Pairs Defence

PASSIVE STYLE: play safe – avoid giving tricks away

OPENING LEADS

(A) AVOID WEAK FOUR-CARD SUITS AGAINST NOTRUMP CONTRACTS

If you have a five-card suit with an entry outside, you have a reasonable hope of establishing your long suit – you may not mind giving away a trick on the lead because you will be compensated later on. Leading a weak four-card suit gives you less hope for tricks later on – try to avoid leading four-card suits with just one honour. However, a suit with two honours is more likely to be successful. Note also that if you have no entry card for a long suit, it is risky to lead a weak five card suit too, because even if you establish your suit you might not get in to make it.

(B) LEADING from HONOUR SEQUENCES: The safest lead in any form of bridge is a lead from three high cards, e.g. KQJ43: you lead the highest of the sequence – attacking because it is likely to develop tricks in the suit, but safe because the queen and jack back up the king.

(C) LEADING TRUMPS: Another relatively safe lead is a trump. It tends to give little away and is excellent in Pairs competition – the only exception to this is when you have a singleton trump – a lead might now compromise your partner’s holding in trumps (Qxxx or Jxxx).

(D) AVOID DOUBLETON LEADS: Singleton leads are perfectly reasonable since the chance of a ruff is high, but doubleton leads are very risky because they are likely to help your opponents set up their long suit, with a very low chance of a ruff. The only exception can be in the unbid suit – if your opponents have bid the 3 other suits then it is partner who is likely to have length in the 4^th.

SWITCHES

The most common mistake in Pairs defence is to constantly change suit in search of a good one! Even if the lead turned out badly, quite often continuing the first suit will be the safest option –especially if declarer is ruffing it in the long hand. The worst type of suit to lead is a FROZEN suit, when the honours are spread between the four hands – so often a lead in a suit like this will cost a trick: the spade suit in the box on the right is a good example.

LOOK AFTER YOUR FOUR-CARD SUITS

 The most common source of extra tricks for a declarer is from careless discards; it is important to concentrate even when you think a contract is making because every trick counts. Always try to preserve your four-card suits especially when you can see dummy has four cards or declarer has bid the suit. However small your cards they are likely to be valuable: the heart suit in the box on the right shows the idea: ©9653 looks useless, but you will have the highest heart on the 4^th round.

BE AWARE OF YOUR AIM  

After the auction 1NT-3NT look at dummy and add up the points: if there are 12-13 pts then game is likely to be close, but with 15+ pts in dummy your aim is to reduce the number of overtricks.

TAKE YOUR TRICKS

It is important to be aware that declarer will sometimes have an easy contract and will try for overtricks – when declarer has a long and strong suit, but instead plays on other suits first, he is probably looking for extra tricks before playing off his winners. On the deal on the right you, as West, lead ªK: declarer wins the trick and, with the ªJ in dummy things do not look good! Declarer leads a small heart: there are a number of things that should make you suspicious; why is declarer not playing on either of his side’s bid suits and, with about 30 points between the two hands your partner is not going to hold much. You must win your ©A and take your ªQ – if you duck then declarer makes twelve tricks: 5 clubs, 5 diamonds, ªA and ©K.

MORE THAN ONE UNDERTRICK

If your opponents are in the normal contract, but there are bad breaks and finesses don’t work, bear in mind that you are still comparing with everybody else so every trick counts: one off is no good, if all other declarers go two off. Make sure you keep striving for extra tricks.

COMPARE their CONTRACT with YOURS

When the bidding has been competitive it is important to assess what your score will be in comparison to the contract you might have played in: perhaps you were due to make 3© (140) and they called 3ª vulnerable instead: one off will give you 100 pts and not such a good score, but two off should give you a top.

In an UNUSUAL CONTRACT you can be ACTIVE (take risks)

If your opponents have overbid or are not in the normal contract, then overtricks are not so important since you are not comparing like with like – on the last deal on the right North has taken a gamble on his diamonds. Most other NS will play in 1NT or 3¨. As East you win the ª2 with your ace and you must go for broke – partner’s spades will not be good enough to defeat the contract (ª2 suggests only four). You cash §A and watch partner’s signal – when he plays §3: low = NO: you try the ©Q and the defence take their 6 tricks for 2 down. One mistake and declarer has 9 tricks: 7 diamonds & 2 spades.