Bridge Defence

Bridge Defense for Beginners
♠♥♦♣
By Ralph Welton
Bridge Defense is complicated by seeing only one of the hands in the

partnership. Bridge defense is also complicated by only getting to
make half of the card-playing decisions in your partnership.
Improvements in partnership defense come from learning standard

ways of handling common situations, and learning how to draw
conclusions from the cards partner chooses to play.
We'll look at a limited number of topics, but cover them in

depth, with interactive examples so you can practice each
topic. The goal is to help you actually learn to play bridge
better.
What can you expect? Expect (at least sometimes) to be able to tell
who holds the honors you can't see, and how many cards partner and
declarer hold in each suit.
Let's get started!
Defensive topics for beginners

♣ Opening Leads
♦ Third Hand Play
♥ Placing the Honors

♠ Second Hand Play
♣ Declarer's Plan
♦ Defensive Signals
♥ Discarding
Opening Leads
♠ ♥ ♦♣
By Ralph Welton
The opening lead is the one advantage defenders have over declarer.
It provides a head start in your campaign to set up and cash tricks
before declarer can do the same.
Choose opening leads that tell partner something about your hand and
she will be able to make appropriate plans and follow-up plays, which
leads to better results and a happier partner.
Standard agreements for opening leads

1. An honor lead shows the higher of touching honors.
Lead the ♠K.

♠KQ6
The ♠K and the ♠Q are "touching" or "in sequence."
Lead the ♥Q.

♥QJT42
The ♥Q is the higher of the ♥QJ.
Lead the ♦J.

♦JT6
The ten is an honor.
Lead the ♣J.

♣KJT7
The ♣J and ♣T are touching.
Lead the ♠T.

♠T942 Yes, the T and 9 in sequence are treated like honors
for the opening lead.
Lead the ♥T.
♥QT942 The ♥Q and the ♥T are not touching, so don't lead
the ♥Q. The ♥T and the ♥9 are in sequence.
Lead the ♦T.

♦AT985
Again, the ten and nine are in sequence.
Lead the ♣A.

Many partnerships lead the K from both an AK
combination and a KQ combination. That leaves
partner in doubt. She can't tell if a king lead is from
♣AK95
an A-K or from a K-Q. It's important for beginners to
remove doubt whenever they can, so I recommend
you ask partner to adopt the agreement that you will
lead A from AK.
2. A spot card shows if you have an honor or two in the suit...
• low spot says "Yes, I have an honor."

• high spot says, "No, I do not have an honor."
It's up to Partner to figure out if the spot card you lead is low or high.
She'll have to consider all the spot cards she can see after the first
trick is over.
Lead the ♠6.

You would like to have a lower card than the 6 so it
♠K76
would be easier for Partner to tell that your card is
indeed "low."
♥QT42 Lead the ♥2.
♦J53 Lead the ♦3.

Lead the ♣7.
♣KJ87 You have to lead a "low" card that might not look
"low" to Partner.
♠842 Lead the ♠8.
♥87654 Lead the ♥8.
♦K985 Lead the ♦5.
3. If you have more than 4 cards in a suit with an honor, lead the 4th
best.
♠K76532 Lead the ♠5.
♥QT432 Lead the ♥3.
♦J987532 Lead the ♦7.
♣KJ865 Lead the ♣6.
4. Lead high from any doubleton.
♠96 Lead the ♠9.
Lead the ♥Q.

When partner sees the Queen, she may think you have led
from touching honors (from the ♥QJ). She may not be sure
♥Q2
what you have until you play another card. Or maybe she'll
see the ♥J in her own hand or the Dummy. Then she'll
know what your lead means.
Lead the ♦3.

♦32
You would prefer to have been dealt a higher spot card
than the 3. But you have to make do with what you have.
Partner may think the 3 is "low." It will be clear after you
later play the 2 that your 3 was not your lowest spot card.
Lead the ♣K.

This is another lead that might look like "higher of touching
♣KJ
honors" to Partner. It's not good to confuse Partner. So you
should seriously consider leading another suit.
Little Bear says, "I know about all those leads, but my problem is I
don't know which suit to lead. With four suits, I've got four choices. It
makes my head spin. Can you help me with choosing the right suit?"
That's right, Little Bear, knowing the right card to lead from any suit
isn't much good if you don't know the right suit.
Let's start with...
The suit to lead against notrump contracts

