Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Monday, August 17th, 2020


2 Comments

A V Ramana RaoAugust 31st, 2020 at 3:15 pm

Hi Dear Mr Wolff
Perhaps West should have seen the writing on the wall and shifted to a club at trick two ( had he held a doubleton heart without Q, even heart too would have been OK but club appears to be safe which deprives declarer of a vital tempo ( again, easy to comment seeing all hands but…….)
Regards

bobbywolffAugust 31st, 2020 at 4:06 pm

Hi AVRR,

No doubt you have shown the way to best defense on today’s hand.

As you know and have said, that early in the defense, when, after the opening lead has been quitted and 24 cards are still unknown, it is difficult, to say the least, to first visualize (the hard part) and then back a determination to arrive at a trick(s) gaining plan.

Sure, there are hands to accomplish at least close to that, but very few, and don’t discount how much such an enterprise might slow the play down. It is done much more often by declarer than the defense since he is privy to gazing at all of his assets, not nearly as many as are the defenders.

All experienced bridge players would likely agree that overall defense is the single most difficult feature of our beloved game, including the early defense. Therefore our best players, ever since the change in 1927 to contract bridge have probably been best to which we speak.

However to use the word perfection in describing early defense is indeed an overbid, since no one should deny that it is a very daunting task.

However, all of us, especially I, appreciate your almost always accurate analysis, so please continue, since bridge learning, especially high-level, usually begins and ends earlier in the hand than it does after the horse has left.

Finally, by your effort, it gives all of us a chance to gain experience without making errors, a fact worth cherishing.