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Blocking & Unblocking on Defense

 

Some examples where it behooves the defense to block Declarer's suits or unblock its own suits.

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

 

 24

♠ J75

J52

86532

♣ T9




From 2nd May, 2007

♠ K8

AK873

JT

♣ A852

          North

West        Dummy

          South

♠ AQT

96

KQ94

♣ Q743

 

Dlr     West
Vul     None 


 
 
 
 
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 All Rights Reserved

♠ 96432

QT4

A7

♣ KJ6

West    North   East     South

1        Pass    2        Pass

2NT     Pass    3NT     Pass

Pass    Pass

 

In 3NT it looks as if 10 tricks will be made, provided that South does not fall into this trap:

            Spade lead won by Declarer

            J, correctly ducked by South

            Diamond to South’s Ace

            Spade return, won on the board

            Diamonds cashed, Declarer pitching Clubs, South pitching Spades

            A♠ cashed, Declarer pitching another Club

            A and K are cashed

            A Heart is lost to South’s Queen.

Now, 11 tricks are made.  South had to unblock the Queen on the second round of Hearts, so that her Partner wins the third round and cashes the Diamond winner.

 

 

 22

♠ 76

QJT98

Q9852

♣ 6




3rd October, 2007

♠ T9532

AK64

J3

♣ K9

          North

West       Dummy

          South

♠ J8

732

KT6

♣ T8752

 

 Dlr     East
 Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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 All Rights Reserved

♠ AKQ4

5

A74

♣ AQJ43

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    1♣

1♠        Dbl      Pass    Pass

Pass

 

As it happens, N-S cannot make game, but with good defense they can score 500 from defending 1♠ doubled.  Here is how the play could develop:

            North leads a Club to South’s Ace

            Club Three (suit preference), ruffed by North

            Diamond switch, low from Dummy, to North’s Ace, Declarer unblocking the Jack

            Q♣ ruffed with Declarer’s Ten

            Spade to South’s Queen

Now, Declarer can escape for down one as one of the Heart losers goes away on a Diamond.  What went wrong?  Either defender could have been a star on the board:

-         South could have ducked the first round of Diamonds, cutting off the Dummy, and ensuring that Declarer will eventually wind up with two Heart losers.

-         North could have made the truly spectacular return (after the Club ruff) of the Q!  Quite a play, blocking the suit and ensuring that there will be no second Diamond trick for Declarer.

 

 

 16

♠ AKT7

AT84

A53

♣ 54




31st October, 2007

♠ 65

KJ65

K986

♣ Q76

          North

West             East

        Dummy

♠ QJ93

Q32

Q2

♣ KT32

 

Dlr     West
Vul     E-W 


 
 
 
 
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 All Rights Reserved

♠ 642

97

JT74

♣ AJ98

West    North   East     South

Pass    1NT     Pass    Pass

Pass

 

Against 1NT, East leads the Q♠ and Declarer craftily ducks.  West will have played the Five, which is the lowest missing Spade.  As such, it looks to be discouraging but it could be from T5 or K5 (with A5 West might overtake and return the suit).  Let’s say that East guesses right and decides to switch.  All exits are potentially dangerous, what would be your choice?

 

How about the quite spectacular shift to the K♣?!  Yes, it’s an expert blocking play which can hardly cost when you stop to think about it:

-         If Declarer has Qxx, she can always make 4 tricks in the suit.

-         If Declarer has Qx, she can win the Ace and unblock the Queen, and later risk the Club finesse for the same 3 tricks she could always make in Clubs.

-         If Declarer has xxx, she always had 3 tricks in the suit.

-         If Declarer has xx, the only way to hold her to one trick in Clubs is to play the King on the first round, either by the K♣ shift, or by rising with the King later in the play when Declarer leads a Club towards the board.

 

Here’s how the play might develop:

            Q♠ opening lead is ducked by Declarer

            K♣ won by Declarer’s Ace

            A♠ and K♠ are cashed

            Declarer exits a Spade

            Q♣ is cashed

            West shifts to a Diamond to East’s Queen

            Heart to the King and Declarer’s Ace

            Heart to East’s Queen

            Heart to West’s Hack

            Heart won by Declarer

Now, with just two cards left, Declarer must concede the setting trick to West’s K.  Nice defense!

