Non material defence

Plays that don't gain any tricks would seem to be of theoretical import only. Sometimes however the correct card makes all the difference, even when that difference isn't measured in tricks. Good defenders make life easy for their partners. Imagine the following:

	♠ J 7 ♥ J T 8 7 ♦ Q 9 ♣ K Q 8 4 2
♠ 3		♠ A Q 9 8 2 ♥ 6 ♦ K J 4 2 ♣ J 9 5

and the auction has gone:

North	East	South	West
-	1♠	X	2♠
3♣	Pass	3NT	Pass
Pass	Pass

In this situation I play count leads. Partners card will always be a third or fifth. If we hadn't bid there'd be an element of reverse attitude applied but given the auction, that's a third.

Declarer must  have either KTx or Kxx. Without a hand record we can't know. Also provided I don't contribute the duck there's no difference to the number of tricks we have in the suit. Try it: win Ace and return the Queen, play the Queen or 8 and later cash the Ace. It all amounts to the same thing.

Assuming partner unblocks their hypothetical T♠ under the Jack. If they don't do that the suit becomes blocked and we might not get in again. Give declarer something like:

♠	K 5 4
♥	A K 5
♦	A 8 7 5
♣	A 7 6

It could all be over. Let's not make partner work this out. The 8♠ will tell you the holding declarer has and better it lifts the load off partner.