On many hands, success goes to the side that establishes and cashes
their tricks first. In short, it's a race to establish your long suit or your
honors before declarer establishes his. We call opening leads that try
to establish tricks attacking leads or active leads.
On other hands, what's required instead is patience,

leading passively from a suit that has neither length nor honor cards.
Active leads
When your opponents have settled in a notrump contract, you may not
be able to defeat them based on your high cards alone. But if you can
establish extra winners in a long suit (skaters), your chances improve
greatly.
So our first rule for opening leads is...
Lead the suit that is the longest and strongest in the combined
hands of the partnership. Save your high cards in other suits to
recapture the lead after your long suit has been established.
You can't always tell which suit is longest and strongest because
you see only your own hand, and not partner's. Even so, the
guesswork involved can be greatly reduced if you pay attention to the
bidding.
example 1
You
♠ AQ864
♥92
♦543
♣K72
The contract is 3NT. Partner has not bid.
If partner has not bid, lead spades. You hope spades is the longest
and strongest suit in your hand and partner's hand combined.
But if partner has bid, make your opening lead in partner's suit. Yes,
even if partner's suit is hearts, lead it, dispute having only a doubleton.
Remember, it's better to lead toward honors than to lead away from
them. In the heart suit, you'll be leading toward partner's honors
instead of leading spades away from your spade honors.
example 2
You
♠ AQ864
♥9
♦KJ3
♣9762
The contract is 3NT. Partner bid hearts.
With a singleton in partner's heart suit, and a likely side suit winner for
an entry (diamonds here), lead your own long, strong suit.
example 3
You
♠ KJ864
♥J3
♦A83
♣T62
The contract is 3NT.
Partner has bid hearts and raised your spades.
Lead spades, the suit partner raised. You have an entry (♦A) for your
spade skaters after you have established the suit.
example 4
You
♠843
♥875
♦KQJT9
♣A7
The contract is 3NT. Partner has bid hearts.
When you can defeat the contract without partner's help, make an
opening lead in your own suit.
Lead diamonds to drive out the ♦A. Then recapture the lead with
the ♣A to cash the setting tricks.
Lead partner's suit in preference to your own, unless...
✔ Partner raised your suit, or...
✔ You only have a singleton in partner's suit, or...
✔ You can defeat the contract without partner's help
It would be nice if we were always dealt a long, strong suit. It would

make opening notrump leads easy. But some hands just don't fit our
guidelines. For example...
example 5
You
♠ Q8643
♥85
♦93
♣KQJT
The contract is 3NT. Partner didn't bid.

What kind of opening lead do we make when our long suit is not our
strong suit?
It's usually better to lead the strong suit. You can take three tricks in
clubs after the ♣A is gone, but you may not take any tricks at all in
spades.
example 6
You
♠A3
♥KQ965
♦987
♣QT6
The contract is 3NT. Partner didn't bid. Declarer bid hearts.
Does it matter that declarer has bid our best suit?
Yes, it definitely does matter. We'll get to what you should lead in a
minute. But what I want you to focus on now is that you should AVOID
leading declarer's suit. Hearts would be the worst suit to lead.
What if dummy bid hearts? Would we still AVOID an opening lead in

our long heart suit?
Yes! The main reason for an opening lead in our longest and strongest
suit is we hope to take tricks with our small cards after the opponents
run out of the suit – we want skaters. But when they have bid the suit,
they are unlikely to run out.
In addition, declarer will have the advantage of playing last with

whatever honors he has in our suit.
Opening leads to avoid...
✔ Suits bid by your opponents, especially declarer.

✔ Weak long suits when you don't have enough entries to establish
and cash them.
✔ 3-card or 4-card suits with only one honor.
✔ 3-card or 4-card suits headed by A-Q or K-J. This kind of broken

honor sequence is called a tenace.
"Hey wait a minute! If I avoid all that, what's left to

lead?"
Good question, Little Bear! What's left is an entirely different style of

opening leads, called passive leads.
Passive leads
example 7
You
♠973
♥T652
♦Q87
♣A96
Little Bear says, "Yuck! I don't have a longest and strongest suit.
And partner didn't bid. Now what?"
First of all, don't lead hearts. That would only help declarer establish
his main suit.
Second, don't lead away from either of your lonely honors. If you do,
you might present declarer with an extra trick. For example, declarer
might plan to take a diamond finesse, losing to your ♦Q. But if your
opening lead is a diamond, declarer will play last. That means no
finesse, and no trick for your ♦Q. There are similar problems with
leading away from the ♣A.
So the recommended opening lead is the ♠9. If partner has any spade
honors, you'll be leading toward them. And if she doesn't have any
spade honors, declarer was going to make all the spade tricks on this
hand anyway. No harm done!
The ♠9 is a passive lead, sometimes called a protecting

lead because you are trying to protect your honors by waiting for
someone else to lead those suits.
example 8
You
♠7532
♥QT52
♦753
♣A9
Which is a better passive lead – a three card suit or a four card suit?
Longer suits make safer passive opening leads because they are less
likely to help declarer establish skaters.
Lead ♠7 in preference to the ♦7.
example 9
You
♠753
♥K753
♦753
♣A53
The contract is 3NT.
Declarer opened 1N. Dummy raised to 2N, and declarer went on to

the 3N game. What's your opening lead?
Avoid leading three or four card suits headed by only one honor. So a
passive opening lead is indicated. Your spades and your diamonds
are identical, so it might seem to be a toss-up which to choose. But it's
not.
Look again at the bidding. Why didn't your opponents make bids to
look for a major suit fit? Because, after looking at their hands, they
knew they don't have enough cards in the majors to have a fit. That
increases the chances that partner has more spades than diamonds.
Your opening lead should be the ♠7. Sometimes it's just as important
to notice what wasn't bid as it is to notice what was bid.
example 10
You
♠AT4
♥K853
♦K96
♣QJ2
The contract is 3NT. Dummy bid hearts.
We have no longest and strongest suit. It looks like we need a passive

opening lead to protect our honors.
Actually, a three card suit headed by two honors in sequence is OK, if
nothing better is available. Lead the ♣Q.
The safest passive opening leads...
✔ a worthless 4 card suit.
✔ a worthless 3 card suit.
✔ a 3 card suit headed by two honors in sequence.
✔ a low doubleton.
Sometimes the bidding will suggest which of these is best. We'll get to
that in a minute, but first...
Review and practice for notrump opening leads

example 11
You
♠72
♥AJT7
♦ KT654
♣98
The contract is 3NT. Partner did not bid.
Partner did not bid, so lead your own suit.
What is your opening lead, the ♥J or the ♦5?
show answer
example 12
You
♠ AQT75
♥843
♦KT8
♣76
The contract is 3NT. Partner bid hearts.
You have a long strong suit, and a side suit entry to recapture the lead
after your suit is established.
Is your opening lead the ♠7?
show answer
example 13
You
♠J
♥Q954
♦KQT7
♣Q954
The contract is 3NT. Partner bid spades. Declarer bid diamonds.
Avoid a diamond lead. That's declarer's suit.
Do you lead from one of your other four card suits, or do you lead your
singleton in partner's suit?
show answer
example 14
You
♠76
♥Q94
♦J87
♣K9754
When no suits have been bid, your opening lead can be your own
longest suit.
Do you lead the ♣5, or something else?
show answer
example 15
You
♠T2
♥843
♦KJ87
♣AQ65
Clubs and diamonds are your longest and strongest suits, though they
are only four card suits.
What are our guidelines for opening leads from four card suits not bid
by declarer's side?
show answer
example 16
You
♠K2
♥73
♦ AJT742
♣KQ5
Nice hand! There's a good chance you'll be able to set this 3N contract
– if you get off the the best opening lead.
What's your choice?
show answer
example 17
You
♠ AK954
♥8
♦ T742
♣Q75
You have a nice spade suit, but you only have a mild hope of a side
suit entry.
I've peeked at the cards, and I can tell you that partner doesn't have
any high cards in spades. I can also tell you that you have a good
chance to set up and cash spade skaters.
What has to happen for you to get four spade tricks?
show answer
Listen to the bidding

example 18 – the unbid suit
West North East You
– P
1♣ P
1♠ P 2♥ P
2♠ P 3N P
P P
What do we know from the bidding? Well... we know a lot, actually.
Why did East choose notrump and not a spade contract?
show answer
You inquire what the 2♥ call shows, and West explains that in their
partnership it shows a medium strength hand. A 3♥ rebid would have
shown a maximum.
Interesting. That means East-West do not have enough

power to bid game. So where does East think his tricks
are coming from?
show answer
Which suit will East's skaters come from?
show answer
What would be the only reason to lead a heart instead of the obvious
diamond suit?
show answer
You
♠T4
♥KJT98
♦852
♣975
After considering the bidding (example 18, above), let's look at your
actual hand. What's your opening lead for this hand?
show answer
When your opponents have bid three suits and settled into a NT
contract, it's usually right to lead the unbid suit. This is especially true
if it's a major.
example 19 – no suits have been bid
West North East You
– P 1N P
2N P 3N P
P P
Responder invites game and opener accepts. They bid no suits along
the way, so it might seem that there are no clues as to what suits they
actually hold. Not true!
Opener doesn't usually have a five-card major when he opens 1NT,

though he often has a five-card minor. Rarely, he might have a six-
card minor. So opener's holdings are biased towards the minors.
Why didn't responder bid stayman?

show answer
Responder often raises NT with a long minor, but almost never does
he bid NT while concealing length in a major. So, responder's holdings
are strongly biased towards the minors.
Without even knowing what your hand is, what should be your opening
lead?
show answer
example 19 (continued)
You
♠3
♥86
♦KJ862
♣KQ765
Remember, 3NT – no suits have been bid.
The major suit bias tells us that the best lead is not one of our suits,
but ♥8. This is only true because the opponents have told us (with
their bidding) that they have the minors and not the majors. Avoid
leading declarer's suits.
example 20 – stayman
West North East You
– P 1N P
2♣ P 2♠ P
3N P P P
Responder must have been disappointed not to find a heart fit. Now
his use of stayman has given the defenders extra information about
both declarer and dummy. A wise defender will consider the
information before choosing an opening lead.
Is the major suit bias for leads against 3N so strong that it overrides
the fact that declarer and dummy each have a four card major?
Should you still prefer an opening lead in a major when the decision
seems close?
show answer
Opening leads against suit contracts

Many of the considerations for opening leads against suit contacts are
the same as for opening leads against notrump. There are, however,
two main differences.
1. Don't bother trying to set up your long strong suit for skaters.
Even if you succeed in setting it up, declarer will trump your
skaters.
2. The defenders can trump too. So leading short suits, trying
for an early ruff, holds promise that doesn't exist for notrump
contracts.
Good opening leads against a suit contract...

