Defence Basics: Build a Plan at Trick One
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Like declarer play, defence starts with pattern recognition. This happens when a defender looks at dummy, along with the bidding. I'm going to refer to this as dummy types. Studying dummy types is one of the building blocks of good defence.
There are only a few main types of dummys that occur over and over again. This article will look at some examples, just as an introduction to the ideas. Don't worry, it might seem like there is a lot to learn, but there isn't, its very manageable.
Lets look at some examples, where we look at dummy only, without even looking at our own hand. Of course our own hand can change things completely, but its still a worthwhile exercise.
Playing in 4♠, what is declarer's likely plan?
Dummy does not really have a long suit or source of tricks for declarer. This looks like a typical hand where declarer will take heart ruffs in dummy. There's a good chance that playing a trump is a good idea.
What about this dummy? Again Playing in 4♠, can you anticipate declarer's plan?
Declaarer is probably going to set up diamonds, in order to try discard his club losers. Often our focus should be on attacking clubs, in order to try get our tricks there. For example, say declarer's shape is 5332. Declarer therefore has 5 cards in diamonds and clubs combined. If we just wait around, declarer's 2 clubs will often vanish on the 5 card diamond suit.
Once again we find ourselves in 4♠, looking at this dummy. Any thoughts?
It doesn't look like ruffs are looming. It also doesn't look like dummy has a particularly menacing side suit. This is the type of hand where passive play might be a good idea. Once again, it depends on our hand and further information from the bidding, but playing passively, which mostly means not opening up new suits, is a good bet here.
Moving to the world of no trump, we find ourselves defending 3NT here
Dummy has taken a gamble, and hopes it will contribute 7 diamond tricks. This is an "entry attack" type of hand. If you're sitting over dummy with ♦ Kxx, or even ♦Kx, it should click to you that this is a hold up play situation, where dummy has a very long menacing suit with no side entry. You will hold up your stopper, as a method of hurting declarer's entries.
A spectacular example from the 2022 world championships in Poland, dummy had this suit with no outside entries, playing in 3NT.
When declarer led the ♦10 out of his hand, the defender on his right ducked smoothly with ♦Qx. When he next took the finesse again, and it lost to the ♦Q, he was cut of from dummy for good, because he only started life with two card diamonds. He was expecting his left hand opponent to have ♦Qxxx in which case he needed to finesse again.
What about this hand? Defending 3NT again.
This is another entry attack hand, characterised by a dummy with a long suit and one side entry. Theres a good chance that you may need to attack clubs, removing dummy's entry.
Of course a crucial element is missing, which is your hand. In future examples your hand will be featured as will be the bidding. But the value of having good pattern recognition, will be enormous. It will assist all the way.
Where to next
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