Here we look at defensive situations in the middle of the hand - we start with a look at covering the opponent's honors -- which one to cover?
Play of the Hand
When we declare in a suit contract, there is a trump suit, and hopefully, we have more of these cards than the opponents (if not, please reconsider the bidding!) That means that when we gain the lead, we have the option of attempting to remove all of the opponents’ trump, or “draw trump.” Let’s look at our options and considerations for how and when to do this.
Play of the Hand
When it comes to taking tricks, immediate winners are our starting point. Then come the winners that we can develop using Promotion, Length, or Finesse. Here we look in detail at the technique of finesse. A finesse is an act of taking a trick in a suit with a card that is not the “master” card in that suit. We do this by taking advantage of the location of the card that is higher-ranking (by finessing against it). A finesse usually requires a tenace of honors that allows us take advantage of a favorably located honor of the opponents (a holding like AQ with the King in front of it). There are other kinds of finesses as well. Let’s look at this method in detail.
Play of the Hand
When we declare a hand in a suit contact, we usually look at our number of losers. We start by counting our certain losers (the ones we know we cannot avoid), then estimate our potential losers, and make a plan for trying to get rid of as many of our potential losers as possible. We start by approximating our losers from the long trump side (which is frequently declarer’s hand). When we have potential losers in a side suit, one of the ways that we can get rid of these losers is by trumping them with the short side’s trump. Ruffing losers in the short side is a useful declarer play technique and one we need to make sure to make use whenever possible.
Play of the Hand
A long suit is a powerful asset, especially if it is a long, strong suit. When we declare, this type of suit can be established into winners in a variety of ways. Let’s look at some techniques for developing long suits, and then we should look at what we can do with the suit to help us take more tricks. Long suits are on many of the hands that we hold, so learning to make the best use of them is a key skill.
Play of the Hand
When we declare in a suit contract, then there is a trump suit, and hopefully, we have more of these cards than the opponents (if not, please reconsider your bidding). That means, when we gain the lead, we have the option of attempting to remove all of the opponent’s trump – draw trump. Let’s look at our options and considerations for how and when to do this.