✔ lead a singleton, preparing to trump the second round. Note that
this is only good if you have a trump card to use for ruffing, and if
partner can lead the suit back for you to ruff.
✔ lead partner's short suit so she can ruff before declarer pulls
trump. For this to work, you may need an early round trump winner so
you can lead the original suit again before declarer finishes pulling
partner's trump cards.
✔ lead your own suit if partner raised it.
✔ lead partner's suit
✔ lead the top of an honor sequence. An ace-king sequence is

among the best opening leads because you will win the trick and get
to see both the dummy and partner's attitude card to the first trick,
either of which may guide you to the best defense. Other two-card
sequences are risky, while three-card sequences are far safer.
✔ make a passive or protecting lead in a side suit where you have

no honors.
example 21
You
♠ KQ32
♥Q86
♦AJT9
♣73
The contract is 4♥. Partner didn't bid.
Decide if each of these opening leads is good or bad. Then read the
comments for each one.
♠K ♥6 ♦J ♣7
example 22
You
♠5
♥976
♦QJT73
♣8743
The auction was 1♥ – 3♥ – 4♥. What's your lead?
♠5 ♥9 ♦Q ♣8
Be sure to read the comments for all four opening leads.
example 23
You
♠J85
♥QJT8
♦73
♣KQ43
The auction was 1♠ – 2♠.
You have honor sequences in hearts and clubs, and a good passive
lead in diamonds. What do you think of each of these opening leads?
♠5 ♥Q ♦7 ♣K
example 24
You
♠2
♥K432
♦A432
♣Q432
The contract is 4♠. No side suits were bid.
A singleton trump makes a poor opening lead. And you should avoid
opening leads from suits headed by a single honor.
But you have to lead something, even when none of your choices are
good.
The higher the honor you lead away from, the more likely that you give
away a trick. So the ♦2 is the worst opening lead and the ♣2 is the
least bad. (I don't want to call it the best.) Whatever you choose, it will
go poorly unless you're lucky enough to find partner with a helpful
honor.
One additional note for example 24...
If, for whatever reason, you decide to lead diamonds, you should
choose the ♦A, not the ♦2. At least you'll get a trick out of your bad
opening lead. And you may be able to shift to a better suit for the next
trick after you see partner's attitude card and the dummy.
Don't confuse this with a "good" opening lead. It's not. It's just better
than the ♦2.
Listen to the bidding

Sometimes the bidding tells you what opening lead to make. Let's look
at some examples.
example 25
West North East You
– –
1♠ P
1N P 2♣ P
P P
Declarer has 5 spades, yet responder chose clubs as trumps. That

means dummy is short in spades. Declarer may well plan to trump
spade losers in dummy. So...
Lead trump. And if you can recapture the lead, lead trump again.
You
♠ AQT8
♥QJT6
♦52
♣T82
Normally a lead from a three card honor sequence, like ♥QJT, is

good. But not on this bidding. Your hand confirms that declarer has
spade losers that he would like to trump in the dummy.
Lead clubs as many times as you can. Each club lead saves a future
spade trick for you.
example 26
West North East You
– –
1♠ P
2♦ P 2♠ P
3♦ P 4♠
Declarer has a spade suit he bid three times. If he gets the lead he will
pull trump and discard his side suit losers on dummy's strong diamond
suit.
So...
You
♠T5
♥AQ82
♦Q7
♣KT532;
Forget the warnings about not leading away from certain honor
holdings in the unbid suits. If you don't cash your winners in clubs and
hearts right now, you may never get them.
Lead the ♥A, and look closely at partner's carding. If she has the ♥K,
she'll play an encouraging card, and you will continue hearts. If she
discourages hearts, you'll shift to clubs.
The bidding told you to take such wild chances with your opening lead.
A compromise for opening leads...

Defense is easier when you can quickly figure out who's got the high
honors in each suit. To that end, beginners should only lead low from
a high honor, not from a jack or ten.
When you hold a suit like ♥ J 8 7 3, look for a different suit to lead.
You don't want to lead low from this and have Partner assume you
have a higher honor than you actually hold. And you can't lead the ♥J
because that promises the ♥T, which you don't have.
The solution is...
So if you must lead from a suit headed by the J or T, lead the second
highest. Partner will see the high spot card and know you don't have a
high honor.
From ♥ J 8 7 3, lead the ♥8. And tell Partner your opening leads of a
low spot card promise a high honor. (Tell her before the game starts,
not after you've looked at your cards.)
Third Hand Play
♠♥♦♣
By Ralph Welton
Skillful play at the bridge table is partly dependent on basic logic.
But often more important is reliance on standard agreements of what

cards to play based on your hand, the dummy, and who has led the
suit. In this section, we will explore and practice those standard
agreements.
After partner's spot card opening lead at

notrump...
The low spot card lead is presumed to be a fourth-best lead, and
usually means partner holds at least one honor in this suit, otherwise
she leads top-of-nothing – a high spot card.
The general guideline for what to play is Third Hand High. That
means you make your best attempt to win the trick.
example 1
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ J54
You
♥ AQ8
Partner leads the ♥3 and Dummy plays low.
What card do you play?

