MAKE A PLAN

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• Count losers
• Can you get rid of losers
• Consider your entries
• Look at the lead

1. Count your losers. If a 5-3 or 6-2 fit count losers in the longer trump hand only. If too many losers, can you?

Develop winners in a long suit

• Ruff if one hand is short in a suit and the other is long
• Throw off a loser on a winner (or another loser)
• Will missing honors fall? If not, finess to trap opponents honors
• Need to take a finesse but do not know in which direction - play other suits first and lose an unavoidable losing trick to let opponents lead that suit

2. Count winners - are there enough outright winners? Do you need to watch your entries?

3. Distinguish between different types of losers:

• unavoidable losers
• Other fast losers
• Slow losers that may be avoidable 
• Possible losers than may depend on placement of adverse honours (finesse)

Plan accordingly as the order you take action is important 

4. Decide which suits to attack and in which order

      A) If you have enough natural winners to make the contract:

• lead trumps first 
• If one trump is left and it is a winner, do not draw it
• If one trump is left and it is a loser and you know it is in RHO hand, do not draw it - if you could lose 2 trumps
• Collect all trumps if you need to make all your winners in outside suits (even if you lose a trick)

      B) You do not have enough natural winners

• Postpone leading trumps
• If you need to use the short hands trumps to ruff, do this this before collecting all trumps
• Do you need to cross ruff with all your trumps? (not enough winners)

5. After you have made use of trumps, attack your longest side suit, count cards until you have only winners left

6. Use shorter suits with top tricks as entries, if not needed cash these last

Strong side suits with a low fourth card can be trouble especially if you do not have 3 rounds of control in trumps:

• If your hand is 5/3 in trumps, you may need the 3rd low trump in dummy to ruff the losers in the side suit.

A. If you have AKQ play 2 rounds of trumps and then the side suit to ruff the loser before you play the 3rd round of trumps 

OTHERWISE

B. Play side suit first before opponent can lead trumps to take your ruff away

NOTE: If you have a high trump in dummy use your hand to draw trumps and save the high card in dummy for the ruff

• If you have a 1st/2nd/3rd and a 4th round loser of a side suit and opponents have a master trump. You must give up a trick in the side suit BEFORE either opponent can play the master trump

A. Drive out the missing card in the side suit before pulling trumps (eg finesse) 

OR

B. Duck one round of the side suit if you cannot finesse and have NO high card in dummy

BUT

C. Do not duck if you have a high card in dummy

NOTE: when you need to set up a side suit because you lack first round control and you have 4th round loser in side suit set up side suit first before trumps and ONLY DUCK if have low cards in dummy

• If Ace is your only honour (4/4 or 5/3 split) and you have to ruff a loser/s then duck the first round of trumps and then play the ace and play the side suit leading to ruffing the side suit

YouTube VIDEO FROM OKLAHOMA COLLECTIVE

PLAN 1 (RUFF)

If you can play trumps first before you set up a ruff do BUT in some cases you cannot e.g. if trumps are unevenly divided (5-3, 6-2, 5-4). 

Every ruff in the short hand is an extra trick so do not play trumps too early if the short hands trumps are needed for ruffing (ie ruff first).

When you want to ruff a loser in the short hand set it up first, before defenders can remove dummy’s trumps. 

Make sure you have enough entries back into the hand from which you want to ruff from

If 4-3 in a side suit and you need to ruff the last card you may need to lose the lead up to 3 times and will need one more trump in the short hand than the number of times you have to lose the lead.

If 4-4 in trumps once you have cleared trumps - can you use the extra trumps to ruff?

Maintain entries to the hand with the extra card for this to work (ruff in hand with less trumps).

PLAN 1b

Crossruff can give you extra entries to make extra tricks. Best done if you hold all the higher trumps.

If you have winners in a different side suit. Cache these first.

PLAN 2 (EXTRA TRICK)

Can you set up an extra trick by ruffing out dummy’s long suit? Must have enough entries to set up the suit and cash the winners once established.

If you have too many fast losers can you cache an established suit quickly to throw off a loser? Before you do this you may need to make as many clearance plays as you can in trumps without giving up the lead.

