ducking play

But that would not have been possible if the ducking play had succeeded.

Whatever South was up to with his strange ducking play, it could hardly help the defense to continue spades.

Again, the original ducking play, giving up one trick, has gained two in the fullness of time.

This demonstrates why a ducking play at the first trick, made by other declarers, would have been an error.

(The same ducking play would be necessary had West led a trump originally.)

That player should foresee the problem and make it obvious to his partner that the ducking play cannot succeed.

South, it is true, could have countered Greeley's ducking play by leading to the spade ace at the third trick.

The play of the queen, if right, would lead to success, and the ducking play, if right, would probably result in failure.

That player could not conceive that the declarer would hold up his queen with a tripleton holding, so he inferred that West had led a doubleton and that South had made a standard ducking play qith Q-x-x-x to break the defensive communications.