Dummy Type 2: Strong Trick Source and How to Disrupt It

Its important to always spend a moment identifying whether dummy has a source of tricks or not. 

The rule: When dummy has a source of tricks, its time to defend actively. This includes:
leading away from honors, Leading aces or even underleading, sometimes playing into strong holdings in dummy which look a bit risky

Lets try understand this rule by way of example.

Partner leads ♠4, playing 3rd highest leads. You win and cash your other top spade honor, both opponents follow. What is your next move? Have a think before reading on.

What does it mean to play actively and passively, lets look by way of example. Passively here would be returning another spade. This would give declarer time to draw trumps and then enjoy the big diamond trick source. 

This is the full hand

Its important to go after your tricks (play actively). Switch to a club, cracking open the suit. You will make 2 spades, 1 heart and 1 club trick. Whereas if you return a spade at trick three, you will never make the club trick, declarer will be in time to throw his club losers on dummy's diamonds. 

If that all sounds complicated, just take the bolded rule above away. Play actively when dummy has a big source of tricks. Actively means to go looking for tricks of your own, its okay to lead away from honors. Its also okay to lead Aces or even underlead them at times.

Lets look at another example that illustrates very active play. 

After south opened 1♥ , they reached the final contract of  4♥ . Partner leads the  ♦Q, what are your thoughts?

Declarer probably has the ♣ Q, or otherwise the finesse is working, therefore those clubs are a very scary source of tricks. If you just relax, for example returning a diamond (declarer is known to have the King), declarer will just win it, draw trumps and make 5 club tricks. Totalling at least 5 trumps, 5 clubs, 1 diamond, for 11 tricks. Maybe more if declarer has longer trumps. Lets look at what our thought process at the table should be

"I see a big source of tricks in dummy, the clubs. Its time to go very active, we need to grab our tricks. I want to play spades". 

Playing spades is also consistent with earlier discussed concepts of playing around to weakness, so its not particularly difficult to see here. But there is a catch, we need to be unusually aggressive in the way we play the suit, to give ourselves the best chance to grab three tricks. We need to lead the Queen. This is the full deal

If you don't play the Queen of spades, declarer can just hold back with his King, and your side will only make two tricks in the suit. You won't get on lead to play the suit again, and that will be it.

A comment on the above hand: In general its unusual to lead unsupported high cards like this example, and overall a much better strategy to just do the normal thing. This example is meant to just illustrate the types of play that are possible when you identify that dummy has a big source of tricks. Overall however, I would be restrained with such strategies (leading unsupported queens), rather just stick to the normal thing most of the time and lead low. In other words, don't take this example too far.

Where to next

• -> Next: Count the Unseen Hand: Read Distribution in Defence
• -> Related: Defence Basics: Build a Plan at Trick One
• -> Back to Defence Articles Hub