Mislead declarer about card location

King Charles I of England said, "Never make a defense or apology until you be accused."

This week, we are looking at the players who were "accused" of finding the best defensive plays last year. Those in the dock today are Espen Lindqvist (East) and Boye Brogeland from Norway. They were defending against four hearts.

East's three-diamond raise was pre-emptive over North's takeout double, saying that he had diamond support but did not think that three no-trump would make even if West had a balanced 18-19 points.

Since this deal occurred in a big pairs event, when stopping overtricks could have been important, Brogeland was worried that his opponents might have had 11 tricks via five hearts and six clubs. So, deciding that his side needed to take tricks as quickly as possible, he led the spade ace. East, with no desire for a shift, encouraged spades, and West continued with his spade three.

South, who has one European mixed teams and two mixed pairs titles, won with dummy's spade king, cashed the heart ace, played a heart to his jack and led a club to the jack. Lindqvist played low in tempo.

As the bidding suggested that West had the club king, declarer overtook the heart queen with his king and repeated the club finesse. However, East produced his king and shifted to a diamond. Unable to reach the dummy, declarer was forced to duck this to West's queen. Brogeland then cashed the spade queen to defeat the contract and gain 90 percent of the matchpoints for his side.

In this deal, Frederic Volcker (East) and Thomas Bessis from France were defending against three no-trump. West led his spade, and East covered with the 10. What happened after that?

South had seven top tricks: two spades, three diamonds and two clubs. Keeping a club miracle for later if necessary, declarer sensibly decided to play on hearts. He ducked the first trick, won the second with his spade queen (West discarded a diamond), played a diamond to dummy's jack and led a heart to his queen.

You or I would have taken that trick and, probably, returned a diamond. But Bessis played low smoothly, as if he had never heard of the ace. South, suitably deceived, now led a low heart from his hand and played low from the board. East won with his jack and drove out the spade ace. South, still convinced that East had the heart ace, tried the club finesse, but East took that trick and cashed his spades for down two.

A clever, no-cost defense, but South should have realized that if East had king-jack-10-seventh of spades and the ace-jack of hearts, surely, even at unfavorable vulnerability, he would have opened one spade or three spades.