Defending Like Demons

by Phillip Alder

Happy New Year. I hope you and all of your family have a fun and healthy 2018.

To get the year under way, choose an from this hand:

‰ 3 Š J 9 7 ‹ A 9 8 7 3 Œ K 6 4 2

With only your side vulnerable, the auction goes like this:

West North East South You Dummy Partner Declarer 1‰ Pass 2Š (a) Pass 3Š Pass 3‰ Pass 5‹ (b) Pass 5‰ (c) Pass 7Š All Pass (a) Natural and game-forcing (b) Exclusion Roman Key Card Blackwood, showing a in diamonds and asking (c) One key card excluding the diamond ace

Which card would you choose?

Defense drives us all crazy because it is difficult and usually requires cooperation between the partners. But if you do defend well, it is very satisfying, especially if you persuade declarer to go down in a con- tract he could have made. Also, sometimes the defense begins in the auction ... as you are about to see. This deal is an example ... of sorts! It made the short list for the International Bridge Press Association defense of the year. It occurred in a match between Germany and Italy at the 2016 world championships in Poland, and was originally described by Ram Soffer from Israel. (The IBPA year runs from the previous world championships up to just before that year's championships.)

1 North Dlr: West ‰ K Q 9 8 Vul: N-S Š J 10 4 2 ‹ K Q Œ 10 9 4 West East ‰ 10 6 ‰ 7 3 2 Š K 7 5 3 Š 6 ‹ 10 9 6 2 ‹ J 8 7 4 3 Œ A 8 5 Œ Q 7 3 2 South ‰ A J 5 4 Š A Q 9 8 ‹ A 5 Œ K J 6

The action at one table was mundane.

West North East South Gromöller D'Avossa Fritsche Di Bello Pass Pass Pass 1Œ Pass 1‹ (a) Pass 3Š Pass 4Š All Pass (a) Four-plus hearts

Michael Gromöller (West) led a diamond. The declarer, Stelio Di Bello, won on the , ran the heart jack, which held, and continued with another heart to the queen and king. West exited with a diamond. South crossed to the dummy with a spade and ran the club ten. When this drew out the ace, Di Bello came home with eleven tricks: four spades, three hearts, two diamonds and two clubs. At the other table, East was very active in the auction:

West North East South Versace Auken Lauria Welland Pass Pass 1‹! Dble 2‹ Dble 3‹!! Dble Pass 4‹ Pass 4Š Pass Pass Pass

Not only did Lorenzo Lauria (East) open with his three-count, but he rebid! (North) cue-bid four diamonds to ask her partner to select a . The play went the same as in the other room for five tricks, but when Roy Welland led a club from the board, he put up his king, thinking East would have something for his two bids. Now, though, Alfredo Versace (West) took the trick and led his remaining spade, leaving declarer with no chance. If he drew trumps, the defenders would run the diamonds when in with the club queen; and when South played a club immediately, East won and gave his partner a spade . Plus 650 and plus 100 gave Italy 13 international match points on the board.

Sometimes, the bidding is so revealing that it helps the defenders.

2 North Dlr: North ‰ A 10 9 8 6 5 Vul: E-W Š K Q 10 3 ‹ – Œ A Q 7 West East ‰ 3 ‰ J 7 4 2 Š J 9 7 Š 5 ‹ A 9 8 7 3 ‹ Q 10 6 5 2 Œ K 6 4 2 Œ J 5 3 South ‰ K Q Š A 8 6 4 2 ‹ K J 4 Œ 10 9 8 West North East South Pszczola Cohler Rosenberg Cohen 1‰ Pass 2Š (a) Pass 3Š Pass 3‰ Pass 5‹ (b) Pass 5‰ (c) Pass 7Š All Pass (a) Natural and game-forcing (b) Exclusion Roman Key Card Blackwood, showing a void in diamonds and asking (c) One key card excluding the diamond ace

This deal occurred during the semifinals of the United States Bridge Federation's open trials last year to select the USA2 team. There was a temptation for Jacek “Pepsi” Pszczola (West) to lead a low diamond. If he had, maybe Billy Cohen (South) would have smelled a rat and run it to his hand. Much more likely, though, is that he would have ruffed on the board, drawn trumps, cashed the spade king and continued with the spade queen. When West discarded a diamond, declarer would have had no choice but to overtake with dummy's ace, lead the spade ten and ruff East's jack, then, perforce, play a club to the queen. When the won, Cohen would have claimed thirteen tricks: five spades, five hearts, two clubs and the diamond ruff. Instead, Pepsi led the club deuce. Underleading a king against a grand slam is a well-known maneuver these days, but it is usually in the suit bid by dummy. Here, since it was the unbid suit, it was much less suspicious. Also, who would risk a grand slam at trick one when hearts 2-2 or spades 3-2 (or 4-1 with a singleton jack) will leave the contract cold? Cohen rose with dummy's club ace and could no longer take all of the tricks.

At the other table, (North) and Marty Fleisher (South) stopped in six hearts when South settled for four hearts over three hearts. Michael Becker (West) also led a low club, but Fleisher won with dummy's ace, drew trumps and played on spades to take five spades, five hearts, one club and one diamond ruff on the board. That gave Fleisher-Martel, Pepsi-Rosenberg and Joe Grue-Brad Moss 14 imps on the board. They went on to win this match and the final to qualify for the championships in Lyon last August, where they won the world title.

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