grizz: hi gang, glad to be back after several weeks off grizz: Hi everybody, thanks for attending another of a series of lessons on Defense. grizz: Chat logs and hand records are stored in your computer for later review. For information on how to retrieve them, go the BIL homepage or email me. grizz: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons. I am available for tournaments as well. If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: Archives of old sessions are available at GrizzBridge.com, on the Lessons and Archives page. grizz: There will be lots of questions. I want to address them all, but in a manner helpful to all, so please ask them in open chat. grizz: I encourage participation by all kibs. grizz: So jump right in with a comment, question, or bid at any time, but please do it in open chat... grizz: ...since I can't always respond to private chat. grizz: There have been a lot of dropouts today, so if I disappear without notice please rejoin me here. grizz: my computer seems to be slow today too, so please "bear" with me jaldi: sure grizz: the first hand today is an example of Forcing Defense grizz: where declarer is forced to ruff in the long trump hand grizz: if the defense is executed correctly, an ironclad contract can go up in smoke grizz: here we go grizz: first question, what should W lead and why? wyoming33: !S - nothing better - grizz: many new players lead the small doubleton from a hand like this, hoping to get a ruff or 2 Sekmeth: spades otherwise partner is angry jaldi: !s ...pard bid it grizz: ok, and there is another reason too - kcgal: ruffs grizz: N has bid NT, so he has a stopper and some length grizz: which means that S has !s shortness grizz: perfect situation for Forcing Defense, when W has 4 trumps wyoming33: get your trick when you can - besides you not wanting ruffs grizz: right grizz: ok, !s is the suit. which card? jaldi: J!s grizz: good - lead the J grizz: N has the stopper grizz: if it's not the A, and S ducks, the lead remains in W to continue the suit grizz: now W is pretty certain that S is out of !ss grizz: if W doesn't know about the Forcing Defense, W may be inclined to go hunting for tricks elsewhere grizz: no problem now for S grizz: pull trump, and cash the minor winners grizz: easy make, right? wyoming33: y grizz: let's try it again grizz: W is hip to the Forcing Defense thing, and proceeds to execute it wyoming33: oops - grizz: but since decl. can ruff !ss in dummy, W clears trumps grizz: close, but no cigar grizz: hmmmm grizz: does Forcing Defense even work on this hand? grizz: let's try it again - it's a delicate matter of timing wyoming33: DD says wesst does not take that first heart jaldi: does forcing defense mean bringing the contract down? grizz: Forcing Defense means the defense forces declarer to ruff in the hand with long trumps grizz: hoping to run decl. out of trumps ad then cash their side suit winners at the end Edmo: take 2nd !h then lead !S i think jaldi: thns ...ok grizz: this time W is a little cagier about playing the trump suit grizz: ducking the first round grizz: S cannot win without pulling trump, so S continues !hs grizz: now S is stuck grizz: he can pull trumps OK, but there is a major league problem now grizz: nothing left to ruff with! grizz: and S is left pitching winners grizz: it is often said that Forcing Defense won't work when ops have a 6+ trump suit - grizz: i beg to differ! grizz: the difference here is whether W wins the first or second trump trick wyoming33: shd south set up !D before pulling trump - grizz: let's see - don't think it matters wyoming33: Gib says still down grizz: y grizz: as long as W ducks the first round again wyoming33: right grizz: now W has a long trump left grizz: and can take it at his leisure wyoming33: down 1 instead of 2 grizz: so S has no defense to the Forcing Defense, so long as W executes it correctly jaldi: :) grizz: and here is where newer players go wrong on strategy - grizz: if they think "S is going to ruff anyway. heavy sigh. must be right to do something else." grizz: oh, and whether S goes down 1 or 2 is of little importance - the field will make this contract grizz: so what tipped W off that the Forcing Defense might work here? grizz: 4 trumps - very important grizz: Forcing Defense can work even if they are little ones wyoming33: and long suit to force declarer to trump jaldi: 2nt trump bid Sekmeth: without the information that north has the spade king 4th best ? grizz: y, inference from bidding - N has !s length and a stopper grizz: and W knows also what their side's best suit is, clearly it's !ss grizz: so E has 5, N has 2+, probably 3+ grizz: and S can be forced to ruff in the closed hand grizz: sidebar comment about suit contracts grizz: ruffs as a general rule are only useful