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Ducking

It can happen, when you have the distribution and the strength necessary to play contract in No-Trumps, that one suit in the side is not very strong in honours. Naturally that's where the opponents lead, impatiently waiting to lead out his cards as soon as they have become masters.

The only way to stop him is very simple: don't give him the lead! But, you might well say, if you give it to his partner, he will rush to play the suit in question. That is true on one condition : can you see which?

Well, it is even simpler than above: to re-lead this suit in which you have nothing left, he must have some; in other words, you must organise it so that he has no more cards in his hand so that he becomes powerless.

There is only one tactic to employ in such a case :duck the trick for as long as you can.

Look at this example:

In dummy	8
The leader: K Q J 10 6 4		Defender No 2: 9 7 5
You	A 3 2

In a 3NT contract it is clear that you will only ever make one trick in this suit; so, you will duck the lead twice and only take (as you must) on the third lead; after that, if you give the lead to the opponent on the right, he will not replay the suit in question because your ducking has used up the cards he had.

The rule is as follows:

Third player plays high

The game of the defence is played by two people. You must therefore help your partner with all your might to establish the suit which interests him.

In particular, when your partner leads (or plays) a small card. You must lay your highest card to force the declarer to use his honours.

For example:

	8 6 2
3		K 9 5 4

West leads the 3 of Diamonds to the 2 in dummy. You must lay the King in order to:

Thus the Diamonds may be distributed like this:

	8 6 2
Q 10 7 3		K 9 5 4
	A J

Laying the King forces South to take with the Ace if he wants to take the trick. Then West will be able to make 3 Diamond tricks. Not laying it allows South to make 2 Diamond tricks : the Ace and the Jack.

Of course, it is useless to play your highest card as third player if you can't play above dummy …

For example

	K 4
3		Q 7 2

On the 3 of Hearts, South lays the King from dummy: keep the Queen, it will serve later to establish or take Hearts.

	7 5
A 10 8 4 2		K J 3
	Q 9 6

After accepting the principle of playing the King, ask your pupils what they must play next.

Make them put their finger on the necessity of continuing in Diamonds; the defence is a matter of cooperation and it is not up to East, in general, to set about establishing his own long suit.

Now move on to the hardest part, by showing that the Jack and not the 3 must be played, in order not to block the suit.

Ask your pupils if "this doesn't remind them of something", and congratulate warmly those who think of the "high and short" tactic.

Finish by insisting on the fact that what is good for the declarer is also good for the defence: they are playing the same game even if the position around the table is different.

Write the "essential rules" on the board: