Trick 1 Decisions - Part 1

"Thank you partner, small please."

How many times you said this sentence two seconds after you saw dummy? It seems natural to run the trick to your hand, but before you do so:

STOP!!!

• Count your tricks and your losers.
• Plan your play.
• Plan your entries.
• Ask your opponents about their leads and carding system.

And only then start to play.

Here are some hands where making the right decision will determine whether you make or go down in a makeable contract. Try to make your decision before you look at the solution.
No peeking!

The following hands are your test. Give yourself 10 point for each time you made the contract, and 0 for making the wrong decision. Be honest! Did you score well?

For the purpose of this test we'll assume, about the leads:

• 4th best against NT always promises an honor, denies sequence (3 cards sequence, full or broken vs NT, and 2 card sequence vs trump).
• Low lead in Partner's suit promises honor.
• 2nd best from a suit without honor.
• 10 and 9 leads are either top of nothing (1098x, 987x) or 2 higher (KJ10xx , Q109xx)

Start the test now!

1. You play 3NT and West lead the ♥7 (4th best). What do you do?







The lead suggests that West doesn't have ♥KQJ. Play the Ace! If Hearts are 5-2, that play with block the suit for your opponents: Either East will have no small heart to play back, or, if West tries to overtake East's high heart - you will also score your ♥10.

If you play low at trick one, West will win with the ♥Q, return a heart, and defense will get 4 hearts and the ♦A




You play 3NT and West leads the ♦6. What do you do?







Win the ace and finesse clubs. You can still play a diamond to the ♦Q or try to make a spade trick if club finesse fails, but you cannot survive a spade switch at trick 2. On this example hand, after East wins the trick with ♦K, he will play spade back while the club finesse works and you can make 10 tricks.




Against 3NT West leads the ♥5 (he also made a 1♥ overcall). What do you do?







Same as hand 1: With KQ10 West would surely lead the ♥K. That means that East has at least one of the missing honors. Win the ♥A and play a club. That move blocks opponents' Hearts and if they continue that suit, you will score your ♥9.

If you play low at trick one, West will win with the ♥Q, return a heart, and defense will get 4 hearts and the ♣A




You play 7♠ and W chose to lead a club. What do you do?







STOP! Count tricks! if spades are not 5-0, you already have 13 tricks. So if you automatically take the free finesse for the 14th trick – you will go down as you have no quick entry to hand to finish pulling out the trumps. If you try to overtake or ruff a Diamond - you will promote a trump trick for West.

Win the ♣A, cash ♠AQ, return to hand on the ♣K, pull the rest of the trumps and claim.




You play 6♥ on a spade lead. What do you do?







Free finesse for the 13th trick? Not so fast! If the ♠K is with East and diamonds split 4-1 you go down on this line of play.

Win the ♠A, draw trumps, and play ♦AK. Even though diamonds are 4-1, you are still 100% to make. Play ♣AK , ruff a club and play the ♠Q. No matter which of your opps wins the trick, they will be endplayed:

If East wins (as it happens here), he has to play a black suit and give you a ruff/sluff.

If West has the ♠K he is still endplayed. He has to play a diamond away from his ♦J, helping you to make your ♦10 (or give you ruff/sluff in the blacks).




You play 6♥ and West leads the ♦7. What do you do?







As you have a sure club loser, you must hope trumps are 3-2. You also have another club loser. You can try the spade finesse (or take a ruffing finesse), it's a 50% guess. The best chance is to ruff a Club in dummy - but you need to be careful with your entries. Win the ♦A and play the ♣K. Opponents take their Ace now or later and you win the Diamond return with the ♦K (or, if they play back a Heart, take it with the ♥Q and return to hand on your ♦K). Ruff club, cash the ♥Q and return to hand on the ♠A and a spade ruff to pull out the rest of the trumps.






You play 3NT and West leads the ♠5. What do you do?







You need to hold up against a possible 5-2 split in spade. If you win and play clubs - East will take the ♣K and continue spades and you cannot avoid losing 3 spades and 2 clubs. But if you hold up and win the 2nd spade - East has no more spades to play.






You play 3NT and West leads the ♠2 (4th best).







You must win the trick and try the Diamond finesse. The lead means spades are 4-4 and you can afford to lose 3 spades and 1 Diamond. If you hold up – You will not survive a Heart switch: East will win the spade, switch to the ♥K and you will go down (if you duck Hearts twice - opponents will continue spades).






You play 6♥ on a ♣J lead. What do you do?







The best chance is to win the trick with your ♣K and finesse spade to ♠Q. If the finesse loses to West, come back to dummy on the ♠J to try Heart finesse. If the finesse wins, play ♦AK and continue with the ♥Q. When West wins his ♥K (this round or the next), you will have the 10♥ as entry to dummy in order to throw the spade loser on the ♦Q.






You play 4♠ on a ♣J lead. What do you do?







Best chance to make is to win the first trick in hand with the ♣K and play a low heart to the ♥Q.

If the ♥K is with West, he will win it and continue clubs, but you can take the trick with the ♣A, cash ♥Q, come back to hand on the ♠A and throw your club loser on the ♥A. That way you will lose a spade, a diamond and a heart.

If you win the first trick with dummy's Ace and try the spade finesse, you will go down if the finesse fails: West will continue clubs and you lose a club, a diamond, a heart and a spade.

What if the ♥K is in East? He will take your ♥Q at trick 2 and continue clubs. You will still have a chance to make if the spade finesse works. That way you have about 75% chance to make the contract, and you go down only if East has the ♥K and West has the ♠K.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the test!