Planning The Play

After counting your winners and the opposition have led to the first trick, take the time to ask "which is the best order to play the suits?"

When dummy is revealed the first action is to decide which suit offers your contract the greatest number of potential tricks. Usually this is the first suit that Declarer should attend to. In most cases, this suit will be the longest combined suit between Dummy and Declarer's hands. At the beginning be prepared to give the opponents their rightful tricks in your long suit if by doing this you can set up tricks for yourself.
Your decision should usually be controlled by the holdings you have in the suits contained between yours and dummy's hand, also whether you are in a Suit or a No Trump contract.

In No Trump Contracts

Start by playing the suit which helps you to win as many tricks as possible, this is usually the suit in which you and dummy hold the largest number of cards.
If you have a suit with certain losers but you have a long holding this is the suit you should try to lose your losers before you lose stoppers in your side suits.

In Suit Contracts

In suit contracts you should first check if you need to ruff losers in your side suits to develop additional winning tricks.
If that is not necessary begin by drawing the trump suit. This is a suggestion not a hard and fast rule and only if your quick tricks count shows that you have enough winners to make the contract. This is the best way for avoiding a ruff by the opposition.

Exercise: The contract is 3NT - Which Suit do you need to start developing while you still have controls in the other suits?

North

West

East

South

Answer: Your heart suit. You need to develop an extra trick as you only have 8 tricks after the aces have been extracted let the opposition play. Choose your longest suit hearts, which you will extract in 3 rounds if cards are 3-3 distribution or 4 rounds if they are distributed 4-2. Then draw the ace of clubs out while you have stoppers remaining in diamonds. Leave the spades for opponents to lead, hoping you will win AS and the QS

Instant Progress Quiz - Check all correct answers

Question:The Contract is 1NT - What order would you plan to play the suits? Dummy's Hand Declarer's Hand spades, hearts, diamonds then clubs hearts, spades, clubs, diamonds diamonds,clubs, spades then hearts clubs, diamonds spades then hearts

Practice This Lesson

Finesse and Develop your Longest Suit For Extra Tricks

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Extra for Experts

A different game on the same subject as this lesson, with questions for community discussion in the comments area below.

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