Using your Resources 1. Defense: standard Carding 2. Discarding losers 3. Entries 4. Developing long suits in dummy

Standard Leads, Suits Once you decide to lead a suit against a suit contract, what card should you choose?  Top of a sequence (K Q J, J T 9)  Top of a doubleton (8 2)  Not away from an Ace  Not an unsupported Ace (unless your partner bid the suit) [Elvis Coup]

Standard Leads, NT Once you decide to lead a suit against a notrump contract, what card should you choose? Partner’s bid suit  Top of doubleton, top of 3-card trash  Lowest card (3 rd or 4 th ) from an honor 4 th from longest (rule of 11) Spades, especially if opponents have not bid them

Rule of 11 When the fourth best card has been led, subtract the spot from 11. The remainder is equal to the number of cards higher than that spot in the other hands  5 against a NT contract = 6 An example: Your partner leads the  5 against a NT contract = 6  There are therefore 6 cards in the other three hands (including yours and the dummy’s) higher than the  5  Say, your spades are K 10 3, dummy’s are Q 7 4.  Then declarer has 2 spade cards higher than the  5

Rule of 11 NWESNWES   Q   A 6 4   A K 7  K   Q J Contract 3NT Lead  2 You are East. Assuming your partner is leading his 4 th best, there are 9 cards in the other three hands larger. You have four of them in your hand, three are in dummy. That leaves declarer with exactly 2.

Standard Attitude When your partner leads, try to win the trick. (“3 rd hand high”—but only as high as necessary: lower of touching) Otherwise, show your attitude to partner’s leads  High spot = “I like it, partner”  Low spot = “I don’t like it. Shift?”

Standard Count Give count when declarer leads  High-low sequence indicates an even number in the suit  Low-high sequence indicates an odd number in the suit

Winning extra tricks (Declarer) Extra tricks can come from several sources.  You can develop long tricks in side suits in hand.  You may trump losing cards in the dummy.  You may discard losers in your hand on winners in dummy (sluffing).

Developing extra tricks The necessary tricks may need development  By establishing a long suit  By finessing Timing: if you must discard quick losers, then develop the extra tricks at once

NWESNWES Contract: 4  K Lead:  K 1201   Q   A 6 4   A K 7  K   Q J  A K J Q J   3   A 4   K Q J 10   Discarding losers

NWESNWES Contract: 4  K Lead:  K 1202   Q J 10 Q   A 8 6   A 8 4  K   Q  4 3 A K J  9 3  K 10 7   A   K Q J 10   J 6 5 Discarding losers

NWESNWES  Contract: 2  Q Lead: Q 1203   J   A J 4    A 6 K 6 3   A Q 9 3  K Q A 9 5  K 3  J 4 2   9 4 Q J 10 8   Q   K 10 8 Discarding losers

Entries and development When dummy’s long suit must be developed, we need an entry to dummy to cash the tricks Entry: a card which allows the shifting of the lead from one hand to another Entries may be created by forcing out higher cards, by finesse, or suit development

Entry Development By force  DUMMYK Q  HAND8 4 By finesse  DUMMYK 7 2  HAND8 4 3 By development  DUMMY  HANDA K Q 2

NWESNWES Contract: 3NT  Q Lead:  Q 1204   9 4 A 8 5     A K   K Q  Q J 10 9  A K 7 K Q 2  A    Q J 10 8 J   J   5 Discarding losers

Drawing Trumps Generally it is a good idea to draw trumps early Trumps suits are developed like any other suit  Finessing  Promotion The default plan is to draw trumps immediately

Drawing Trumps (cont.) When is this not the correct plan?  When losers must be ruffed in dummy  When drawing trumps entails or risks losing a trick AND quick losers must be discarded on dummy’s winners  When timing requires the establishment of a side suit  When the trump suit is needed for entries

NWESNWES Contract: 2  Lead:    Q K 10     J  K  Q  A Q 9  9 4 A Q J  A J 10  6 3   A J   K 8 4   K entries

Trumps and side suits We can use trumps to establish a second suit in the hand. Tricks that otherwise would have been lost can be trumped (high enough) so that the long card or cards is good. Timing: How many ruffs do we need?

NWESNWES  Contract: 4  Lead:   K Q   K J 7 3   K 5  A  A Q 10 8  Q 4  A J Q 8  6  A   4 K J 6 5     J Establishing a second suit