Forcing Defense - Example

Example

Alfred Sheinwold cites this example of a forcing defense to South's contract of 4♠:

West leads the ♥K. South takes the ♥A and plans to win five spades, one heart, at least three diamonds and a club. He leads the ♠K, West ducks, and East's club discard discloses the bad trump break.

South has no better move than to continue spades, hoping for a defensive error, a winning diamond finesse, or that the hearts block. West ducks his ♠A once again, though, and South now tries the diamond finesse. East wins the ♦K and forces South with another heart. South ruffs and leads a club to the ♣A. East leads another heart and again South has to ruff.

By now, South is down to two trumps and West still has two, including the ♠A. When South leads another trump, West takes the ♠A and a heart lead forces out South's last trump. At the end, West will make his small trump, winning in all two spades, a diamond and a club.

Notice what happens if South continues trumps at trick 4. West takes his ♠A and continues hearts, forcing South to ruff. South has now lost control of the hand. No matter how South continues, the defense continues to force South with heart leads after taking the ♦K and the ♣A, again winning two spades, a diamond and a club, or a trick in each suit.

Notice also that West must wait for the third round of spades to take his ♠A, after which dummy is out of trumps. If he takes his ♠A on either the first or second round of trumps, South can play on the minor suits and ruff a fourth round of hearts in dummy. This would let South preserve trump control, draw West's small trumps, and hold E-W to one trump trick only.