Play your ♥A – Third Hand High.
There are two main exceptions to Third Hand High.
Exceptions to Third Hand High

1. You hold a finessing position over dummy's unplayed honor card.
2. You cannot beat the card dummy plays.
example 2
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ K54
You
♦ AQ8
Partner leads the ♦3 and Dummy plays low.
Finesse with the ♦Q. You know this will win because declarer cannot
play the ♦K or the ♦A. He doesn't have either of those cards.
example 3
Partner
♠3
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ Q54
You
♠ KJ8
Partner leads the ♠3 and Dummy plays low.
show answer
If Declarer wins this trick with the ♠A, you will still hold your ♠K over
Dummy's ♠Q.
And if Declarer doesn't have the ♠A, Dummy's ♠Q will now fall in two
more rounds under your ♠K and partner's ♠A.
Had you made the mistake of playing your ♠K on the first round,
the ♠Q would have become a third round winner, playing after
Partner's ♠A.
example 4
Partner
♣3
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ K54
You
♣ AJ9
Partner leads the ♣3 and Dummy plays low.

show answer
If your finesse loses to Declarer's ♣Q, you still retain your ♣A ready to
squish Dummy's ♣K. Had you played your ace on the first round,
Declarer would make TWO future tricks with his two honors.
And if it turns out that Partner has the missing honor (as she should),
your finesse will win while you retain your well placed ♣A over the ♣K.
Declarer may get no club tricks at all.
example 5
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ Q54
You
♥ KT2
Partner leads the ♥3 and Dummy plays low.
show answer
If you play your ♥K on the opening lead, there will be no hope of

preventing the ♥Q from scoring a future trick. Even if partner holds all
the missing honors, her ♥A plays ahead of Dummy's ♥Q.
Showing attitude
The second of the two main exceptions to Third Hand High is when
you cannot beat the card Dummy plays.
Your play will be a spot card, telling partner if you have a high card
("something good") in this suit or not.
• low spot card = no

• high spot card = yes
example 6
Partner
♠3
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ K54
You
♠ Q82
Dummy plays the ♠K.
show answer
"Something good" usually means the honor right below the one played
by Dummy.
The Q is also "something good" when Dummy plays the A.
example 7
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ K54
You
♦ T82
Partner plays the ♦K.
What do you play this time?
show answer
example 8
Partner
♣3
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ K54
You
♣ J82
Dummy plays the ♣K.
show answer
example 9
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ Q54
You
♥ J82
Dummy plays the ♥Q.
show answer
Partner will know that your "something good" is lower than the ♥Q. If it
were higher, you would play it on top of dummy's ♥Q (Third Hand
High).
example 10
Partner
♠3
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ A54
You
♠ Q92
Dummy plays the ♠A.
What do you play?
show answer
One of the top three honors is always "something good" when

partner's spot card lead also promises an honor. You expect partner to
hold the ♠K, and your ♠Q is the most important card she is wondering
about.
example 11
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ A54
You
♦ J92
This is almost the same as example 10.
What do you play this time?
show answer
Don't claim the ♦J when Partner might assume it's the ♦K or ♦Q.
example 12
Partner
♣3
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ AK4
You
♣ J92
Dummy has both the ♣A and the ♣K. Is your ♣J "something good"?
What do you play?
show answer
Partner's low spot card lead promises a high honor, and she can see
the ♣AK in the Dummy as well as you can. So the ♣J is the highest
card you can have. Tell Partner you do indeed have it. Play an
encouraging spot card.
example 13
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ AQ4
You
♥ J92
Dummy plays the ♥Q, which looks like a finesse.
What do you play?
show answer
Partner knows you cannot hold the ♥K because you failed to play it on
top of Dummy's ♥Q. And besides, she's got the ♥K, or she wouldn't
have led a low spot card.
Little Bear says, "My head feels like there's a swarm of bees buzzing
around it. Isn't there a way to figure all this out at the table instead of
trying to remember it all?"
Yes, Little Bear. This is how you do it. First assume Partner has the
highest missing honor. Then ask yourself if it's possible for Declarer to
have an honor higher than yours. If yes, don't encourage. Don't claim
"something good."
You wouldn't want Partner to lead a low card up to Declarer's marginal

honor, promoting it through The Advantage of Playing Last.
Playing the lowest of equals
When following suit, different than when leading, you play the lowest
of equals.
example 14
Partner
♠3
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ 854
You
♠ QJ2
Play the ♠J, not the ♠Q – lowest of equals.
example 15
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ Q54
You
♦ AJT2
Dummy plays low on partner's lead.
show answer
example 16
Partner
♣3
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ QT4
You
♣ KJ98
Dummy plays low on the opening lead.
You're going to finesse. Which card is the lowest of equals for this
trick?
show answer
Can Declarer win this trick?

show answer
Returning Partner's suit
Assuming you win the trick after Partner's low spot card lead, what
card do you play back?
Returning Partner's suit

