by: WillReich_77

1/5/2000

One of the most neglected defensive methods in bridge is what is colloquially known as the tap. That is leading a suit where declarer is void and running him or her out of trumps. This can be advantageous:

1. When the trumps aren't splitting and one of you can end up with more trumps than declarer. Now, you will get trump tricks and/or some tricks in the suit where declarer is void.
2. Even when trumps are splitting OK, the tap can work to run declarer out of trumps when he has to give up the lead in a side suit. That can lead to your getting some tricks in the tap suit. In both cases, what happens is often referred to as declarer 'losing control of the hand.'

Why this doesn't happen more often: Too often, a player will lead a suit and see declarer ruff the second round. On getting in, he or she will seek tricks elsewhere when those tricks either don't exist or should be reserved for getting in when the declarer has been taken to tap city. Always at least CONSIDER continuing the tap rather than switching.

Why isn't it always right: Well, Oregilby says that "nothing is always in bridge" and he is quite correct. The tapping defense isn't going to work if declarer has more trumps than normal. When declarer is playing a six-two fit, the suit has to break badly and/or you have to have a lot of winners in his key side suit(s) for the tap to work. If you continue to try this defense when declarer has a super-abundance of trumps and a suit to throw things on, you might never get your tricks in the fourth suit.

When he or she is in a five-three fit, the tap should be in the forefront of defensive planning, especially if one of us is looking at a four card stack, even with few or no winners.

Nothing always works but try the tap.

I will use a specific illustration for this one. Your partner leads against 4S, after the auction 1D - P - 1S - P - 2S - P - 4S, all Pass.

You have X - AT9X - KTXX - KQTX. Partner, to your surprise and delight, leads the King of Hearts.

Dummy hits with:

KQTX - X - AQJXXX - XX.

You must overtake the King and Fire back the Ten of Hearts. Sure, you can set up a Club trick by firing back the King of Clubs but you really want to tap dummy. If partner has four trumps, declarer will have serious problems. If he has three, you can still possibly beat the contract. You can see that declarer will have to ruff in hand to set up Diamonds. You don't want him losing a finesse and a Club and then ruffing a Diamond high and getting back to dummy with his virtually intact trumps. If partner has the Jack of Clubs, the switch might be OK but otherwise, you want to tap the hand with the long suit that can be set up. That is an attack on entries and not a classical tap but it works really well at times. If you remember ideas "A" and "B" from my last post in this thread, this is C: The tap can deny declarer full use of a long suit that should be one of his or her major sources of tricks.

Remember, declarer can usually make more tricks more certainly by setting up a good suit, especially a six-bagger. If declarer has a potent suit like that, you would RATHER he had to play a cross ruff.

Bill Reich

Slow pairs, please go home