Declarer play has its own levels of fascination but then it is expected that expert play would not err and would find its best recourse in the making of the contract. But defense has its own keyboard to tune in deceptive tones for the declarer in a camouflage move to trick him into error and so set the contract.
When the stakes are high as in a world championship match, the standards of defence are equally high and no declarer should ever feel over confident and underestimate his opponent in defense.
For while a sharp declarer works his way tirelessly in gauging the possible distribution of the defenders hands along with the break of suits and the high card point count, aiming all the time to increase his odds by placing the cards in a way which could give him the best chance to triumph, the top defender in turn also works ceaselessly for finding the right timing and the crack in the declarer's solid armour to undo the latter's plan. For that he needs patience, table presence, foresight and good judgement in placing the right cards in the positions, which could increase the odds the defender's way. At times, defence is routine. Do the opposite of what the declarer does. Sometimes, the defence rests on placing certain key cards in partner's hands so that he gains the tempo and thwarts the declarer's possible plan in the making of his contract.
Today's illustration is a defence of the highest order. It integrates sound judgement with good tempo along with all the hallmarks of a camouflage wherein deception through conceived perception, can cause havoc with the declarer's sound plans to make his contract. Let us first place you in the declarer's seat as west on the following bidding:
You get the lead of the heart Q with the following dummy:
While you hold One look at the dummy and you know the little slam rests on how the trumps behave. For the trump position is bit precarious, on a 4-3 fit for a little slam. If trumps break 4-2 or even 3-3, the finding of the queen of spades and the placing of the 10S becomes vital for the little slam to make.
If north has the queen doubleton and south the 10 three times, intra finesse of leading the jack pinning the queen and the finesse of 9S becomes mandatory with of course the option of felling the doubleton queen by direct AK of trumps. But if Q is tripleton, with north, leading to the jack for a finesse will spell doom but taking the intra finesse will succeed. If Q is with south, a simple finesse will work. When the ace of hearts won, the RHO played to your utter surprise 10S to curb your dummy's ruffing power. What options does that leave for the declarer?
Its' a declarer's delight isn't it? His problems are resolved so easily, when he hits the JS over the 10S and it holds with obviously no north in that position would cover with his queen of trumps. In the actual play, the declarer confidently now ran the 9S through north for the finesse - and Kaput! South took the QS to down the contract. It was a shattering blow for the declarer who could only applaud south's killing defence when he led the 10 spades from his holding of the Q106, which won him the 2010 IBPA Award for the best defence.
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KJ98 A32
1032 K
A43 KQJ10
1094 AKQ65
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West North East South
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- - 1C P
1S P 2D P
3C P 3S P
D P 5NT P
6S ALL PASS
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