to declarer if they can be made in the short trump hand grizz: that would be an extra trump trick grizz: if the ruff happens in the long trump hand, that's not an extra trump trick grizz: so that's why it's critical to Forcing Defense to make declarer ruff in the long trump hand grizz: and you can see on this hand, even when declarer has 6 stout trumps to the KQJTxx, it's not quite enough! grizz: but it takes foresight, visualization and proper execution by the Defense to make it work. grizz: any questions on this one? grizz: ok, sounds like everybody is prepared for the quiz lol grizz: for the next one, please click on the yellow gear and kib the W hand grizz: this hand is from Mike Lawrence, on the BridgeClues.com website grizz: i go there every day, and urge all of you to do that too grizz: there are great tips on bidding, defense and declarer play wyoming33: yes - go there every day - grizz: interesting observation here grizz: let's play a couple more tricks veredk: why play the 6H? grizz: the play so far has looked suspiciously like a strip and endplay grizz: when declarer ruffs out a side suit like that, often it's in preparation for an endplay grizz: that is where declarer throws in the defense, hoping to force the defense to lead away from a winner or provide a finesse or ruff-sluff grizz: here is the key play grizz: what card should W play and why, or does it matter? grizz: those of you peeking at the S hand need not answer :) wyoming33: LOL jaldi: 6!s grizz: why? ginger_321: he wants a club back zewzew: 9 grizz: the key missing card here is the !ST grizz: if E has it, then W can play any old card here at random grizz: but if S has the T, then W must NOT rise with the Q grizz: if W rises with the Q, then N scores the J (or K) and T separately wyoming33: either way south make contract so long as doesnt lead back !S grizz: y grizz: but we have here an exception to the "3rd hand high" rule wyoming33: want to surround the 10 - grizz: exactly grizz: at first glance it does not seem to matter - dummy has the KJx over the Q98x grizz: so if W allows for the fact that S may have the T, then the defense wins the day grizz: nifty tidbits like this are on BridgeClues.com every day - grizz: with bidding flash cards, bidding and play problems too grizz: for both beginners and advanced players veredk: still don't see how defense can set the contract grizz: thinking grizz: doesn't help for S to return to hand with a !h wyoming33: cant set it with this line - - not sure about earlier grizz: ok, that line doesn't work for S wyoming33: no grizz: W cannot successfully attack !ss here wyoming33: maybe west needed to take the !K king earlier - so east can get in lead and lead through south grizz: ah, here is the deal - grizz: EW can't beat the contract for certain, S can still endplay W in !c grizz: but grizz: the !s play allows S the chance to misplay the hand and give up the setting trick grizz: the Q gives up on the hand, but the big spot card allows chances grizz: and those chances add up wyoming33: undo to trick 7 and have west take the !C K - instead of east with the ace grizz: yes, W needs to take the !CK and take himself off the endplay, exiting now with a !C wyoming33: now down - had to prevent west being end played grizz: EW have turned the tables on grizz: S, executing a strip and endplay of their own grizz: or: grizz: thx for the help eileen :) wyoming33: LOL - and the gib grizz: lol grizz: for those of you who may not know, when you rent the GIB you also have the option of double dummy analysis for hands you kib grizz: and though the GIBs can be erratic at both bidding and play, they are deadly accurate in double dummy mode grizz: and they are a real bargain at $3 per month wyoming33: just dont like them as a pard ginger_321: do u click something different to get double dummy Pete? grizz: and it's nice to send some $$ Fred's way too, since he provides all this for us at no charge wyoming33: true:) grizz: y, if you have rented the GIB just click on the white button next to Movie wyoming33: that says GIB grizz: second line from the bottom is the double dummy analysis ginger_321: while u r playing with them or before u start grizz: only while you are kibbing - wouldn't be quite fair to use that function while playing :) ginger_321: lololol:) wyoming33: darn:( grizz: any questions on this one before we wrap it up? ginger_321: nty grizz: That concludes today's lesson, and next week we will have more quiz hands on opening leads. grizz: If anybody needs help retrieving the hand records or chat log, please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Rosemary, Eileen, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible. grizz: Thanks all for coming, i'll see you next week. grizz: Bye now. ginger_321: thx Pete:) bye