 

 

 7

♠ KQ9

Q86

T7632

♣ 65




From 2nd Han, 2008

♠ 876

K42

AK98

♣ J94

          North

Dummy       East

          South

♠ 52

A973

J4

♣ AKQT8

 

Dlr     South
Vul     Both 


 
 
 
 
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 All Rights Reserved

♠ AJT43

JT5

Q5

♣ 732

South   West    North   East 

Pass    Pass    Pass    1♣

1♠       Dbl      2♠        3

Pass    4        All Pass

 

The play in 4 is quite fascinating!  For Declarer to have a chance of making the contract, trumps must be 3-3, but even then some stellar defensive play will set the contract.  To have a chance the defense must start with three rounds of Spades, and the first line we’ll look at is one where the defense drops the ball

Take 1:

            Two rounds of Spades are cashed

            The third round of Spades is ruffed

            The Heart Seven is ducked around to North

In with the Heart trick, North has no Spades to lead, so Declarer wins the return, draws trumps, and has 10 tricks.  Cut!

 

Take 2:  For the defense to prevail they must to make sure that South wins the defense’s Heart trick, allowing Spades to be continued and causing Declarer to lose trump control.  So, when the Heart Seven is led, South must split her honors, preventing the ducking of the trick into the North hand.  If South does indeed split, Dummy must win the trick, and now another Heart is led from Dummy.  North plays low, Declarer’s Ace wins, and now Declarer can safely exit to North’s Q, making his contract.  The defenders have bungled again.  Cut!

 

Take 3:   Yes, on the second round of trumps, North might jump up with the Queen, trying to unblock the suit and force an entry into South’s hand.  But that doesn’t work, Declarer simply ducks the trick.  Cut!

 

Take 4:   Let’s roll the cameras one last time and take a look at the winning defense.

            Two rounds of Spades are cashed

            The third round of Spades is ruffed

            The 7 is led, South splits her honors, Dummy plays the King, North unblocks the Queen!

Stellar defense, now whatever Declarer does, he will be down one.

 

 

 1

♠ AT5

A743

Q852

♣ J8

 

 

 

From 16th January, 2008

♠ 863

T9865

JT6

♣ 54

          North

West             East

         Dummy

♠ QJ4

Q2

AK743

♣ KT3


Dlr     North   
Vul     None 



 

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All Rights Reserved

♠ K972

KJ

9

♣ AQ9762

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1NT     Dbl

Pass    2♣       2         3♣

Pass    3NT    All Pass

 

Against 3NT, East will probably lead a low Diamond, and that gives Declarer an easy 11 tricks provided that she can pick up the Club suit.  The play is much more fun if East tries the surprise attack of the Q♠ on opening lead (not that we think he should).  Declarer does not have the dummy entries to pick up both black suits, so she’ll win the A♠ in hand, and play on Clubs.  Here’s how the play might go:

            Q♠ won by Declarer’s Ace

            J♣ covered by the King and Ace

            Back to hand with the A

            Finesse the T♣

            Cash the remaining 4 Club winners

            Cash the K

Here’s the end-position:

                                    Declarer

                                    ♠ T5

                                   

                                    Q8

                                    ♣

            West                                        East

                                                         ♠ J4

            T9                                       

            JT                                         AK

            ♣                                             ♣

                                    Dummy

                                    K97

                                   

                                    9

                                    ♣

If Declarer remembers the bidding and if she has been watching the discards carefully, it will be a simple matter to exit with a Diamond, throwing East in and scoring the 11th trick when East is forced to return a Spade.  An unlucky lead by East?  Not really, but it was poor defense to hang grimly on to those high Diamonds.  On the run of the Clubs, East should have seen the end-play coming and his only hope was to jettison a high Diamond, hoping that West had something good in that suit  If, in the diagram shown, East’s remaining Diamonds are K7 then West will be able to get in with a Diamond, and instead of gaining a trick, the throw-in will actually cost a trick.  Nice defense!

 

 

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All Rights Reserved

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