This is nearly as 

easy as falling

off a trike.

The forcing defence

I have highlighted this particular defence for two main reasons.

1.  Although the basic principle underlying the defence is not difficult to understand, the outcome is often unexpected.

2.  It incorporates the two crucial approaches to ruffing. which affect both declarer and defenders: that ruffing in dummy is good for declarer, giving extra tricks, and so bad for defenders ( see this page ). Ruffing in the long hand, however ( usually declarer's ), gives declarer no extra tricks and may cause some embarrassment ( see this page ). It is thus good for defenders and it is the exploitation of this embarrassment that forms the basis of the 'forcing defence'.

Suppose you are sitting with C A K Q J 10 9. You have bid but have been outgunned by a declarer bidding hearts and spades strongly. The final contract is four spades. You start with C A K and the second round is ruffed. Do you continue with another round of this suit  when you are in on trick three with the ace of trumps? If your answer is not an unequivocal 'yes', then have another look at this page. Provided declarer is obliged to ruff in her own hand (and is unable to ruff in dummy), at worst this can do no harm and at best may be damaging to declarer. The simple thesis is that often, declarer has insufficient trumps to draw the opponents trumps in the normal way, and at the same time to ruff in every time you force him. In an ideal world, you will have four trumps headed by an ace or a king, but this is not imperative. Let's go through two hands in detail.

East is dealer and finishes as declarer in four spades after spirited intervention by North/South in hearts. Although the game is a thin one, on only twenty-two points, it looks as if ten tricks are easy from five diamonds, four spades and one club. The defenders, however, have different ideas. South starts with three rounds of hearts, declarer ruffing the third. East then sets about trumps. It would be fatal for North to take her ace on the first or second round as a heart continuation could be ruffed in dummy and any other suit gives declarer the easy route above by drawing all the remaining trumps and taking the five diamond tricks.

So let us look at the position after North has ducked two rounds of trumps and taken her ace on the third      ( you can see that it doesn't help declarer to shift to any other suit as North will ruff and take four tricks with two hearts, the ace of spades and a ruff.)

So, after six tricks, the following cards are left.

Now North can lead her remaining heart and East must ruff, eventually losing another trick to North's spade, to go one off. Notice that the defenders had no qualms about declarer ruffing in her own hand and also that North's key play was to defer the play of the ace of spades until dummy's trumps had gone. Notice also that if North's trumps had been four small ones, this wouldn't have worked as East could have drawn them happily before running the diamonds.

This next hand is similar.

North finishes as declarer in four spades, after East has overcalled in hearts. East starts with three rounds of hearts, declarer ruffing the third. Declarer sets out to draw trumps and again, East must delay the play of the ace of spades until dummy's three trumps have gone. This is the position after six tricks with East on lead.

Although the diamonds and clubs would be excellent tricks for declarer, East leads a heart. Whatever declarer  does now, East will make the setting trick with her last spade.

How do you recognise this defence? You don't need to. As long as you understand that forcing declarer to ruff in her own hand does her no good and does you no harm, you are paving the way for a forcing defence if it happens to be applicable, and playing an absolutely sound passive defensive game if it isn't. Try it!