You also need to have an entry to the hand with the long suit (usually dummy).

Sometimes it is better to discard a loser on a losing trick if the opposition is forced to use a trump to win 

Playing a long uneven off suit - cache high cards but first chance start ruffing. Hold onto rest of high cards until opponents are out of trumps.

Plan 2 depends on having entries to get back into dummy and that it is not unusual to refrain from drawing all of opponents trumps.

DUCKING A LEAD

Allows you to cut communication between opposing players BUT only do so if you know where the cards are (know opponent’s agreements with leads and discards)

RUFF & SLUFF

You need an extra trick and best chances is a finesse in a unplayed suit but not certain which way to finesse. So to set this up:

• Clear trumps but keep a trump in each hand
• Eliminate other suits
• Give the opponents the lead with an inevitable loser

That way opponents have a choice of leading the suit or leading a suit that you are out of so that you can ruff in one hand and throw off in the other.

Also called strip & end-play.

Use this when you have:

• lots of trumps
• Short suits that are easy to eliminate 
• One or more suits that you want defence to lead first
• An exit card.

PLAN 3 (FINESSE)

ONLY use if it is the only way to make your tricks.

see below

PLAN 1 & 2 TOGETHER 

You have decided to set up an extra trick in a long suit (to throw off a loser) by:

• taking winners
• ruffing all except last trick

To do this you need:

• enough entries to the hand with the long suit
• 1 more card than opponents 

Clear trumps first or use trumps as entries if you can

GUILLEMARD’s MANEUVER

Leave one small trump out while cashing out a side suit that may contain a possible loser. Thus allows you to trump the loser (or discard if not needed) 

A suit of Qxx opposite Jxx will always give you a trick if lead by opponents - so can you use a strip and end play?

COMBINE DUCK & CLEARANCE PLAY

Use when have a 4-4 (or 5-3) trump fit of low quality headed by Ace. By ducking first then taking second trick with Ace you limit trump clearance to 2 rounds and so still have a trump in dummy.

DUMMY REVERSAL

When you ruff so many times on the long hand the long hand becomes shorter than the short hand. This requires dummy to draw trumps so:

• dummy to have high quality cards
• You need dummy to have entries to draw ruffs and another entry to draw trumps at the end

NOTE it is better to ruff high so do not get overruffed 

ALSO:  

Don’t try to cross ruff with sure winners in another suit.

If you want to ruff with winners in the suit you are ruffing in, ruff first if you can.

• Count your winners
• Which suit can provide extra tricks
• Consider your entries
• Look at the lead

1 Count your winners as soon as dummy goes down

2. Not enough top winners? You can:

• develop long suit winners
• Will missing honors fall? If not, finess to trap opponents honors

3. Decide the suit that offers most potential tricks and lead it first

• decide which hand to lead from - usually use honor first from the shorter hand so the suit is unblocked
• manage entries to your weaker hand
• count opponents cards as you lead the long suit so you know when the small cards are winners

4. Cash winners in the short suit last

NOTE: Be cautious  leading the suit the opponents chose as opening lead.

1. Give up the lead early whilst establishing a suit to get the maximum return
2. Use the Rule of 7 if you have an Ace and no other stoppers
3. Do not use the rule of 7 if a shift to another suit is dangerous 
4. Plan ahead and watch your entries

When declarer in a NT contract, you can determine how many tricks to duck by subtracting the number of cards that you and your dummy hold in the suit led from 7. Then duck that many times.

Hence if spades are led and you have a total of six spades between both hands, subtract that from 7-6 = 1 so hold up only one round and take the second spade trick. 

On the other hand, if you have five spades between you, hold up twice and take the third trick, etc.

DO NOT USE: 

• when the hold up play if a shift to another suit is dangerous
• when you have pulled out opponents honour and you have other stoppers.

