Stewart Brand, a writer who lives on a tugboat in Sausalito, California, and works on a nearby boat, said, “Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.”

By the end of this week, you might feel that a defensive steamroller has run over you, after we look at more deals in which your job is to flatten declarer.

In today’s deal, look at the East hand. South opens one no-trump, West passes, and North responds two clubs, Stayman. What should East do, if anything?

South rebids two spades, West passes, and North raises to four spades. After West leads the club eight, how should East plan the defense?

When North uses Stayman, East should double to show good clubs. East should know that partner never finds the best opening lead after an uncontested auction, so he should take the opportunity to help his partner.

East wins the first trick with the club queen and cashes two more winners in the suit, West discarding the diamond two. What should East do now?

First, East should check the points. Dummy has 10, East has 13, and South 15- 17. That leaves West with at most two – he cannot have a red-suit winner. The only chance is to gain a trump trick. East must lead a fourth club. If West has the spade eight or nine, his ruff will effect an uppercut. Dummy over-ruffs, but East now collects a trump trick by covering either honor when it is led from the dummy. Also, note that it doesn’t help South to ruff with his spade nine.