Find the Best Defense

In this lesson:

Good defense can defeat MANY of your opponents' contracts. However, in reality MOST of those contracts are allowed to make.

Defense is also very subtle. When a hand is over and all 52 cards are in view, even experienced players often don't realize what they should or could have done.

However, every player can learn to defend better. If you are willing to work at improving your defense, you will improve.

In this lesson, Marty will discuss:

• - How and when to count
• - How to use inferences from the bidding to find the best defense
• - How to make the most of your signals
• - The crucial principle "Suit preference in nothing suits"
• - How to make sure that your partner does the right thing
• - How to false card to cause declarer to not make a cold contract
• - How to break up a squeeze

Bidding:

• - When you should overcall in a 4-card suit
• - How to make the most of "The magic of voids"
• - The little known but useful convention "Unusual Unusual Notrump"
• - A better convention than Ambiguous Michaels

Here is an example of what Marty will discuss:

What is your plan for defeating 4♠ after partner leads the ♥Q?

Here is a plan:

You'd like a club shift, so discourage hearts by playing the ♥2. Once you tell partner to not lead hearts, he'll probably shift to a club. That will set up your club king, so your side will win 1 club, 2 hearts, and 1 spade. But if declarer has 0-1 club, you won't get a club trick.

There is a better plan. Care to try again?

The two keys are your singleton diamond and trump ace. Therefore, overtake the heart queen with your king and lead the ♦2. Declarer will win and lead trump. You'll grab your ace and lead a low heart. Partner will win the jack and give you a diamond ruff.

Down one!

Here is the entire deal: