Playing in a club game with a strong expert, I pick up S:8 H: QT8 D: AKJ9765 C: QT. With nobody vulnerable, my RHO opens 1 NT. With our NT defense system, I can double to show a long minor or both major suits¹ but that means that if LHO bids partner is in the dark (although likely looking at diamond shortness, so has an educated guess). But I decide to bid 3 Diamonds because a) I have seven good ones, b) it takes up a lot of space, and c) relatively novice opponents. Even if I am in trouble they might not double me or let me make it (or they might go overboard). I kind of wish I didn’t have both the other queen-ten combinations, those might be just enough defense to stop them from making whatever game they’d get to if I passed (while not helping my diamond contract much), and I’d be turning a small positive into a small negative

This goes back to RHO who bids 3 Spades, which is the final contract. See point ‘C’ above.

I lead the diamond king (king from AK in this partnership) and see the following dummy:

S: Axx H: J9xx D: Q2 C: 87xx

LHO has made a good pass, despite having a great fit. She didn’t forget the earlier auction and even if RHO has a 17 count with 5 spades, game is still unlikely. I cash the King and Ace of diamonds, everyone else following and partner signaling a doubleton. (I already knew that, as diamonds are 7=2=2=2 around the table; but from her perspective I might have only had six diamonds and would need to know).

What else do I know? Almost nobody opens 1NT with a six card major, so I’m fairly certain that diamonds (edit: spades) are 1=3=4=5 around the table (partner having four). That’s nice. I have 12 points, Dummy has 7, Declarer has 15-17 and probably the top end. So that leaves 4-6 HCP for partner. Not much.

After mulling it over for a bit, I think the right play is to give declarer a ruff and sluff. This is usually one of the first things a novice learns NOT to do, as it’s almost always a free trick. But I’m not sure it will be. But let’s check the alternatives.

Leading a trump will no doubt annoy partner and likely destroy a trick. Leading a heart with the jack in dummy is scary. Declarer could easily have AKx of hearts. Leading a club from QT seems like suicide. Sure, leading from either queen could work if I hit lucky, but I’m blind as to where partners points are.

And the diamond? If dummy pitches I doubt declarer will be ruffing a fourth round (which would be a winner in any case) and declarer would risk losing control. And if dummy ruffs (as expected) partner should be able to read the situation and know if she needs to over ruff or go passive. Partner is a true expert and I’ve already made several undiscussed auctions, but things I think that are matters of bridge logic or “any expert will know,” and she’s caught them all.

I lead the diamond jack. Partner would have a tough choice on whether to over-ruff since she actually had J9xx of trump (and the club ace), but declarer pitches a club and ruffs in hand. (See point ‘c’ above again). Declarer then plays trumps incorrectly (with KQTx opposite Axx, play the King then the ace to reveal if you need to finesse the fourth round), setting up partners jack and then plays the AK and a small heart. At this point I can win and run diamonds. Declarer ruffs in, but that’s her last trick. Down two.

But it does look like the ruff and sluff is the only way to guarantee down one (assuming partner over-ruffs dummy).

Later I pick up S: Q H: J9543 D: J9753 C: QJ. RHO deals and everyone is vulnerable. RHO opens 1 Spade. I have the right shape for a Michaels cue bid, but not nearly enough winners, so I pass. LHO makes a 2 Diamonds bid and RHO bids 3 Clubs. Interesting. To step into a live (game forcing) auction at the three level partner must have a monster club suit. RHO bids 3 hearts. I could compete with 4 clubs, but honestly even giving partner 7 club tricks my hand only adds maybe a spade ruff and in any case …. so far I’d love to defend a red suit. Where are the spades? I pass.

LHO bids 4 Spades, showing a minimum game force with diamonds. Everyone passes and I’m certainly not going to bid five clubs now after partner has told me what to lead. I lead the club queen and dummy hits with

S: Kxx H: Axx D: KQT8x C:xx

Partner overtakes my club queen with the king and continues with the ace, and everyone follows. Partner considers this for a few seconds and then puts down the ten of clubs. Declarer ruffs with six (point C applies in this round, too) and I ruff with the queen and dummy ruffs with the king.

At this points trumps are

     Dummy 32

Me --      Partner J956

     Declarer AT87

Declarer has two reasonable lines: Assume I started with QJ tight and play the ace then the ten of spades, or take the deep finesse of the eight cross back to dummy and repeat and then run the diamonds for a trump coup to pick up trumps for no losers (and that has some other complications).

Partner’s ruff-and-sluff was also the right play … declarer only had winners (outside of the trump suit) so the ruff-and-sluff would not let declarer pitch a loser and removing a small trump from dummy would stop a repeated finesse. In practice declarer over-ruffed with the Spade King then played the trump ace AND lost count. Down four. (“Point C”).

I mention to partner that we’ve both given up a ruff and sluff correctly (albeit on different boards), and she appreciates that is a rare situation. 

1. The “Meckwell” defense to 1NT ︎