Would you and your favorite partner get this defense right? The original East-West did not when the deal cropped up in the 2025 USA1 Senior Trials final.
David Berkowitz and Larry Cohen were regular partners for 20 years, but Cohen dropped out of tournament bridge to concentrate on teaching and bridge cruises. Recently, though, he has been lured back for the occasional major event, and he and Berkowitz have resumed their partnership.
Here, they climbed optimistically to four hearts, Cohen reasonably going for game on the basis that a fitting minimum would provide good play for 10 tricks.
When West led his singleton club ace, East dropped the two, at which point West had to decide which suit to switch to. Expecting that the spade ace alone would be enough to beat the contract — two spades, a club and a ruff — West switched to the spade three. This was disastrous for the defense when Berkowitz put up the queen and finessed in hearts, making an overtrick.
Given dummy’s club holding, it should have been apparent that West had led from shortness, so rather than giving attitude or count, East’s card should have been a suit-preference signal. His club two indicated a diamond entry, and West should have played a diamond. After a diamond to the ace and a club ruff, passive defense defeats the contract. As long as West exits in a red suit rather than opening up the spades, the defenders cannot be denied their spade king for the setting trick.