1. With two cards remaining in partner's suit, play back the
higher one, whether it's an honor or not.
2. If you have three or more cards remaining...
o play back the top of an honor sequence, if you
have it, otherwise...
o play back your original fourth best spot card (third
remaining)
example 17
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ Q54
You
♥ KJ8
Dummy plays low on the opening lead.
You finesse with your ♥J, which wins the trick.
Which card do you play back?
show answer
Partner's low spot card promises an honor, and the only one missing
is the ♥A. So your ♥K will win the second trick. Then you'll lead to
Partner's ♥A, giving her the lead to cash her heart skaters.
If you had not returned the ♥K at trick two, the suit would be blocked.
example 18
Partner
♣3
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ 54
You
♣ K86
What card do you play on the opening lead?
show answer
Your ♣K wins the trick. What card do you play back?
show answer
example 19
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ J74
You
♦ KT65
show answer
After winning the first trick, what card do you play back?
show answer
example 20
Partner
♠3
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ J74
You
♠ K652
show answer
Your ♠K wins the trick. What card do you play back?
show answer
Unlike on opening leads, your fourth best spot card does not promise
an honor. It simply tells how many cards you have in the suit, helping
partner judge how to establish and cash skaters.
example 21
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ J64
You
♥ K987
show answer
Your ♥K wins the trick. What card do you play back?
show answer
When you have nothing but spot cards, don't play back the top of a
sequence. It's more important to tell partner that you started with four
of them. Play back the ♥7, not the ♥9.
Little Bear asks, "What happens if I don't win the first trick? How do I
tell Partner what I've got in her suit?"
Well, Little Bear, there's nothing you can do unless you win a future
trick. Then the card you return is the same one you would have
chosen if you had won the first trick.
example 22
Partner
♣3
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ 54
You
♣ K652
You play the ♣K on the opening lead, but Declarer plays the ♣A. So
sad.
Later you win a trick in another suit and decide to play back a club.
Which one? show answer
example 23
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 54
You
♦ QT96
What do you play on the opening lead?
show answer
Declarer wins the trick with the ♦K.

Later you win a trick in another suit.
Which diamond do you lead? show answer

The ♦T also wins the trick.
You will have the ♦96 remaining. Which one do you lead now?
show answer
After Partner's honor card lead at notrump...

When Partner leads an honor at notrump, she holds a sequence of
three honors, such as:
• ♠QJTxx
• or ♠KQTxx
• or KJTxx.
She would lead a low spot card from only one or two honors.
When Partner leads an honor at notrump...

1) unblock a doubleton honor (play it on the first trick)
2) play a spot card to show partner if you have an equal honor:

3) use partner's honor to finesse against the Dummy
4) play Third Hand High
example 24
Partner
♠K
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ 74
You
♠ A5
Partner leads the ♠K at a notrump contract.
show answer
example 25
Partner
♥J
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ 974
You
♥ Q82
Partner leads the ♥J at a notrump contract.
show answer
Your high spot card encourages Partner to continue leading hearts.

What do you play if Partner leads the ♥T next?
show answer
example 26
Partner
♦J
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 874
You
♦ 962
Partner leads the ♦J at a notrump contract. What do you play?
show answer
example 27
Partner
♣J
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ 54
You
♣ A76
What do you play? show answer
Partner may have led from ♣KJTx, and playing the ♣A prevents
Declarer's ♣Q from ever winning a trick.
What do you return? show answer

example 28
Partner
♦J
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 862
You
♦ K73
You know Declarer has the ♦Q, so...
This is similar to the previous diagram. Partner may have led

from ♦AJTx, and you don't want Declarer to win a cleap trick with
his ♦Q. Play your ♦K, and the ♦Q will be finessed by Partner's ♦A-T.
example 29
Partner
♠J
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ Q84
You
♠ K73
If you held both the ♠K and the ♠J over Dummy's ♠Q, you would
finesse.
You can do the same thing when Partner leads the ♠J. Your high spot
card helps Partner figure out what's happening.
example 30
Partner
♥5
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ Q84
You
♥ AT32
You win the first trick.
What do you return? show answer
Aces are special
Leading an ACE...
Many partnerships have a special agreement for leading an ace at
notrump. It requests that you drop your highest card under the ace, or
tell if you have an even or an odd number of spot cards in the suit. I
DO NOT recommend this agreement.
Beginners should have NO special agreements that require them to

play and think differently – at least not until they have become
thoroughly at ease with basic carding signals. So...
I recommend that you treat leads of aces at both no-trump and suit
contracts the same as all other honor leads. In other words, it shows
the top of an honor sequence, 3 honors for notrump (AKQ or AKJ or
AKT), and 2+ honors for suit contracts (at least AKx).
Warning... Clear this suggested agreement with Partner. You cannot

have an "agreement" unless Partner agrees.
example 31
Partner
♣A
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ 74
You
♣ 652
The most important card Partner is wondering about is the ♣Q.
What do you play?
show answer
example 32
Partner
♦A
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 742
You
♦ QJ5
There is a special play for this situation.
Playing the ♦Q under the ♦A, promises the ♦J.

Partner will then lead low to your ♦J and you will return your last spot
card so she can play as many winners in this suit as she was dealt.
When Partner leads an ACE at notrump...

