Home/Bridge Tips and Tricks/BRIDGE TIPS: WHAT CAN GET AWAY?
A at trick one, South following with the 7, what do you return?
(1) Trump them in dummy when dummy has shortness in a suit and you have greater length in that suit (hearts).
K. It must be right to shift to a trump.If the diamond suit was more threatening, it would be necessary to attack clubs at trick two because club losers could get away on diamonds. The key to many defenses is to know just how threatening the long suit in dummy is. Entry considerations are paramount. It does declarer no good to set up a long suit for discards if declarer cannot get to dummy to use it.If you can teach yourself to think this way, you will be a superior defender.More thoughts on this hand.When West sees East shift to a trump looking at those strong diamonds in dummy, East is telling West not to worry about diamonds. If East were worried about diamonds, he would have shifted to a club.East’s passed hand takeout double shows 9-11 HCP with shortness in the opponent’s suit; the shorter the better. It is an exception to make a passed hand takeout double with three cards in the major suit the opponents are bidding.
An opening heart lead from the king figures to be safe with the West hand as East surely has heart support on the bidding.
The trump switch at trick two defeats the contract. Assuming South ducks, West wins the king and exits a trump. When West gets in with a heart, a third trump play ends declarer’s chances of ruffing a heart. Once West turns up with the major suit kings, the diamond finesse is sure to fail so South might as well take the club finesse which works for down one. Declarer loses three hearts and a spade.