Andrew:

Count and make a plan.

We are concentrating on forming a plan as declarer. This should occur before playing from dummy to the first trick. The three stages are:

Count top tricks;
Work out how many extras you need;
Decide where to get the extras.

Here we focus on (1) – counting top tricks – only those tricks that can be made before losing the lead. Look at each suit in turn, taking your hand and dummy in conjunction. If you do not have the ace in either hand, you have no top tricks (having to lose the ace first); if you have the ace but not the king, you have one top trick; if you have the ace and king but not the queen, you have two top tricks; if you have the ace, king and queen but not the jack, you have three top tricks; and so on.

Note that you can never have more top tricks than the number of cards held in the longer length (this declarer’s common mistake). Count the top tricks on our featured deal. You have four spade tricks, three heart tricks (with only three cards in each hand there can be no more), no diamond tricks (no ace) and one club trick. Total eight.

Click here to play this deal

South Deals
E-W Vul

♠	A K J 3
♥	J 10 9
♦	K 4 2
♣	7 6 4

♠	10 5 4 2
♥	8 6
♦	10 8 5
♣	K 10 8 5

N
W		E
S

♠	9 8 7
♥	7 5 4 3 2
♦	A J 9
♣	Q 9

♠	Q 6
♥	A K Q
♦	Q 7 6 3
♣	A J 3 2

West	North	East	South
			1 ♦
Pass	1 ♠	Pass	2 N1
Pass	3 N	Pass	Pass
Pass

17–18 points and a balanced hand.

3 NT by South

Lead: ♣ 5

What happened

Declarer won the ♣ 5 lead (to East’s ♣ Q) with ♣ A. Excited by holding the six top hearts (expecting six tricks), he cashed ♥ AKQ. Sad at only making three tricks, he turned belatedly to diamonds, leading ♦ 3 to ♦ K. East won ♦ A and cashed ♥ 75. He then switched to ♣ 9. Declarer played low, but West overtook with ♣ 10 and cashed ♣ K. Down one.

What should have happened

Win ♣ A and immediately lead ♦ 3 to ♦ K (key play). East wins and returns ♣ 9. Declarer ducks (best) and say West also plays low. East switches to ♥ 5. Win ♥ Q and, having made an extra trick in diamonds to bring the total to nine, start cashing the top tricks. Cash ♦ Q, ♥ AK, then turn to spades. Begin with ♠ Q (important), then ♠ 6 to ♠ J. Finally cash ♠ AK. Nine tricks and game made.

Tip: Count top tricks fi rst, and remember that you cannot have more top tricks in a suit than the number of cards in your longer length.

Book a Club Course

BridgeCast with Andrew

All drop in sessions

ARBC: 31 Parsons Green Lane, London SW6 4HH

Call NOW: 0207 471 4626

Book a Course

Andrew:

Count and make a plan.