1) play the Q to promise the J
2) play a spot card to show partner if you have the Q

example 33
Partner
♠A
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ 742
You
♠ Q5
You would like to be able to tell Partner that you hold the ♠Q. But...
Play the ♠5. You do not have a choice of spot cards, so you cannot
choose a high one to promise the ♠Q.
You must not play the ♠Q because that would promise the ♠J.
example 34
Partner
♥A
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ 54
You
♥ 763
What card do you play? show answer
If Partner abandons the suit, it's because she needs YOU to lead
through Declarer's ♥Q.
Perhaps she holds ♥AKJxx.
If you later gain the lead, be quick to table the ♥7. Then sit back and
watch Partner set the contract by cashing her heart skaters.
example 35
Partner
♣A
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ 74
You
♣ Q52
Which spot card do you play?
show answer
Suppose Partner abandons the suit. What must she have been
thinking?
show answer
If you win a future trick in another suit, which club should you lead?
show answer
If Partner allows the ♣Q to hold the trick, is she asking you to switch to
a different suit?
show answer
Trump contracts are different
After an opening lead of a spot card at

a trump contract....
Most standard carding is the same for notrump and suit contracts.
Third Hand High and finessing against the Dummy are still the main
procedures. When you can't beat the Dummy's card, low and high
spot cards when following suit also retain the same meaning.
There are however differences in how Partner LEADS for suit

contracts.
1. Partner does not lead low cards from suits headed by the A.
2. Partner does not lead low from an unsupported J or T. She
leads second highest.
3. Partner does not lead low from three honors.
4. Partner does not lead low from two touching honors. With
that she leads the higher honor.
5. Therefore the honor Partner usually holds when leading low
is the K or Q.
6. Partner may have two non-touching honors – KJ or QT,
though she tries to avoid such leads.
Sometimes these general observations will enable you

to figure out exactly which honors each player holds.
Like this...
example 36
Partner
♦3
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 874
You
♦ KT65
Partner leads a low spot card against a trump contract.
Who holds the ♦A? show answer
Who holds the ♦Q? show answer
Who holds the ♦J? show answer
You can also figure out that Partner holds the ♦9 because she needs it
for the ♦3 to be low from 3 or 4 to an honor. And Declarer has the ♦2,
because Partner would have led it (fourth best) if she had it.
Sometimes it seems almost magical that you can place

the cards so early in the play!
What do you play on the opening lead? show answer
You can't stop Declarer from scoring a trick with his ♦A. But you can
prevent his ♦J from ever making a trick. Partner's ♦Q will squish
the ♦J.
Just make sure you don't make the mistake of failing to put up your ♦K
on the first trick. You know it will get squished, but it's the only play to
stop Declarer from making TWO diamond tricks.
That was a lot of analysis leading to the same

recommended play as the simple guideline, Third Hand
High.
After an opening lead of an ACE at a trump
contract...
There is one change to Third Hand carding for trump contracts
compared to notrump contracts. Sometimes you can win a future trick
by trumping, and it's good to alert Partner to the possibility.
Remember our recommended agreement that leading the Ace

promises the King...
When Partner leads an ACE at a suit contract...

1) play the Q to promise the J
2) play a spot card to show partner if you can win the third round of the
suit, either with the Q or by trumping the third round

example 37
Partner
♠A
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ 874
You
♠ 962
Partner leads ♠A against a trump contract.

example 38
Partner
♥A
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ 542
You
♥ Q83
Partner leads ♥A against a trump contract.
example 39
Partner
♣A
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ 742
You
♣ 95
Partner leads ♣A against a trump contract.
If you don't take your three club tricks right away, Declarer may find a
way to stop you. He could pull your trumps or discard one of his clubs
on a winner in another suit.
So it's good that your play of a high spot card alerts
Partner to what's going on.
example 40
Partner
♦A
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 542
You
♦ Q3
Partner leads ♦A against a trump contract.
example 41
Partner
♠A
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ Q42
You
♠ 95
Partner leads ♠A against a trump contract.

Partner will continue with the ♠K and another spade. You will ruff the
third round, killing Dummy's ♠Q.
Notice that this must be done quickly, before Declarer pulls trump.
example 42
Partner
♥A
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ 72
You
♥ QJ5
Partner leads ♥A against a trump contract.
The defense can only get two heart tricks because Dummy has a
doubleton and can trump the third round.
Now that partner knows you hold the ♥J, she can choose who gets to
lead after cashing the second heart trick. Maybe Partner has a
marginal holding in a side suit and wants you to lead through Declarer.
If so, she'll underlead her ♥K and you will win with your ♥J. Then you
can look at the dummy and figure out which suit Partner wants you to
play back.
In the next section we will practice the standard plays we have been
studying. You may be surprised at how much you can figure out about
a hand because you and Partner know what cards to play.
Placing the Honors
♠ ♥ ♦♣
By Ralph Welton
If Partner follows the rules (agreements) we studied in the last two

sections, Opening Leads and Third Hand Play, you can figure out a lot
about who holds the honors you cannot see.
Let's start with a quick review of those agreements.
Opening Leads:
1. top of a sequence of honors

2. low from one honor, or two honors not in sequence
3. highest spot card from suits without honors ("top of nothing")
4. high from any doubleton
5. second highest from Jack-high or Ten-high suits
Third Hand Play
1. make your best attempt to win the trick – "Third Hand High"
2. finesse against Dummy's honor
3. if you cannot beat Dummy's card, play a spot card to show if
you have a high card in the suit (low= no; high= yes)
4. play the "lowest of equals" when trying to win a trick
When returning Partner's suit:
1. lead high from any doubleton

2. lead the top of a sequence
3. lead your original fourth best
Practice placing the honors...

