MSB

School of Bridge

Quiz1 from notes 3022

Quiz from Notes 3022 – Defence Summary
Get Defensive:

1. Partner leads the ♠ A, what card do you play from these holdings at trick one.

Holding Answer - hover in the box to reveal the answer
♠ J9754

♠ 4 (lowest of an odd number)
♠ QJ3

♠ Q (when you also have the ♠ J)
♠ Q873

♠ 8 (second highest of 4)
♠ 32

♠ 3 (highest of a doubleton)

2. In the problem below you are East, dummy is North (so dummy is on your right)

Dummy (North)
♠ 32
♥65
♦KQJ874
♣ 874
Your hand (East)
♠ 876
♥ J9432
♦ A10
♣ 932

Bidding was South 2NT North 3NT

The contract is 3NT and partner leads the ♠ Q losing to declarers ace
declarer now plays the ♦ 3 up to the long suit in dummy.
When do you take your ace in each of these examples? (If you duck the first round declarer plays a big diamond from the dummy)
What suit do you play back in each case?

Partner Leads Answer - hover in the box to reveal the answer
a) ♦9

The ♦ 9 can only be at the most from a doubleton so declarer has 3 diamonds and therefore we can't stop him from running the suit once he gets in. Partner hasn't got the ♠ K(leading the ♠ Q denies the ♠ K). The only hope is that partner has the ♥A&Q so win the first or second round(it doesn't really matter which) and switch to a low heart.

b) ♦2

Here the ♦ 2 looks like the smallest of three cards so declarer only has two diamonds. Therefore we must hold up the ♦A for one round and then continue spades to clear the suit.

c) ♦ 6

Here again partner can only have two cards in diamonds so the answer is the same as a).