Defense Concentration

Concentration -- the Key to Defense

Double Your Pleasure. The problem is to learn to concentrate long enough and hard enough to take the 5th or 6th defensive trick at a two level contract. The player who keeps the right card and holds declarer to two rather than three is the real winner in Duplicate. Because you play defense more than you declare, an effort to learn good defense will double or triple your enjoyment of the game.

Rules of Defense. These are the rules for defensive play. If you follow them and use the tools described elsewhere, you can "see" all the cards in the deck soon after the opening lead:

1. Make every hand a real bidding contest

2. Concentrate on everything: bids, cards, points, distribution, tricks

3. Take your tricks

4. Have a defensive plan and follow it

5. Be dependable: don't be a mastermind

Be Tough. Your opponent, planning his play of hand as declarer, should always think: " Wow ! These folks are tough bidders. " I hope I can make this contract: it's going to be close."

Remember who your real competition is - the other players of these cards your way, E/W or N/S. If you don't defend as well as they do, you'll be the loser. If you defend better, you'll be the winner. It's as simple as that - it doesn't matter who gets the cards at duplicate.

Know and Apply The Rules. To apply these rules, you have to use the tools available to you on every hand. If you use them, you'll know after the second or third trick where the hand will swing - for the declarer or for your side on defense.

Concentration on the rest of the tricks will then get you your best competitive result.