1. THE PLAY OF THE CARDS: SUIT CONTRACTS
Part 2: More on using trumps
Using the trump suit for entries
Establishing a side suit by ruffing
Discarding losers
Trumping losers
Avoiding an overuff

2. USING THE TRUMP SUIT FOR ENTRIES
One of the most important aspects of playing a hand, and one which is vital to consider during the planning stage of the hand (i.e. before a card is played) is the question of communication.
Frequently the trump suit itself is the main source of entries to the weaker hand, and it is therefore necessary to consider how best to use the trump suit in deciding when and how to draw trumps.
Although it is usual to go about the process of drawing the enemy trumps as soon as possible, this matter of communication, and using the trump suit as entries, will often show that it is important to take care of other matters first.

3. Consider the following hand:
 K Q J
 A K Q 3
 8
 10
 A 7 
 Q
 A J 9
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead: K
This slightly optimistic contract probably needed a 3-3 heart split. However, after an extremely fortunate lead, the slam (barring weird distribution) is unbeatable.
Win the first trick with A and before drawing any trumps play J (or 9) and discard the losing diamond. Suppose North wins this trick with Q and leads a diamond. You ruff and play two rounds of trumps ending in dummy. Now your potential heart loser can be discarded on dummy’s remaining good club.

4. On this next hand, creating an entry to dummy in trumps costs a trick, but gains two in return:
 A K 3
 A K 4
 A
 A K Q J 8 5  
 K Q 4 3
 9 7
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead: Q
Counting losers shows two in the major suits, and no easy entry to dummy to reach the two diamond tricks (after unblocking A ) that would provide discards.
However, by giving up an unnecessary trick in trumps you can create an entry to dummy. Win the opening lead, cash A and then lead 5 to dummy’s 7. You expect the defender with 10 to win the trick, but when you regain the lead you play 8 to dummy’s 9 and take the two discards on K Q .

5. This next hand requires some careful planning:
 A K Q J 7 5 3
 9
 J 7  
 A
 Q 10
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead: K
You have four losers: 2 spades and 2 clubs. The only hope of disposing of one of them is to establish a long diamond in dummy, which requires a 4-3 diamond split.
The other way of looking at the hand is that you have nine top winners and require a tenth.
If you can manage to find four entries to dummy (three for taking diamond ruffs in hand and a fourth to enter dummy in order to cash the established fifth diamond) then you can succeed.

6. The full hand: Contract: 4 by West Opening lead: K
 K Q 10 2
 6 4
 J 7 3
 A 9 8 5
 A 9 4
 A K Q J 7 5 3
 9
 J 7  
 A
 Q 10
 J 8 7
 2
 K Q 10 5
 K
After winning the opening lead in hand, play your diamond to the ace and ruff a diamond with a top heart. Enter dummy with 8 and ruff another diamond with a high trump. Enter dummy again with 9 and ruff dummy’s fourth diamond, again high.
Dummy’s fifth diamond is now good, and you have kept a low heart in your hand to enter dummy for the last time with 10 so that you may discard a loser on this long diamond.

7. Trump entries to dummy can also be used to enable you to take finesses:
 A Q J 7 6 4
 A Q J
 A K
 10 9   
 J 7 5
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  A
Counting winners gives 5 in spades (assuming you lose a trick to K ) 2 in diamonds and 3 in hearts if the finesse can be taken successfully.
With two inescapable losers in clubs, you cannot afford a loser in both spades and hearts. You need entries to dummy to be able to take finesses.
There is no entry for a trump finesse, but you can create two entries in the trump suit to allow you to take finesses in hearts.

8. The full hand: Contract: 4 by West Opening lead:  A
 2 
 Q J 7 5 4
 A K 8 3
 A Q J 7 6 4
 A Q J
 A K
 10 9   
 J 7 5
 K 5 3
 K 9 7 
 Q 6 4 2
The defence starts with three rounds of clubs. You must ruff the third with the queen or jack of spades. The low spades are needed to get the lead in dummy later on. You now play a low spade to dummy’s 8, losing to K. A diamond lead (best) is won in hand and now dummy entered with 9. A heart finesse wins, and dummy entered with 10 for a second heart finesse. The contract needs South to hold K – a 50% chance.

9. Trumping losers can provide entries to dummy
Trumping losers can provide entries to dummy. It is also possible to create entries by trumping winners:
 A K Q J 10 8
 void 
 A K 5 
 A J
 A
 void
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead:  Q
The best chance of disposing of the diamond losers is to establish dummy’s heart suit, which requires a 4-3 heart split. It also needs several entries to dummy.
Ruff the opening lead, play a low heart and ruff it, enter dummy by ruffing K and ruff another heart. Enter dummy by ruffing A and ruff a further heart. If both opponents follow, you are home. Dummy now has three heart tricks.

