Deal of the Week (Dec 07, 2007) Click here for Archives |
Problem: The Auction: West North East South 1♦ dbl pass 1♠ pass 4♠   all pass You are West on this week's deal, defending against 4♠. You start with the three top diamond honors, South ruffing the third round. Declarer advances the ♠10. Plan your defense. Solution: If partner has a slow club winner, you will always defeat the contract, therefore there is no hurry to go up with the ♠A in an attempt to switch to a club. If declarer does not have a club loser, and also started with a five-card spade suit, prospects of defeating the contract are slim. However, if declarer started with a four-card spade suit, you are virtually guaranteed to defeat the contract.
You should refuse to win the first spade; partner follows suit, which is exciting news. Assuming declarer plays a second spade, you should duck this trick as well. When a third spade is played, the time to win the ♠A has arrived at last, and you should win the trick. You now play your last diamond; declarer does not have any more trumps in his hand, and is forced to ruff in dummy, thereby establishing your low trump as the setting trick. If declarer does not play a third round of spade and starts cashing winners instead, you will eventually ruff a club to score the setting trick. This technique of forcing the opposition to ruff in order to promote your long trump has been appropriately named as the forcing game. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Next week's deal contains an advanced application of the forcing game. If you had not seen the forcing game before, this week's deal was intended to prepare you for next week.
Bridge Baron's Line of Play Bridge Baron deal No : N4563-04425-47188-29841-50212-42092 |
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