance of beating 3♥.
Against 4♠, a Club lead gives Declarer the most trouble. The danger is that this lead is singleton so Declarer’s best line is probably: Win the Club lead with Dummy’s Ace Cash ♥Q, ♥A, ♥K, pitching a Club Lead a 4th Heart, again pitching a Club Nicely done, Declarer! She has just executed a Scissors Coup, snipping the communications between East and West. Now West never gets in and there is no possibility of a trump promotion.
Looking at all 4 hands, a Diamond lead looks most promising, but Declarer can still score 9 tricks with this pretty line of play … win A♦ … 4 rounds of Clubs, pitching Declarer’s Diamond losers … the 4th round of Clubs is won by South (no, it does not help the defense if North ruffs the 4th round) … now, the defense is unable to orchestrate a Spade trick and a Spade ruff.
Check what happens if Declarer cashes only the AKQ♣, pitching just one Diamond loser. Now, Declarer plays a trump from the board, North jumps up with the K♥ (great play!) … North shifts to a Spade, the Ten forcing the Ace … another trump, won by the A♥ … K♠ cashed, over to North’s Diamond winner, and a Spade ruff! Super defense by N-S, but Declarer could have prevented those heroics at his expense by playing that 4th round of Clubs early on, pitching another Diamond. It's the so-called Scissors Coup, snipping the enemy communications.
If East leads the aggressive 7♥ against 2♠ then Declarer can prevail by means of a Scissors Coup. She wins the opening Heart lead in her hand, and leads a Diamond at Trick Two severing the enemy communications and putting paid to the defensive chances of a Club ruff. There’s a more exotic and somewhat double dummy way of achieving the same end-result … Declarer wins the opening Heart lead in hand, plays a Spade to East’s Queen, jumps up with the Ace when the Club shift is made, and exits a Diamond, severing communications once again (but also looking foolish if the K♣ was onside all the time, better to lose the Diamond at trick two).
2♥ will make with careful play: K♦ opening lead, won by Dummy’s Ace (no point in ducking this) Q♥ is led from the board, won by North’s King Diamond to South’s Ten Q♦ is cashed Q♣ shift is won by Dummy’s Ace A♠ and K♠ are cashed Declarer’s plan was to execute a Scissors Coup. He was always going to play the J♠ next, on which he would pitch a Club, cutting off the opponents from each other, and avoiding a trump upper-cut on the third round of Clubs. The surprise appearance of the Q♠ from North on the second round does not change things … North can ruff the J♠ on the third round, and Declarer still pitches away a Club. Making 8 tricks! It takes an opening Club lead and accurate defense thereafter to beat 2♥.
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