Although Defending a Hand is Far Less Interesting There is Much in fending a hand—that is, playing against the declaration—is quite the most dificult phase of Auction Bridge but it is one to which the average player pays far too little attention.
T admit that it is infinitely more amusing to play. the combined hands, and that the defence is dull in comparison, but it is well worth devoting some time and thought to all the same, writes Jack Dalton, a constant contributor to the "Morning Post," on this game, It is comparatively easy to play the hands. Any number of players can be trusted to make very nearly, mot quite, the most out of them, ut the other side of the picture is very different. Those who defend a hand really well and can il themselves of every possible nce of saving the game, are few and far between.
Have you never noticed, when you have been declarer, how much more difficult certain people are to play against than others?
Opponents, who have studied the defence of the game, will cramp you much as possible and often succeed in making things very ificult; others who are not so careful, or perhaps I should say, not so'skilful, will do exactly the opposite. They clear your suits for you, open fresh ones up to you and, in fact, play into your hands to an extent that it almost looks as if they were on your side, Your Objective The defenders should have two objects in view from the very start, The first and most important is to save the game, the second to defeat the contract. You should always make sure that the first is safe before you begin to think about the second.
One great point in defending a hand is to know exactly what your objective is, and how you are progressing towards it, Let me plain my meaning.
At the score of love, when the eneniy's contract is Spades or Hearts, you require four tricks to save the game. Keep your eye on that all the time, It doss not matter twopence whether the con tract is "Four" or only "One," you equally require four tricks to save game, and all your efforts should, therefore, be directed towards winning that all important fourth trick. Having once secured it you can then begin to think about the possibility of defeating the contract—but secure that fourth trick first!
It is almost criminal to say to your poor wretched partner afterwards, "I could have saved the game, but I did not realize that we only wanted one more trick. You should have realized it, It was your business to know it, A Good Maxim I will now repeat a very favourite doctrine of mine... When you are defending a No Trump "hand avoid changing suits, That is an excellent maxim and the best advice that I can offer. It applies especially to leading up to the declarer by the player on his left, Never mind if he has two winning cards in the suit. Do not lei that deter you, Lead it, up to him al] the same and the let him open a fresh suit himself. More harm is done and more games are Tost by opening fresh suits up to the declarer than by any -other vagary of the inefficient player. "I could not, lead another Club," he will say, "because T knew that the declarer' had the best one."., Wel What of it? That best Club got to make, and the mere fact of your not leading the suit is not going to prevent T often wish, that T could instit into the minds of some people, that a winning card is bound to win a trick and that shutting one's eyes to the fact can never prevent it.
'There are many occasions on which more information is imparted by what the declarer docs not do than by what he actually does. "If he has a long suit in Dummy, such as Queen, Knave, 9, 6, 5, and does not go for it at' once, there is an obvious inference to be drawn, if it so happens that. you yourself hold either the Ace or King or its Your partner must have the -other high honour, so you note it as a useful card' of entry, when you wish to put him in,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.