Secrets of declarer play

When you play your contract, you count your sure tricks and the number of tricks you are missing. But you must not overlook – especially when you are racing the defenders for who sets their tricks up first – to…

Making 3 No-Trump is nothing more than taking nine tricks before the defense can cash five of their own. This obvious fact conceals a truth that is quickly forgotten. Identifying the potential for creating tricks is not enough to devise…

The very essence of combining chances lies in the ability to miss no opportunity and avoid having to make a premature decision. In addition to the general mechanisms discussed previously, a declarer must remain vigilant for any loss of an…

A declarer who can afford to lose the lead at least once has more freedom to combine his chances. In addition to “free” techniques (cashing from the top), declarer may duck a trick to set up a suit or try…

Suit contracts offer many opportunities for declarer to combine his chances. Remember that a declarer who cannot afford giving up the lead to the defense must start with so-called “risk-free” maneuvers, i.e. those where there is no risk of losing…

A good declarer often does not put all his hopes of making a contract on a simple finesse or another single manoeuvre. When he cannot afford losing the lead, he starts by testing the maximum of “free” chances, the ones…

To prevent unnecessary and dangerous shortenings of trumps, bridge teachers tirelessly repeat to their pupils that ‘Ruffing in the long hand doesn’t create a trick!’ Even so, ruffing in the long hand often remains the simplest way to score trump…

Designating a trump suit benefits declarer provided he retains control. A bad trump break can rapidly turn the tables. The defense tries to shorten the hand with the long trumps by forcing it to ruff repeatedly. To combat being shortened,…

After studying the optimal way of handling suit combinations in the previous month, this time we will be looking at safety plays. Their aim? Securing a specific number of tricks in a suit, even if it means losing a potential…

Many players have a breakdown as soon as trumps do not break in their favor. A small dose of anticipation regarding the order in which you cash your honors can sometimes allow guarding against such a setback. Do not naively…

W N E S 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 4♠ Lead: ♣Q. The only card that can become an entry to dummy and let you cash the King of Diamonds and thus find your tenth trick is the 10 of…

A contract is decided more often than you would believe… at trick one! Rather than letting yourself be seduced by a well-oiled automatism that might cause your defeat later on, systematically take the time to make a plan. For the…