Comments on: A Tough Defense http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/12/24/a-tough-defense/ Contract Bridge Themes with a Midwest Accent! Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:18:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.9 by: Eddie Kantar http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/12/24/a-tough-defense/#comment-142 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 07:26:14 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/12/24/a-tough-defense/#comment-142 This is a great hand though I don't agree that West has to lead from the queen he doesn't have. The way I see it (and it's pretty late) is this: If West has Q108x of hearts and 10xxx of diamonds and shifts to a low heart, declarer with J9x of hearts and the QJ tight in diamonds has no play. However, if declarer has J10x of hearts and the QJ of diamonds, West has to shift to a diamond. Also, if declarer has Qx of hearts and J10x of diamonds, a low diamond (or a heart) shift defeats the contract. This is a great hand though I don’t agree that West has to lead from the queen he doesn’t have. The way I see it (and it’s pretty late) is this: If West has Q108x of hearts and 10xxx of diamonds and shifts to a low heart, declarer with J9x of hearts and the QJ tight in diamonds has no play. However, if declarer has J10x of hearts and the QJ of diamonds, West has to shift to a diamond.
Also, if declarer has Qx of hearts and J10x of diamonds, a low diamond (or a heart) shift defeats the contract.

]]> by: CraigB http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/12/24/a-tough-defense/#comment-139 Tue, 26 Dec 2006 00:29:39 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/12/24/a-tough-defense/#comment-139 Cute hand. Obviously, whichever red suit partner shifts to, declarer has to rise ace and play clubs. If declarer had 7 of those, you can't beat it. If declarer had only 6, you are in danger of getting strip-squeezed. You need partner to shift to the red suit where he DOESN'T have the Q, so you can pitch down to stiff K in the other suit. Not sure how you tell him to do this, but I suspect that if I play my middlest spade here, he will go into the grandfather of all tanks. Eventually, he should be able to figure out you have BOTH K's and, after another couple of minutes, he should work out to lead from his non-Q suit. But our fine result will be taken away by the slow-play penalty... Cute hand. Obviously, whichever red suit partner shifts to, declarer has to rise ace and play clubs. If declarer had 7 of those, you can’t beat it. If declarer had only 6, you are in danger of getting strip-squeezed. You need partner to shift to the red suit where he DOESN’T have the Q, so you can pitch down to stiff K in the other suit.

Not sure how you tell him to do this, but I suspect that if I play my middlest spade here, he will go into the grandfather of all tanks. Eventually, he should be able to figure out you have BOTH K’s and, after another couple of minutes, he should work out to lead from his non-Q suit. But our fine result will be taken away by the slow-play penalty…

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