Tips from Barnet Shenkin: Can you survive the dentist?
This article is part of a regular series from Scottish internationalist and leading player Barnet Shenkin, exploring fascinating hands, practical techniques and advanced bridge thinking.
Each article breaks down real deals from competition play, offering insights designed to help improving players strengthen their judgement, declarer play and defence.
Can you survive the dentist?
About fifty people attended my seminar on Opening Leads at the Clyde Bridge Club on April 25. I was able to combine some stories with interesting hands. Here is an example I did not have time to exhibit. It comes from a tournament held in Miami, Florida
Put yourself in the West chair
♠ AQ94
♥ A75
♦ 107
♣ A1084
Both vulnerable – Dealer South
West North East South
1♥
1♠ X 3♠ 4♥
All pass
You elect to overcall 1♠ partner raises to 3♠and south closes the auction with 4♥. You might lead a trump, but dummy could have a singleton so you start the ♦10 and see
https://tinyurl.bridgebase.com/yckr2mww
Click on West hand then next to see the dummy. Partner plays the two and South wins the Queen and cashes the Ace before leading a club. You rise with the Ace and partner plays the nine showing an even number. Declarer has extracted your exit card of the second diamond – how do you defend?
Click next to see the only winning defence.
This is a very nice example of the Dentist Coup and a defence to it. On this occasion I was the dentist- did you survive?version of this article first appeared in the January 2026 issue of the IBPA and is republished with their kind permission.
