Bridge
16 May, 2026
Unblocking dummy's long suit
Sometimes, limited communication makes it difficult to establish dummy's long suit.
Sometimes, limited communication makes it difficult to establish dummy's long suit. If you have a strong hand with only top honours opposite the smaller cards in dummy, this may create the illusion that dummy's length is inaccessible and therefore of no use as a source of tricks.
On the deal below, after 3 passes to East, a reasonable auction would be something like 1♦️-1♠️-2NT-3NT. South has a difficult lead – a diamond looks like a bad idea after East's opening, a spade seems a bad idea after West's response, while it's probably a good idea to keep ❤️A10 to beat one of declarer's honours. So a top-of-nothing ♣️8 is perhaps the least of evils.
As East, how should you play to make 9 tricks on a club lead? There are 3 sure tricks in spades, possibly 4 if spades are 3-3 or you find a doubleton ♠️J. Another 4 top tricks are available in the minors. However, that's not enough. You hold the bare ♣️AK opposite the 5‑card club suit in dummy. Are you going to be reduced to leading up to the hearts twice, hoping for ❤️AK on your right and/or a 3-3 break in that suit? That seems against the odds.
The solution is quite simple once you think of it. After cashing the other top club, noting that clubs cannot be worse than 4-2 as everyone follows to both rounds, you can cross to dummy with a high spade to play ♣️J, conceding a trick to the queen.
When North comes in with ♣️Q she should switch to hearts to enable the defence to take 3 more tricks. However, after that you can win any return in hand and then get back to dummy with another high spade, to cash your established clubs and fulfil your contract. On the day this deal turned up at the club, it seems this line eluded most declarers.
Unblocking top honours from your hand is an essential first step to be able to take advantage of dummy's long suit.
Rakesh Kumar.
The Southern Highlands Bridge Club runs three duplicate sessions every week (Mon 1:00 pm, Wed 6:30 pm, Sat 1:00 pm) at the East Bowral Community Centre. Highlands players and visitors welcome!
For more information: https://shbc.bridgeaustralia.org
--------------
The Southern Wire Newsletter is now here! Subscribe for free at the link below.
https://subscribe-forms.beehiiv.com/1986abc6-c89e-4781-9db2-cf35c9dd71e4
If you value independent local journalism across the Highlands, Tablelands and Wollondilly, please click the link below to support us as we are paywall free.
Read More: Southern Highlands, Wollondilly, Southern Tablelands