10. The time has come to draw trumps
The time has come to draw trumps. Then enter dummy with A and play A (on which the last enemy heart drops) and the two long hearts, discarding the three losers in diamonds. You end up making all thirteen tricks. The full hand:  
 K 9
 Q J
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead:  Q
 A K Q J 10 8
 void 
 A K 5 
 A J
 A
 void
Note that a spade or diamond lead beats the slam, as it uses up one of dummy’s entries too soon
 7
 K Q 9 8
 Q J 5 
It would be easier to find the winning line on this hand if declarer held three low clubs. It is harder to ruff winners!

11. ESTABLISHING A SIDE SUIT BY RUFFING
When you hold a second suit, it is quite common to establish it by ruffing in dummy Here is a simple example:
 7
 A K Q 10 2
 A K Q 6 4
 9 5
 Q 6 5 4
 J 5
 9 2
 Q
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead: J
Since you have a loser in spades and two club losers, you cannot afford to lose a diamond trick. Instead of relying on a 3-3 split in the suit, you should ruff one in dummy.
Suppose the defence continue with a second spade. You ruff, cash two top diamonds and ruff a low diamond with J to avoid an overruff. Now draw trumps. Your diamonds are good, and you succeed if neither red suit splits worse than 4-2.

12. Here is another example:
 K Q J 10
 A K
 A
 6 3
 A 5 4 3
 7
 9 3
 A Q
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead:  9
There is a real danger that the opening lead is a singleton, so rise with A at trick one. Now you must establish the hearts.
At trick two lead a heart to the ace and ruff a heart low in dummy. Return to hand with a trump and ruff another low heart with A. If hearts split 3-3 or 4-2 your remaining hearts are good, so play dummy’s last trump to your hand, draw trumps and claim twelve tricks, losing just a club at the end.
This line needs trumps no worse than 4-1 and hearts no worse than 4-2 , an 80% contract.

13. A side suit in dummy may also be established using ruffs:
 A K Q J 4
 A 4 3 2
 8 7
 6 3 
 J 8 7
 A
 A J
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  K
First note that a 3NT contract would be hopeless after the club lead. Before a ninth trick could be established in diamonds, the defence would cash too many club tricks.
However, there is some chance in 4, a contract which basically requires a 3-3 diamond split and a 3-2 trump split. After winning  A you must play a low diamond from both hands. Now, when you regain the lead, you play A and ruff a diamond high. If the suit does split 3-3, you ply three rounds of trumps ending in dummy and cash two good diamonds, making ten tricks: 5 spades, 1 heart, 3 diamonds and 1 club.

14. This time you are in a poor contract, but you may still succeed if the breaks are kind:
 A K J 10 9
 K 8 3
 3 2 
 Q 5
 A 4 2
 A
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead: 6
With 9 top winners, you would much rather be in 3NT. To make 4 you need a little luck. Dummy’s club suit must provide a tenth trick.
Win the first trick and duck a club. The defence can take two spade tricks, but when you then gain the lead you play a club to dummy’s ace and ruff a club. If they split 3-3 you draw trumps. If, however, clubs are 4-2, you enter dummy with Q and ruff another club. Now you need trumps to split 3-3. Draw trumps and enter dummy with A to make the long club.

15. DISCARDING LOSERS
Sometimes risks must be taken in order to rid oneself of a loser without delay.
 A 4 2
 2
 K Q J 10 9
 A K Q J 
 A Q 7  
Contract: 5 by West
Opening lead: K
If East had held  A K 7 this hand would have been easy. You would have delayed playing trumps and first played two top hearts, discarding a spade loser.
As it is, you need a little luck. At trick two, play a heart and finesse the  Q. If this wins, discard your loser on  A. Should it fail, you go down playing the hand the best way.

16. When you are making your plan at the start of a hand, you count your top winners. You should also consider your potential winners – and potential losers.
This suit has one potential winner, if the  A is with North. It also has two potential losers, if South holds  A
 4 2
 K 3
Start off by being pessimistic: count this as two losers. If you cannot afford this, look to see if you can discard one of them.
However, should your count of winners reveal that you need a trick from this suit, you must be optimistic instead. You must hope that North holds  A and, at some stage, you will lead towards the  K hoping that it will be worth a trick.

