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The Best Defense...
In bridge defense takes two forms: in the play and in the post mortem. Too often the first necessitates the second. Today Gee, South, opens a standard 1NT and West ventures a 2S, showing spades and a minor, that is rather thin, even at unfavorable. North jumps to 4H with his stiff spade. This isn't a terrible bid, but if they are playing Lebensohl then a forcing 3H, showing five hearts and asking South to choose a game, is much better. On the actual layout 4H is almost certainly down while 3NT makes nine tricks at least. East's 4S bid can't be faulted at the vulnerability, nor can Gee's double. North knows that the defense has most of the points and makes the logical choice of a trump lead. Declarer wins Gee's SQ with the ace and does the best he can by leading D7. North wisely plays D2, allowing Gee to win, which he does with DQ, and continue trump. Two more rounds of trump force declarer to eat three diamonds, putting the contract three in the glue for 500. Gee's aversion to trump leads, however, is well-known, and the specs begin to buzz: Spec #1: is G bristling again? Gee leads the CA. This finishes the defense. Declarer ruffs, cashes the HA and CK, cross-ruffs clubs and diamonds, and manages an overtrick in the ending, for the coup de grace, when Gee discards on the good long club and ruffs the losing heart. 690. The specs are shocked, shocked: Spec #4: pathetic But now Gee demonstrates what great defense really is: G: you really fooled me there pd :((( Comments
Gee is an expert ... an expert at defensive trick compression. Once again, Gee
lives up to my high expectations of him.
I'm just a nub at bridge but I'll take a stab here. G says he figures his pd to be
something like 1651. Looking at the dummy after the opening lead, how likely is it that
pd is 1651? Dummy has 5 clubs and 1 diamond. Overcaller has annouced what is almost certainly
a 5-5 hand. G can see 9 club cards, leaving 3 clubs for overcaller, if that was his suit.
Assuming G's pd is 1651. Now who makes a 2 suited overcall with 5-3? If G assumes his pd is
1651. So it would seem obvious that G should not figure pd for a 1651 hand at all. This is
especially true after a trump lead, then seeing declarer lead the diamond. That should tip
off G what declarer is trying to do....and what he was allowed to do...set up a cross ruff.
I'm just a lowly intermediate player. However it would seem obvious to me that a cross
ruff was in the making and leading trump was right for the defense.
2 for 1 is a sales promotion for many stores where a customer can buy 2 of the same items
for the price of one. In bridge 2 for 1 seems like a great idea, too, where a player can use
one trump to expend two of theirs. However, if the sales promotion is about providing for the
customer, this technique cannot be used because this maneuver would be seen as pure exploitation
and contrary to the modality of good business.
I have read this three times, and I still can not see the logic in Gerard's argument.
1. Where does he devine his partner's shape from?(i.e., even assuming 6
hearts in his partner's hand, there is little else to know for sure, except
his partner is short in trump.
2. And in any case, it is obvious due to the bidding that the opponents
are bidding on shape. Hence, cut out the ruffs. Lead a trump.
© 2002-2003 by Aaron Haspel. All rights reserved. |
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