Smooth Ducks (on defense)

 

Ducking can be an important ploy for the defense, just as it can be for Declarer.  Usually the object of the exercise is to sever the enemy communications, but there can be a deceptive element also.  In that case, the operative word is "smooth" if we intend to fool Declarer.

 

Related Extracts from Past Wednesday Games

 

13	♠ ♥ 872 ♦ KQ875 ♣ QJT97	From 3rd May, 2006
♠ QJ42 ♥ T9 ♦ AT9 ♣ 6543	North Dummy       East           South	♠ AK8 ♥ AKJ53 ♦ J63 ♣ A2	Dlr     North Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ T97653 ♥ Q64 ♦ 42 ♣ K8	West   North   East     South            Pass    2NT     Pass 3♣      Dbl      3♥        Pass 3NT   Pass     Pass    Pass

 

At first glance, the play appears to be routine … K♣ is ducked, win the A♣ on the next round, cross to the board, losing Heart finesse, making 10 tricks.  But, Declarer has trouble untangling his tricks.  If he crosses to the board at Trick 3 with a low Spade to the Queen, and then takes a losing Heart finesse, a Diamond return will knock out Dummy’s entry before the Spades can be unblocked.  So, Declarer does best to cash the AK♠ first, then cross to the board on a Spade and take the losing Heart finesse.  Now, it’s plain sailing, and 10 tricks are made.

 

Pretty simple, eh?  Not exactly!  Don’t be fooled by that “plain sailing” red herring, South has the chance here to be a star.  When East takes the Heart finesse, South smoothly ducks!  Now, East is mentally scoring up 11 tricks and +660, as he finesses the Heart again.  Instead, it’s curtains for Declarer … South wins, a Diamond comes back, and suddenly, the contract is down one, as Declarer is cut off from his winning Hearts.  Imaginative play by South … though not without risk … she would look quite foolish if it turned out that North started with Jxx of Hearts!  But at least South has the comfort of knowing that she can rely on Partner’s legendary sense of humor in such situations.  Right?

 

 

13	♠ K4 ♥ AQ ♦ K762 ♣ KQT42	From 9th August, 2006
♠ JT832 ♥ T87 ♦ J3 ♣ 985	North West             East         Dummy	♠ Q5 ♥ K652 ♦ AT984 ♣ J6	Dlr     North Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ A976 ♥ J943 ♦ Q5 ♣ A73	West    North   East     South            1♣        1♦        Dbl Pass   2NT      Pass    3NT Pass   Pass      Pass

 

Against 3NT, East leads a Diamond, won by Dummy’s Queen.  Then, K♣, and A♣, and the losing Heart finesse.  Declarer now has 10 tricks, and a surprise 11^th materializes when the T♥ comes down on the third round.  Is this an easy game or what?  Well, actually it’s not at all easy (that’s why we play it!), and the question here is “In the aforementioned line of play, which defender fell from grace?”  West followed suit impeccably, in our opinion, but East missed the chance for a fine play.  When Declarer finesses her Q♥, East saves a trick by ducking!  Now that 3^rd Heart trick is but a wistful dream, due to a lack of entries, and 10 tricks are the maximum.  Of course, Declarer could have saved a Dummy entry by taking the Heart finesse at Trick Two, before testing the Clubs.  That's a better line, but it would still be fine play by East to duck the K♥ ... this gives Declarer a later Heart guess.

 

 

4	♠ A73 ♥ J753 ♦ J54 ♣ K75	From 11th July, 2007
♠ 98654 ♥ 64 ♦ 3 ♣ AQ432	North Dummy       East           South	♠ ♥ AKQ82 ♦ AQ762 ♣ JT6	Dlr     West Vul     Both
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ KQJT2 ♥ T9 ♦ KT98 ♣ 98	West    North   East     South Pass    Pass    1♥        1♠ Pass    2♠        3♦        Pass 3♥        Pass    Pass    Pass

 

As East, playing in 3♥, how do you propose to make 9 tricks on the opening lead of the K♠?  Here is one road to ruin:

            K♠ opening lead, ruffed by Declarer

            J♣ led, South gives count, North ducks craftily

            T♣ won by North

            Club ruffed by South

            T♥ won by East

Yes, ruin indeed!  Dummy can still get a Diamond ruff, but that will be just 8 tricks.  Nice defense by North but let’s remember that the aforementioned “crafty duck” was enabled by N-S giving count signals where appropriate.  The duck would have looked quite foolish if Declarer started with just two Clubs, but South’s count signal makes the duck safe.

