By Valerie Rhead
THE FORCING PLAY
In the past two weeks we investigated two defensive strategies, PASSIVE and ACTIVE. A third very effective defense strategy, when the defensive cards are right, is the “FORCING PLAY”. You can use the “Forcing Play” to defend those hands in which you have the following three defensive conditions: four or more trump, a long side suit and some entries to your hand. When the declarer’s hand is short in your side suit and long in trump, he is forced to ruff your long suit and use up his trump.
Suppose you have four of the bad guys’ trump. Lead out your partnership’s most powerful suit from the top. You do this even if your best suit includes tenaces such as AQJ10 or KJ109. Your ultimate objective is to force your opponent to use up his winners in your long suit. Then he will have to ruff in his hand, shortening his trump holding. If he is forced to ruff once, his five-card trump suit is shortened to be equal to yours. If he is forced to ruff twice, you will have more trump than he has and you may be able to take control of the hand. In any case, you’ll likely win extra tricks.
If you have the trump Ace, don’t play it until it can take the last trump on the dummy’s short side. Then you will be able to force the last trump in declarer’s hand with your long suit and make one or two extra tricks for defense. Of course none of this works if the dummy has shortness in your suit where declarer can ruff on the short side for extra trump tricks! Listen to the bidding and analyse which type of defense to use before making your opening lead.
PLEASE NOTE that my email has changed. If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group, send the information to [email protected] and I will include it in this column.
TOURNAMENT TRAIL: Silver Points, Garson (Sudbury)
May 27-29, 2016 Garson Community Centre, Garson, (Church Street)
Your opportunity for fun and to earn silver points.
Pairs Friday 1 & 7pm; Saturday 10:30am & 3pm; Sunday Swiss Teams 10am
For complete details, read the tournament flyer at http://tournaments.acbl.org/schedule.php?tourid=24032
Stratification based on average masterpoints:
Open A = 1500+, B = 500-1500, C = 0-500, also 299 game and 50 newcomer game
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games for the Huntsville Club are Tuesdays, 7:15pm, Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. Contact Susan [email protected] for information and partnerships.
NOTE: Plan for our Spring Party of Dinner and Bridge Tuesday, June 21. Dinner at Tall Trees and bridge back at Trinity United. Also, there will be NO GAME on June 14 due to a function needing the activity hall.
The following winners are for Tuesday, May 17 with 8 tables playing a Mitchell movement. North-South 1. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 2. Jim Smith and Ralph Mitchell; 3. Mary Whitehead and Helen Pearson; 4. Mary Simonett and Kel Andresen; East-West 1. Liz Barnes and Bob Schives; 2/3. Susan Marshall and Jan Roberts; 2/3. Bev Parlett and Barb Forth; 4. Mary Norman and Don Norman
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays. 7pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive 15 minutes before game time. For information or partnerships, call Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
NOTE: Plan for our Spring Party of Dinner and Bridge Monday, June 6. Dinner at the Golf and Curling Club 5pm for 5:30. Bridge back at Knox Presbyterian.
The following winners are from Monday, May 16 with 11 tables playing a Mitchelll movement. North-South 1. Bev Parlett and Vern Foel; 2. Betty Fagin and Brian Brocklehurst; 3. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 4. Joanne Garvey and Jim Smith; 5. Val Rhead and Peter Rhead; 6. Catherine McMillan and Julianne Guselle; East-West 1. Betty Rintoul and Bev Howard; 2. Bob Schives and David Bryce; 3. Fay MacDonald and Mary Whitehead; 4. Liz Barnes and Lyn Walisser; 5. Lorna Wagner and Pat Feaver; 6. Ann Cassie and Bruce Cassie
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