1. Try and build up potential tricks by giving the lead to the opponents so they can open new suits for you
2. Play on the longer suits and leave the opponents the shorter suits to lead back at you

1. An even number of cards against you are more likely to break unevenly
2. An uneven number of cards (5) are more like to break 3-2 than 4-1

1. Finesse - leading low towards an honor hoping the missing honor is on side
2. Double Finesse - if missing 2 or more cards (eg you have AQT, so missing KJ), lead from the other hand and play the T, then cross back and play low to the Q. Same if you have AJxx but missing KQ.
3. Trapping an honor - lead the highest of supporting honor with a high honor in the opposing hand, if the missing honor falls cover it otherwise let it run. Once the missing honor is out the rest of the cards are PROMOTED.
4. Two Way Finesse - (AT82 and KJ95) you have equivalent honour in each hand so which way to finesse? Check out THE DANGER HAND (below)

NOTE: Without a sequence of honour cards, don't lead an honour card for a finesse... Lead low towards the honour you hope to make.

DO NOT FINESSE IF:

• you can make your contract and the finesse failing makes you go down
• there is a sure line of play that is safer
• there is a chance in a suit contract that the opening lead is a singleton
• you have enough cards to drop the missing honour

• in NTs if you are missing honours in the suit lead, the hand that lead may be the danger hand ie running a long suit 
• BUT it could also be the other hand that can lead through your weak honor (in this case hold up to run the weaker hand out of the suit)
• the key is to make sure that the danger hand does not take the lead
• so that if you have a choice of which way to finesse you can finesse into the safe hand

1. Ace in dummy, play low
2. Ace in hand, other honor in dummy, play low, if they play honor, take it with the Ace
3. One honor in each hand, play low in dummy
4. AJx in hand, Qx in dummy, play low in dummy. If RHO plays high, play the Ace (With equivalent cards in dummy play second hand low)
5. J95 in dummy, A7 in hand - play Ace

• Be careful of first suit lead by opposition
• Check to see which hand you want to lead from for second trick
• Eight ever, nine never to finesse a Q
• If the only trump out is the best do not draw it
• Play honors in shorter holding first
• There is usually no need to ruff in the long hand as these will be winners anyway. Look to discard a loser

• Decide which suit is the frozen suit
• Play all the winners in the other suits
• Play a loser and lose that trick - opponents are left with only that suit to play or if in trumps - give you a ruff and throw away

NOTE - do not play frozen suits make the opponents play this suit

Use this if you have a missing honor in trumps

• Ruff yourself down so that you have the same number of trumps left as your opponent with the trump honor
• be in the hand opposite to your long trumps
• lead any plain suit card

NOTE - to defend against a trump coup, only play on the suits of dummy's entries

• This is a suit where the side that play it first will lose more tricks
• eg N:J72 / S:AT5 - KQ held by opposition - need to win 2 tricks

AGGRESSIVE - the aim is to set up quick tricks for your side, often risky.

Leading from 1 honor or non-touching honors. Do this against:

• a suit contract when dummy has a good side suit (5+ cards)
• a small slam (but not if your partner has points)
• a pre-emptive opening

Leading from a sequence of honors is attacking but safer.

PASSIVE - you do not expect to gain anything, but unlikely to help declarer

Suits with no honors MUD or 2nd highest with 4 or more, a small doubleton (no honor), a trump lead from 2 or 3 small trumps. Do this against

• a grand slam
• 6NT if bid 'qualitatively' and no 5-card suit
• 1NT or 2NT (or 3NT if invitational) with no 5 card suit

• Singleton
• Top of a doubleton (7-2, J-5)
• Top of touching honors (Q-J-6)
• With no sequence lead lowest (J-7-6-3, K-8-5)
• If you raised partners suit , partner knows you have 3 cards, lead top of nothing (8-6-3), or low from an honor
• internal sequence (K-9-8-2)
• internal broken sequence (K-9-7)

• it is artificial
• 1C/1D and you have AK
• Leading trumps as dummy has only 2

• Fourth highest of best suit (rule of 11)
• Lead partners bid suit
• Top of 3 card sequence (or more) - solid sequence, broken sequence, internal sequence
• With no sequence lead low
• Can lead away from an Ace

