Playing a Suit Contract

Board 19 has a good spade game for E-W with 23HCP’s and a singleton.

3 pairs got to game while 3 pairs stayed in 3S, two pairs were successful.

This suggest many players do not have a functioning plan when playing suit contracts.

Step 1: identify all possible losers:  QS, AH, KD, QD, QC. 5 possible losers

Step 2: decide the best approach to play the trump suit. 

             With 9 trumps, play AS and KS to try to drop the QS. Fails, first loser.

            This is the standard play. 41% of time trumps are 2-2.

            50% of the time they split 3-1, with a 50% chance of finessing correctly.

            Do not play a third round of trumps to take out the QS.

We are now faced with one heart and two diamond losers. 3 definite losers.

Looks like we will be 1 down. Unless ……..

Can you see how to reduce these three definite losers to two?

Four North players lead AH. Bad. It sets up a heart winner to discard a losing diamond.

I rarely lead an Ace on an opening lead, unless I have a good reason to.

Aces are for capturing K’s and Q’s. Leading the AH captures the 6, 3 and 4 of hearts.

If N-S bid hearts at some stage, then a heart lead would be called for.

But leading the AH or worse leading away from an AH allows West to make KH if they hold it.

Better still don’t lead hearts but instead lead the QD or 3D.

A diamond lead sets up two diamond winners, well done to the two Norths leading diamonds.

Now West is forced to get the spade finesse correct.

In playing a suit contract, once the trumps have been dealt with,

find ways to reduce your loser count. Look to your secondary suits.

Sometimes you need to do some ruffing before taking out trumps.

Sometimes you need to ruff a long suit, so the remainder are winners.

Sometimes finesse in a suit to set up winners, as in this case.

Cross-ruff, ducking, end play, squeeze, safety play are other techniques.

Invariably all lead to the same outcome……….  Reducing losers