Taking Tricks in Defence: Timing and Purpose

This article is here for ambitious players. Its a concept that might look slightly difficult or intimidating at first, but gets a lot better over time.

Lets take the scenario where the opponents have opened 3♠  and ended up in 4♠. Lets talk about how to visualise that.

Visualise declarer's hand

 So, what do you see when you look at that hand? This is what I see

I see 6 or 7 spade tricks. I then see 6 outside losers, two in each suit. The focus of the hand is Take tricks in those side suits.

Example 1

Partner leads a 4th highest ♦2

It looks like declarer has a singleton diamond, and is therefore 7213. Can you see what is going to happen? Assume declarer has a solid spade suit and very little or nothing else in the side suits. If you sit by passively, declarer will set up dummy's heart tricks (you know the finesse is working!), thereby making 7 spade tricks, 2 hearts, and 1 club for 10 tricks. You need to attack clubs immediately, trying to take 2 clubs, 1 diamond and 1 heart. In other words, returning a diamond at trick 2 would be fatal, a club switch is very time sensitive!

I suggest taking plenty of time with that previous example. Take a good look at dummy and make sure you understand that. Your point of reference is always visualising declarer's hand as the generic 7222 above.

Lets move out of the world of preempts, and look at how this concept is important in other realms.

Example 2, this is a hand from Gold Coast Open Teams 2023

Declarer ends up in 4♠ after opening 1♠. You overcalled hearts, and your partner leads the  ♥ J which looks like a doubleton to you. What do you see?

Visualise declarer's shape. It is probably 5 spades, 4 hearts. So it will look something like this. 

Do you see what we need to do? Think back to the preempt in the first example. Forget about hearts, declarer has the King and will be able to ruff the little ones. But look at those X's in the minors. Do you see that declarer will be able to get rid of his club losers on the source of tricks in diamonds. 

The full hand was this. If you don't switch to a club at trick 2, declarer will throw two of his club losers away.

In summary. 

• Think about where declarer's little X's are. Those are losers that you need to grab, or else they will run away. 
• Its a big goal, but try think of what declarer's hand looks like. When they are 5422, often think about how to get tricks in those little 2-2 suits. Or if they are 7222, think how to grab all the side suit tricks. 
• Look at dummy and appreciate how sources of tricks are threatening things, and sometimes step up and try grab side suit tricks if its called for. 

This is a difficult article, don't worry if you are struggling. Its a process, just keeping this in mind will eventually have beneficial results when you practice bridge.

Where to next

• -> Next: Duck a Winner in Defence: Timing the Hold Up
• -> Related: The Trump Lead: When It Kills Ruffing Plans
• -> Back to Defence Articles Hub