 

Of course, Declarer has no obligation to allow the defense to shine, and he would have done better to scramble 9 tricks via 2 Diamond ruffs on the board.

 

 

19	♠ A73 ♥ 32 ♦ 752 ♣ KT954	29th August, 2007
♠ J4 ♥ AQJT94 ♦ AKJ ♣ 73	North West       Dummy           South	♠ K8652 ♥ 76 ♦ T64 ♣ AJ8	Dlr     South Vul     E-W
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ QT9 ♥ K85 ♦ Q983 ♣ Q62	South   West    North   East  Pass    1♥        Pass    1♠ Pass    3♥        Pass    Pass Pass

 

East was close to bidding 4♥, and the good news for our featured E-W is that the 4♥ game is not very good, while the bad news is that it happens to make.  Suppose that North leads the T♣, won by Dummy’s Ace.  Now it seems like the most natural thing in the world to take the trump finesse.  Natural, perhaps, but also a mistake.  Let’s say that the finesse wins, after which it is a simple matter to lead towards the K♠, praying for an onside Ace, and if that K♠ proves to be an entry then the Heart finesse can be repeated for 10 tricks.  That’s all very well, but here are a couple of reasons why this is not the best line of play:

-         If North has ♥Kxx she might craftily duck the first round of Hearts, so that, after getting back to the board with the K♠ and repeating the finesse, Declarer will have ended up wasting both of his Dummy entries on a fruitless mission.

-         If South has the A♠, then there will only be one entry to the board, and one finesse won’t be enough to pick up ♥Kxx in the South hand.

 

Yes, the correct play at Trick Two is to take the Diamond finesse, playing for the extra trick which needs only one finesse, and which is immune from a crafty North duck.  When that works it’s 9 tricks for sure, when the A♠ is onside it’s 10 tricks, and then there is even a chance of 11 if the K♥ is onside doubleton.

 

As luck would have it, taking the Heart finesse at Trick Two provides the same 10 tricks as the correct line, which is a shame, it would have been nice to see virtue rewarded for a change.

 

 

30	♠ J86 ♥ KT983 ♦ 3 ♣ K843	21st November, 2007
♠ KQ7 ♥ A42 ♦ AKQ8 ♣ AQJ	North West        Dummy           South	♠ 53 ♥ Q76 ♦ J975 ♣ 9762	Dlr     East Vul     None
© BES, Inc  All Rights Reserved	♠ AT942 ♥ J5 ♦ T642 ♣ T5	West    North   East     South                         Pass    Pass 2♣       Pass    2♦        Pass 3NT     Pass    Pass    Pass

 

3NT is certainly the right spot, although the T♥ lead will make Declarer distinctly nervous.  However, if Declarer guesses everything right, he might even make 10 tricks:

            Q♥ wins the opening lead

            Club finesse loses to North’s King

            Heart continuation won by Declarer’s Ace

            Declarer’s two high Clubs are cashed (the Ten dropping)

            Four rounds of Diamonds ending on the board

            The Club Nine is cashed

Now a Spade is led from the board and Declarer comes to one more trick (South must duck, of course).

 

In the above line, North missed the chance for a good (but somewhat risky) play.  If she ducks the Club when Declarer finesses the Queen, Declarer will no doubt waste the last remaining dummy entry to repeat the finesse.  When this loses, there’ll be no way to get to the good 9♣.  And what exactly was the risk by North of ducking that first round of Clubs?  Well, it would not be a success if Declarer did not also have the J♣!

 

© BES, Inc

All Rights Reserved