17. Similar considerations apply to another common finesse position:
This suit has one top winner, and the potential for a second if North holds the critical  K
 4 2
 A Q
As before, start off by being pessimistic: count this as only one winner plus one potential loser.
However, should you work out in your planning that you either need two tricks from this suit, or, alternatively, you cannot afford (and cannot dispose of) the potential loser, assume the finesse will succeed and plan accordingly.

18. Let us look at this way of thinking in the context of a hand:
 A K Q J 10
 3 2
 A K Q
 J 10 3 
 A Q
 4 3 
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead: 5
The opening lead forces you to make an immediate decision – after, of course, you have planned the play of the hand.
Your count of top winners gives a total of 9, plus a tenth if the heart finesse succeeds. Counting losers gives 3 in clubs plus a fourth if the heart finesse fails.
Here, you do not need a second heart winner and can count Q as a loser because you can dispose of it. Win A, draw trumps, discard Q on a top diamond and ruff 3 in dummy.

19. Here is a similar hand where the solution is rather different:
 A K Q J 10
 3 2
 A K 4  
 A Q 4
 Q 3 2 
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  5
A heart lead would have forced you to finesse, as there is little alternative. Now you have time to “mess around” a little.
Start by drawing trumps (we shall assume they split 3-1) and then take three diamonds ending in dummy. Now lead a club. It is just possible that the defence will take their three club tricks but leave South on lead. Now it does not matter who holds  K as the contract is safe.
Sometimes the defence will slip up. If not, you must fall back on the heart finesse.

20. quiz
On the following hands, your task is simple: count your losers (and perhaps your winners) and make a plan.
Hand 1
 Q 8
 K
 7
 A
 A 7 3
 Q J 4 3
 A K 9 
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  6
There are four possible losers: one spade, one heart and two clubs. It is tempting to run the spade lead round to the queen to set up a second trick in the suit, but this is not best.
Win  A at trick one and play the two top diamonds, discarding  Q. With normal breaks is hearts and clubs you will now have just three losers.

21. Hand 2
 A 4
 A 4 3
 A K
 A
 Q J 8 
 Q 3 2
 K 7 5 3
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead:  Q
There are three potential losers, two in hearts and one spade, but two can be discarded: one on dummy’s  K and one on a spade winner which can be established.
Win  A and cash only two diamonds, even if they split 3-0, as the  Q is needed later as an entry.
Now play  A and another, losing to  K but setting up a spade winner in dummy. When you regain the lead, enter dummy with  Q and take your two discards on the spade and  K.

22. Hand 3
 K
 K Q J
 A 7 2 
 A Q 2  
 K Q J
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  K
You are in danger of losing  A,  A and two diamonds. If you play on trumps at once, this is likely to happen.
Before playing a trump, which means conceding the lead, you must dispose of a loser. Play  K and overtake with dummy’s  A (dummy has no quick entry). Cash  Q, discarding one of the diamond losers. Now start on trumps.
Although it is usually right to draw trumps straight away, there are times when other matters (such as disposing of a loser) must take priority.

23. Hand 4
 A 3 2
 A 9 7 4
 A 7 2
 A 7 6
 Q 6
 Q J
 J 8 3 
Contract: 2 by West
Opening lead:  K
There are six potential loses: one spade, one heart, two diamonds and two clubs. After winning the opening lead, play a low spade towards dummy’s  Q. If North holds  K this will establish a second spade trick, and one of dummy’s diamond losers may be discarded on  A in due course.
If South captures  Q with  K, you will later enter dummy by playing  A and ruffing the small spade. Now you need the trump finesse to work.

24. TRUMPING LOSERS
When you are counting potential winners, it is usually right to count as additional winners tricks made by ruffing in the short trump hand – that is, the hand with the fewer trumps.
Here is a simple example:
 A K Q J 10
 A K 3
 K 4 3
 A 7 
 10 9
 A Q J 
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead:  K
Counting your winners gives five in spades, two in hearts, three diamonds and one club, giving a total of eleven. The extra trick comes from ruffing declarer’s third heart in dummy.
Obviously, only two rounds of trumps may be drawn before taking this ruff.

25. How do you plan the play of the hand?
We have seen that, on many hands, the best plan is to draw trumps at once. One reason to delay this procedure is that you need to ruff a loser in dummy. Under these circumstances, it is often best not to draw any trumps.
 K Q J
 A Q
 A Q 6
 8 2
 A 8 
 7 2
 Q
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead: J
After the helpful lead, you have only four losers: two diamonds and two clubs. Your plan should be to hold your diamond losers to one.
How do you plan the play of the hand?