• Lead partners bid suit 
• Top of 2 card sequence (solid sequence, broken sequence, internal sequence)
• Top of doubleton (top of nothing) Never lead an A or K unless have AK or it is your partners suit
• Fourth highest of best suit (rule of 11)
• Never lead away from Ace

• If opposition have bid 2 suits and agreed on a third, lead trumps
• If partner does not lead trumps they may have Kx or Qxx and want you to lead trumps
• Anytime you think the declarer is going to ruff losers
• If there is a void

• if there is a long side suit in dummy or you think there will be from the bidding eg 1H -> 1S -> 2S -> 4S

• Lead the non bid suit
• If all suits bid - lead declarers second bid suit (weaker??)
• Look at bidding, lead through strength (ie dummies first bid suit)
• Never lead an Ace as opening lead (unless you have the King, or unless it is your bid suit with partner) and avoid it later if you can
• Never lead away from an ace in trumps unless can see Kx in dummy on your RHS.
• Any time - watch to see if opponent is out of a suit and may still have trumps, lead that suit
• If partner ignores bid suit and leads another suit to your ace, lead back their suit (they may have a singleton)
• Once open a suit, stick to it, changing lead gives declarer a trick 
• Do not lead away from king if declarer has shown a strong hand or partner is very weak

 Videos on YouTube

• Count points - guess partners point range, could partner have them?
• Watch how declarer plays to work out declarers hand

• Lead higher of touching cards but play lower if it has been lead to you
• Try to pick partners long suit
• Watch for partners signals - attitude, count, suit preference, honour signals

• Second player plays low (if can)
• Cover an honor with an honor
• Do not cover touching honors
• Lead through strength and up to weakness
• Leading a new suit can give away a trick

1. Count the points
2. Think about hand shape
3. Watch the cards

DURING PLAY USE ALL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

• inferences from the bidding or play, both positive and negative
• counting points
• defensive signaling
• counting tricks
• counting distribution

1. Forcing Declarer to ruff
2. Active Defense
3. Passive Defense
4. Creating trump tricks
5. Cutting down on Declarer's ruffing power

By forcing declarer to trump multiple times you can gain control of the trump suit and you force declarer to lose control of the hand.

WHEN TO DO THIS:

• Declarer has a two-suited hand
• 4-3 trump fit
• when you have 4 trumps or you believe partner does
• any time you can force the declarer early in the hand

TO DO THIS - lead the partnership's strongest suit (even a 10-Ace)

Any time tricks may disappear, defend actively. Take risks you would not ordinarily take

WHEN TO DO THIS:

• long running suit in dummy or defender
• your side suits are breaking evening
• confident, enthusiastic bidding (failed slam try?)
• any time tricks can go away

TO DO THIS - lead Ace without the king, lead from a 10-Ace, under lead a king, break new suits

Most of the time, you should defend passively, wait for your tricks to come to you. DO NOT do the declarer's work for them.

WHEN TO DO THIS:

• there is no evidence of a strong side suit
• declarer is very strong and dummy is weak (or vice versa)
• they have bad splits in key suits
• misfitting hands
• you have an attractive suit when leading against NT
• defending against 6NT or any grand slam
• when opponents have bid tentatively or may have overbid 
• when you have key cards in their suit

TO DO THIS - do not lead away from a King, do not break new suits, lead tops of sequences, return declarer's leads, lead worthless suits, or some other suit that will not do declarer's work for him, leading trumps is a passive lead

TIP: against NT contracts, be cautious about leading from a ragged 4 card suit headed by one honor, instead try and find partners suit

3 types of dummies:

• dummy with shortness in side suit so can declarer can trump out lose then YOU SHOULD lead trumps
• dummy has a long suit  that serves as a parking space for declarers losers - play aggressively
• balanced dummy - no shortness, no long suits, play passively

An excellent way to develop enough tricks to upset a contract is to create trump tricks instead of Ruffing

WHEN TO DO THIS:

• you are short in any unbid suit
• you have length in opponents suit
• you have a weaker hand with no better line of defense

TO DO THIS - promote trump honors and make use of the uppercut

WAYS TO CREATE TRUMP TRICKS

• trump promotion - force declarer to trump high and so defenders trumps are promoted 
• uppercuts - defender ruffs high to force defender to ruff with highest trump, in the hope that partner will take a trump trick
• ruff declarer's tricks 

