Chapter 2

Play Tough Cards

• Play each hand as perfectly as possible.
• Learn about leads and signals.
• Ask about alerts, made or missed, when appropriate.
• Play tough cards. 

Some players ask a generic question about leads and signals before dummy appears.  This is certainly appropriate at a high level, and perhaps we should do this routinely.  How do we take advantage of their lead and signaling system?  What if we fail to ask before the lead?

• Ace, king, or queen.  I don't ask.  Either they can sort out the ace or king from ace-king problem, or they can't.

• Jack, ten, or nine.  It is reasonable to ask about zero or two higher before dummy hits the table.  If you ask after you see dummy, you suggest a higher honor is missing, or you are coffee housing.  If the lead is the ten and you see the jack, the lead is not from two higher.  If the lead is the nine and you see the ten, it is not from two higher.

• Lower card.  Again I let it go.  If I suspect they might be leading third and fifth, I will look at their convention card. 

Since few declarers false card, you should routinely false card.  To mislead the defenders, use their signaling method.

• Versus standard, declarer plays high as a come-on.
• Versus upside-down, declarer plays low as a come-on. 

Alerts.  Sometimes, they make what might be an artificial bid, and their partner fails to alert, and you eventually declare.  Legally, they cannot say anything during the play.  You are allowed to wake them up.

Paying attention as declarer.  Somehow, we bring more intensity to our declarer play.  Know that in running a squeeze, it may be necessary to keep track of only one of the two suits.

Long ago Ed Barlow and I played in a nationals (Minnesota, I think,) and did not do too well.  His comment that they played tougher cards than they do at home.

Tough cards means that declarer gives the defenders minimum information early in the play.  Tough cards means you do not let the defenders know your fears.

	Q J x
	A x x
	K Q J T
	x x x
	A K x
	x x x
	x x x
	K Q J T
South		North
1NT*		3NT

* 12-15

A spade is led.  What is your plan?

You win the spade in dummy, and attack dummies good suit.  With this approach, you leave open the possibilities that, (1)  depending on their lead and play rules, East will think that West has a high spade, and (2) they will shift to a club rather than a heart.  There is nothing hard about this hand from declarer's point of view, and it might be that the double-dummy line is to play clubs first.  When you attack diamonds they have to choose between heart and club shifts.

Let us say the game is matchpoints, and someone withholds the diamond ace for two tricks.  Should you be greedy and try to win another diamond?  Tough cards means you do not think after winning two diamond tricks.  I would not be greedy.  If you are going to be greedy, make that decision before you start diamonds.

On this hand both North and South have a weak notrump.  How do you play when North is declarer?

Think about declarer's best spade play for various combinations when the objective is to minimize information to the defenders.

K-Q-x	A-x-x
A-Q-x	K-x-x
K-x	A-Q-x
Q-x	A-K-x

Answer when a small spade is led, when the jack of spades is led, and with either hand as dummy.

	x x x
	A J x
	Q x x
	A Q x x
	A K Q J
	Q T x x
	x x
	K J x
1NT (15-17)		3NT

A small club is led.  What is better than just claiming nine tricks at IMPs?  Lead the Q at trick two.  It is almost impossible for West to not to cover.  If West ducks, grab your nine tricks.

You should start this way at matchpoints, and I would be greedy.  Tough cards means that you do not think when West plays small.

In bidding, tough cards means you do not make bids that only help the defenders.

To play as well as you can is the most important rule.  You may have to ignore other tough cards advice.

Home

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

BACK