[firmit]

Maybe not a big deal, but this happened yesterday playing defence.

Dummy had 10xxx.
Me sitting before dummy, held Axx.
Declarer had KQx, or that was what I played her for. A hard 3NT which required 3 tricks in the suit. I ducked first card, declarer winning the K, second time, declarer played a new card towards hand putting up the Q - I jumped up and returned a spade. It so happened that partner had Jxx and the setting tricks

I know declarer can make a bathcoup ducking the K with KQ and AJ in hand or either in dummy. But what about the defence? Reversed Bath coup? Just a thought....

ps: i know, irrelevant, wrong forum etc...

[ArtK78]

It is not a coup. It is just a duck.

If the spots are what you say they are, then it turns out that you could have won the first round of the suit and returned it, since partner has the J9x. But that doesn't mean that the duck was wrong. If declarer had the 9 of the suit, the duck would force declarer to guess the suit on the second round and if he guesses wrong you can cash the third round of the suit. Also, when the K wins the first round of the suit, declarer is likely to believe that the A is onside.

[han]

Good defense. It's very common and important to be able to duck smoothly in this position.

[pclayton]

Hannie, on Jan 25 2008, 09:06 AM, said:

Good defense. It's very common and important to be able to duck smoothly in this position.

As long as you don't think declarer has Kx and is trying steal #9.

[han]

Yes, reading the position quickly enough to duck smoothly isn't always easy and sometimes involves some guessing.