26. You must resist the temptation to enter dummy with a spade to the ace in order to take the diamond finesse. If this loses, a second round of spades from the defence will remove dummy’s last trump and prevent you from ruffing a diamond.
The only sure way to lose just one diamond trick is to play ace and another diamond at once. Since dummy still has two trumps, a trump lead from the defence does you no harm; there is still a trump left in dummy for the third diamond.
It is true that you will make eleven tricks if you enter dummy with a trump and the diamond finesse succeeds, but you should ensure the contract rather than go for a possible overtrick and risk defeat.
Counting winners would have pointed you in the right direction: 6 spades, 2 hearts (after the lead) 1 diamond and a diamond ruff in dummy brings the total to the required ten.

27. Sometimes it is not so obvious to ruff a suit in dummy, as dummy holds three cards in the suit:
 K J
 A K 5 4
 10 3
 A 2
 Q 9 4 
 A 8 7
 K 7 5 3
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  K
Counting potential winners gives you 9 tricks: 4 spades, 2 hearts, 1 diamond and 2 clubs. The tenth trick will have to come from either a 3-3 split in hearts or a heart ruff in dummy.
If, instead, you count losers, the answer is (potentially) four: 1 trump, 2 hearts and 1 diamond. Again, you need to restrict the losers in hearts to just 1.

28. Plan: win trick one with A, cash two top clubs (so that the defence have no chance to discard a club when you play on hearts and then get an undeserved club ruff) and play ace, king and a third heart. No defence can now stop you from ruffing your fourth heart in dummy, which will provide the tenth trick (or, if you like, eliminate your fourth loser).
Even one round of trumps early in the play by you could prove fatal. The defence may allow this to win. Then, when they gain the lead on the third round of hearts, ace and another trump would remove the last trumps from dummy before you have managed to ruff the fourth heart.
Remember to put your planning procedure into action before “automatically” playing a round of trumps. You should be able to work out that this could prove to be a mistake.

29. It is essential to count winners from the point of view of the long trump hand, as the next example shows.
 A 9 8 7
 K Q J
 A J 9 2
 A 7
 K Q J 10 3 
 K 4 3
 4
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead:  K
Counting your winners from West’s point of view may give the wrong result. There are five spades, three hearts (after conceding a trick to A) two diamonds and one club, and it would appear that ruffing a club in dummy would bring the total up to twelve.
Be careful! You have already counted five winners in spades from East’s hand, so using one to ruff does not increase the total. Ruffing with one of the five trumps that you have already counted as a trick does not increase the total.

30. There should be no problem in working out the winners and losers if you consider the hand from the point of view of the long trump hand, i.e. East.
It then becomes clear that you need the diamond finesse against the  Q to succeed, giving three winners (and no losers) in the diamond suit. This is necessary, as the  A is an inescapable loser.
Remember: ruffing in the short trump hand increases the number of winners, but ruffing in the long trump hand usually does not.
We shall consider this concept, and the exceptions to this general rule, later on.

31. Is there time to ruff losers?
Having identified a loser, it is not always possible to discard it or ruff it immediately. You may have to plan to ruff (or discard) this loser later in the play.
 A Q 
 A 5
 K 8 4
 K J 6
 8 2
 K 7 4 2
 A 7 5 2
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  Q
Counting winners gives a total of nine: five spades, two diamonds and two clubs. After drawing trumps, there are four losers: three hearts and a club.
How do you plan to dispose of one of the losers?

32. Nothing can be done about the club loser, but one of the heart losers can be ruffed in dummy – but not, of course, if dummy’s trumps have been removed.
Plan: win  A and immediately play a heart. Win the return and play another heart. You are now ready to ruff your third heart in dummy. Even if the defence deduce your plan and switch to a trump at trick three, and then play another when they next regain the lead, there is still a trump remaining in dummy to ruff this last heart loser.
Now, having disposed of one of your initial four losers, you are ready to draw trumps.
Another way to look at this is that the ruff in dummy (the short trump hand) has generated a tenth winner. Having made what is, effectively, your tenth trick, you can then draw trumps and cash the remainder of the other nine

33. Suppose North had, against this hand, found the inspired lead of a trump. The defence is now a tempo ahead. If you play the same way, they may be able to play a second and third round of trumps before you get a chance to ruff a heart loser in dummy.
Plan: win the opening lead and play a heart. The defence may go wrong and fail to continue trumps. If, however, they do play a second trump, you need to find an alternative plan.
You must now hope that, against the odds, the outstanding clubs split 3-3, allowing the fourth club in dummy to be set up as a winner. While K remains in dummy, so that the defence cannot cash three hearts, duck a club in both hands. Now, if the defence remove dummy’s last trump, you play  K and  A and if all goes well you discard the final heart loser on the last club.

