Andrew:

You, must, must, must,....

Dummy is tabled and you must, must, must count your top tricks. Work out how many extra tricks you need for your contract and focus on those straight away – do not be a hare and cash those top tricks; rather be happy to play lose-to-win Bridge (like the tortoise). The three basic methods of making extra tricks are:

(A) By Force. Using sequences, where you have more cards in the sequence than the number of missing higher cards.

Eg	♦ 10 8 3 2
	------
	♦ J 9 4

Provided you can afford to lose the lead, these are risk-free. All six diamonds could be in one hand (above) and you’d still promote one card in the four-card sequence once ♦ AKQ have been forced out.

(B) By Length. Exhausting the opponents of their cards in a suit in which you have greater length (typically a five-card suit), so promoting your twos and threes. The opposing split is all important.

Eg	♣ A Q 4 3 2
	-----
	♣ K 5

Play ♣ K & ♣ 2 first – high from the shorter length / low from the longer length, then ♣ 5 over to ♣ AQ. You hope for a 3-3 split (two length winners), but even on a (more likely) 4-2 split, you can give up the fourth round to promote a fifth round length winner.

(C) By Position (the Finesse). Card promotion based on the relative position of the card(s) you are hoping to promote and the opposing higher card(s). Lead from the opposite hand to your card, hoping the opposing higher card is in the second hand, playing before.

Eg	♥ A Q
	----
	♥ 3 2

Lead ♥ 2 to ♥ Q, hoping ♥ K is on your left.

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South Deals
None Vul

♠	K 4 2
♥	7 3
♦	9 5 3
♣	A Q 10 4 2

♠	Q 9 7 6 3
♥	J 8
♦	Q 6
♣	K J 9 7

N
W		E
S

♠	J 10
♥	Q 10 9 5 2
♦	K J 10 8
♣	8 5

♠	A 8 5
♥	A K 6 4
♦	A 7 4 2
♣	6 3

West	North	East	South
			1 ♥
Pass	2 ♣	Pass	2 NT
Pass	3 NT	Pass	Pass
Pass

3 NT by South

On our deal you count six top tricks and must tackle clubs, involving finessing and length. Win the spade lead with the ace, to preserve the king as a later dummy entry. Now play to the ten of clubs (Principle: finesse against the lower missing card first). The ten wins (good), so cross to the king of hearts and lead to the queen of clubs. Next cash the ace, East discarding, give up a fourth club to West and win his (say) spade return with dummy’s king. Now cash the long club and cross to your two aces. Nine tricks and game made.

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Andrew:

You, must, must, must,....

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