LOOK FOR RUFFS WHEN:

• when you have no natural trump tricks
• when you have a high trump honor
• when the situation is desperate and there is no better line

Reduces opponents options

WHEN TO DO THIS:

• dummy is short in trumps
• declarer is playing the second suit in bidding - declarer will want to ruff losers in dummy
• your suit preference was taken
• your side has a trump stack - take ownership of the trump suit, declarer will be wanting to ruff losers in either hand
• the hand is a misfit
• bidding suggests dummy has a shortness in a suit (may have bid 2 suits and raised a third)
• dummy denied no trumps due to a flaw
• you control the other suits
• the opponents are sacrificing

LEAD TRUMPS ON FIRST TRICK IF - partner has left your 1-level takeout double in for penalty, when one of you does a 2-level double of opponents because you have a lot of values are in that suit or opponents are sacrificing, when declarer is playing in his second suit

FROM OKLAHOMA COLLECTIVE (YouTube video)

• The lead of the queen denies the king. In a suit contract it almost always denies the Ace as well.
• If partner overcalled and then doesn't lead the suit, it is most likely he holds the Ace without the King. Partner needs you to lead the suit.
• With a doubleton, lead 'high-low' then partner will know you can ruff the third round.
• Always try to remember the bidding, it can give you useful clues during the play.

• Do not lead a suit if opponents need to finesse that suit
• If partner leads a A signalling AK in a suit and you have a doubleton or Qxx give signals to keep partner in the suit (ATTITUDE) check dummy doing this
• First discard -play suit you want partner to lead
• McKenny Ruff - Play higher card to show lead a higher suit. Play lower card to day lead a lower suit 
• MUD - 3 rag cards, play middle up down
• Watch first discard - partner may signal their suit
• Signal odd or even number of cards (COUNT): even - high/low; odd - low/high
• Lead Directive Double (Pinch Bid) - DBL after an opponents artificial suit. One that is usually taken out (eg if opponents are slam bidding, Stayman, transfers)

3 TYPES OF SIGNALS

1. ATTITUDE - especially important when your partner plays an honor on opening lead, two types see below
2. COUNT - high->low = even, low->high = odd
3. SUIT PREFERENCE - eg McKenny (high card = higher ranked obvious suit, low card = lower ranked obvious suit)

WHEN TO USE COUNT:

1. Typically given if attitude is known 
2. Can be used when Declarer is on lead or when partner is on lead

WHEN TO USE SUIT PREFERENCE

1. Partner opening lead if there is a singleton in dummy or if declarer may also have a singleton (from bidding and counting cards) or partner already knows your hand from bidding
2. Your opening lead
3. During declarer's trump suit play
4. When leading on defense in the mid-game

HONOR SIGNALS:

1. Leading top of an honor sequence
2. By playing the Q from QJx after an Ace signals you have the J
3. Playing to win the trick and you have equal honors to play, play the lower honor

EXAMPLES:

Attitude signals take priority e.g. if you have raised partners suit with or without the Q, and partner has led the A (from AK)

1. encourage the continuation of the suit if the shift to a side suit would not be helpful
2. discourage the continuation of the suit if the shift to the side suit is URGENT
3. discourage the continuation of the suit if is is apparent that a continuation is fruitless

Responder signals suit preference by

1. Playing an unnecessarily high card in the suit that partner led indicates a desire to switch to the higher ranking suit (excluding trumps)
2. Playing a low card in the suit partner led indicates a desire to switch to a lower (non-trump) suit
3. Playing a middle card (e.g. 7) tells partner that you have no preference

FROM OKLAHOMA COLLECTIVE - video on YouTube

 High to encourage, low to discourage 

• If you have 3 middling cards, play low to discourage. Partner should lead another suit and you lead the first suit when get a chance. Play highest card that you have left to clear path for partner to continue playing the suit.
• A lead of a middle card shows no particular interest in that suit

Low I like, high I don’t like

• Play low if have King to partners Ace