Transcript Bridge for Beginners

Bridge for Beginners
Lesson 4
Defensive Play
Homework from Week 3
 Q2
 AKJ3
 AKQ
 7642
 AK43
 52
 AT83
 976
 Hand 1.
 Contract
 Lead
Q
Game in NT.
Homework from Week 3
 A3
 742
 AK42
 853
 9752
 QJ
 J86
 AQT93
 Hand
2.
 Contract Part Score in .
 Lead A
Homework from Week 3
-
 K853
 AKJ962
 Q85
 K75
 AQ2
 QJ73
 T94
 Hand
3.
 Contract Game in .
 Lead Q
Homework from Week 3
 AQJ96
 KT5
 A543
 62
 A5
 K942
 T6
 A532
 Hand
4.
 Contract Game in .
 Lead K
Defensive Play
 You
play defence twice as often as you
play as Declarer
 More difficult as you cannot see partner’s
hand
 One time we are in control is the first card
played
 We must find the best opening lead
 We must try to communicate using the
cards in our hands only!
Opening leads
 Objectives:
 To
make or establish defensive tricks
 To tell partner about your hand
 To avoid giving away cheap tricks
 Different
in Suit Contracts from NT
Contracts
Lead against Suit Contracts
 First
decide which suit to lead
 Usually not the trump suit
 Lead from a Good Suit
 Or a Short Suit
 A good suit would be one headed by an
honour sequence
Good Suits
 Top
of an honour sequence
 Lead A
 AKxx
 Lead K
 KQxx
 Lead Q
 QJTx or QJ9x
 Lead J
 JT9x or JT8x
 Lead T
 T98x
 Lead K
 AK
 This type of lead is made expecting to
set up defensive tricks
Singleton
 A singleton
(1 card in a suit) is a good lead
 If partner wins it and leads another you
can get a ruff
 If you can then get back to partner you
may get a second ruff
 If partner makes a very unpromising lead
of a suit that you have 4 or more of, take it
if you can and lead it back
 Remember that declarer’s cunning plan
will be to draw trumps
Doubleton
 Not
usually a good lead
 Rarely successful
 Declarer usually gets in and draws trumps
before you can get your ruff
 But it may be your only reasonable lead
 Exception is Ax
 Lead the A then x hoping partner can win
and play a 3rd card for a ruff
 Kx often gives away a cheap trick if you
lead K first
 Always lead high-low from a doubleton
No Strong Lead
 Look
for safest lead
 From a suit headed by an honour lead 4th
down
 Or 3rd down with only 3
 From a suit not headed by an honour lead
MUD(Middle;Up;Down)
 Examples of these shortly
Leads to avoid
 Never
lead from the
following against a
suit contract:
 AQx(x)
 KJx(x)
 Kx
 Qx
 Jx
 All give cheap tricks
 Try
not to lead from
the following against
a suit contract:
 Axx(x)
 Kxx(x)
K
Q
Leads against NT contracts
 Lead
Longest suit
 With 2 equal length lead the stronger
 Top of honour sequence
 4th down from suit headed by honour
 MUD
 98654
 98654
 QJT76
 9865
 AK43
 A9543
 A543
 7543
 A5
A
 A5
 A75
 T6
 T6
 T6
 T6
Standard Leads
 AKxx
 AQJx
 KQxx
 KJTx
 QJTx
 KT9x
 JT9x
 xxxx
 Axxx
 xxx
 Kxxxx
 Ax
 Txxx
 xx
Playing to Partner’s Lead
 If
partner leads a low card
 And you can beat the card from dummy
 Play your highest card
 Unless it includes an honour sequence
 Play the bottom of the honour sequence
 Playing an honour denies the honour
below
 If you win the trick play back partner’s suit
 Unless you have an outstanding suit of
your own
Playing to Partner’s Lead






If partner leads a high card
Tell Partner if you like the suit led
If you do play the highest card you can afford
If not the lowest card
Partner leads A. Which card do you play?
Against NT
 Against suit
 98654
 984
 98654
 T43
 KJT43
 93
 A5
 A5
 AK5
 T65
 T65
 T65
3
3
T
T
3
9
Telling partner if you like the suit
 This
method is called HELD
 High
– Encouraging
 >6
 Low
 <6
– Discouraging
Summary
 Opening
Lead is the crucial defensive play
 Try to make it tell
 Remember to signal when you can
 It also applies to subsequent leads of
different suits
 Communication is the art of good defence
 We shall return to it many times in the
courses