34. Would you have played the same way?
AVOIDING AN OVERUFF
When you are taking a ruff in the short trump hand, you may need to take into account the possibility of an overruff by the defender. If you can afford it, you may need to ruff with a high trump. Alternatively, you may decide not to ruff at all.
 A 7 6
 Q J
 Q 2
 A 8 7
 9 8
 A K 3 
 K
Contract: 4 by West
Opening lead:  A
The defence started with ace and another diamond which was won by South’s  K. South now played  J which West, relieved to escape a spade lead or switch, ruffed with  6
Would you have played the same way?

35. Having avoided the dangerous spade lead or switch, West now planned to duck a club. A 3-2 split of the outstanding clubs would now allow dummy’s long clubs to be established.
However, West received a rude shock when North overuffed with  7. Now a spade switch left declarer with no hope.
Even if the enemy trumps split 4-1, West can afford to ruff the third round of diamonds with a higher trump. Now a club, ducked in both hands, leaves declarer in control.
 K J 4 2 
 A 3
 Q 10 5
The full hand:
 A 7 6
 Q J
 Q 2
 A 8 7
 9 8
 A K 3 
 K
 Q
 2
 K J
 J 9

36. Here is another hand where declarer must be careful to avoid an overuff:
 A K 6 5 4
 A 5
 A K 3 
 Q 7 3 2
 K 9 8 4 
 J 6
West North East South
1  2 pass
4 all pass
Opening lead: A
North starts with two top clubs, South playing high-low to show a doubleton, and continues with a third top club.
If you ruff low in dummy, you are sure to be overuffed. But if you ruff with the queen, you will need a 2-2 trump split.
Do you ruff high or low?

37. Answer: ruffing with the queen is certainly better than ruffing low, which is surely doomed to fail.
However, it is better not to ruff at all! Discard dummy’s losing diamond on the third club. Now, when you gain the lead, you can plan to draw trumps and ruff declarer’s third diamond in dummy without the fear of an overuff. The full hand:
If you ruff the third club in dummy, South will get a trump trick whether you ruff low or with the queen.
 10
 7 6
 Q J 9 2
 A K Q 8 5 3
 A K 6 5 4
 A 5
 A K 3 
 Q 7 3 2
 K 9 8 4 
 J 6
By discarding instead, you will be able to take the ruff in dummy after drawing South’s trumps.
 J 9 8
 Q J 
 9 2

38. Was it bad luck, or was it, in fact, bad play?
Here is a slam hand which requires careful play:
 A Q J
 A K 5 3
 A
 A 7
 K 3 2
 7 4
 J
 J 6
Contract: 6 by West
Opening lead: K
With three losers – two hearts and one club – the plan seems to be to ruff two hearts in dummy. Since you need to ruff twice in dummy, you win the opening lead, cash ace and king of hearts and ruff the third round low in dummy.
Unfortunately, South overuffs dummy on the third round of hearts, and the defence promptly cash a club. What bad luck!
Was it bad luck, or was it, in fact, bad play?

39. The correct technique is similar to the previous hand:
The best play, as before, is to transfer the ruff with a loser-on-loser play.
 7 4
 Q
 4 3
 K Q 10 9
 A Q J
 A K 5 3
 A
 A 7
 K 3 2
 7 4
 J
 J 6
 8 6
 J 9
 K Q 7 6 
Instead of ruffing the third heart in dummy, risking the overuff, discard a club.
No matter what the defenders do now, you will ruff a club with a low spade and the final losing heart with dummy’s king of spades. Note that it would be a mistake to take even one round of trumps, as a second trump lead by the enemy would kill one of your ruffs.

40. SUMMARY
We have seen previously that it is usually a good idea to draw trumps as soon as possible. The examples that we have considered here are exceptions to that general rule. It is in the planning stage of the hand, before playing a card, that you will realise if the hand is one of those exceptions.
You may decide to delay drawing trumps if:
You need to take a discard of a loser as soon as possible
You need to ruff a loser before removing dummy’s trumps
Remember to take care, when ruffing, to try to avoid a potential overruff. This may involve ruffing high, or transferring the ruff to another suit in some cases.
Also, remember to plan how to avoid entry problems, which may involve playing the trump suit in a particular way.