Suppose you're wondering about the ♠Q. The main deductive process
for placing it goes like this...
"Partner cannot have the ♠Q because if she did, she would have
played a different card." Alternatively, it may be possible for Partner to
have the missing card, but Declarer cannot have it because he would
have played a different card.
We'll practice this kind of reasoning in all of our example hands.
example 1
Partner
♥K
Dummy Declarer
♥54 ♥2
You
♥AJ93
You lead the ♥3 against their notrump contract.
Partner wins with the ♥K.
Who has the ♥Q? show answer
example 2
Partner
♦Q
Dummy Declarer
♦54 ♦2
You
♦AT93
You lead the ♦3 against their notrump contract.
Partner wins with the ♦Q.

Who has the ♦K? show answer
Declarer may choose to hold up an ace, because the ace is always a

winner later. But he will not hold up with a king, risking that you later
put your ace on top of it. So when Declarer doesn't capture
Partner's ♦Q, we can be confident that he doesn't have the ♦K.
Who has the ♦J? show answer
example 3
Partner
♠T
Dummy Declarer
♠74 ♠Q
You
♠AJ93
You lead the ♠3 against their notrump contract.
Declarer captures Partner's ♠T with his ♠Q.
Who has the ♠K? show answer
example 4
Partner
♣Q
Dummy Declarer
♣74 ♣5
You
♣KJ9632
You are happy to have such a long suit to lead against their notrump
contract. You lead your fourth best ♣6, and Partner plays the ♣Q
Good. Partner has a filling honor. It would be a shame if Declarer held

all the missing big clubs.
Who has the ♣A? show answer
At trick two, Partner returns the ♣T.
Who has the ♣J? show answer
So Partner cannot hold the ♣J. But you already knew that Partner
cannot have the ♣J, because YOU do.
example 5
Partner
♥5
Declarer Dummy
♥3 ♥J42
You
♥KT6
Partner leads the ♥5 against their notrump contract.
You finesse against Dummy's ♥J, and your ♥T wins .
Who has the ♥A? show answer
Who holds the ♥Q? show answer
What card do you play at trick two?
show answer
example 6
Partner
♠5
Declarer Dummy
♠A ♠J42
You
♠K76
This is almost the same as the last example. Against a notrump

contract, Partner leads a spot card.
You don't have a lessor honor to finesse against the Dummy, so you
play the ♠K, and Declarer captures it with his ♠A.
Why should Declarer be confident that his ♠J in the Dummy is worth a

trick?
show answer
Declarer can later "lead toward a losing honor" (♠J). This will work for
Declarer because the ♠Q is known to be on sides.
example 7
Partner
♦Q
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦85
You
♦K32
Against their 3♣ contract, Partner leads the ♦Q.
What do you play on this trick?
show answer
Who has the missing honors?
show answer
example 8
Partner
♣8
Dummy Declarer
♣54 ♣6
You
♣AKT97
You lead the ♣A at their notrump contract.
Partner plays the ♣8 and Declarer the ♣6.
Who has the ♣Q? show answer
Who has the ♣J? show answer
What do you lead at trick two? show answer
example 9
Partner
♥8
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥Q42
You
♥AKJ5
At notrump Partner leads a heart and Dummy plays low.

What do you play back? show answer
example 10
Partner
♠T
Dummy Declarer
♠754 ♠Q
You
♠AJ863
The contract is 3 no-trump.
You hope to establish some skaters in your spade suit, so you lead
your fourth best ♠6. Partner plays the ♠T and Declarer wins with
the ♠Q
Who has the ♠K? show answer
You later capture the lead in another suit, and you wonder if it's
possible for Declarer's ♠K to be his only remaining spade. It would
then drop if you played your ♠A.
Are there any spot cards you can be sure about? Hint: Partner
played the ♠T, which tells you something.
show answer
Declarer holds a spot card to protect his ♠K. The ♠K doesn't drop. So
don't play your ♠A now unless you can set the contract by playing it.
Wait for someone else to lead spades, so your ♠AJ can play after
Declarer and you can finesse his ♠K.
example 11
Partner
♦K
Dummy Declarer
♦42 ♦3
You
♦ A J 97
Another no-trump example...
You lead your fourth best ♦7. Partner wins with the ♦K.
Who holds the ♦Q? show answer
At trick two, Partner returns the ♦5.
How many diamonds did Partner start with?
show answer
When Partner returns the ♦5, you capture Declarer's ♦T with your ♦J.
Now what? show answer
example 12
Partner
♣K
Dummy Declarer
♣74 ♣2
You
♣AJ863
At no-trump you lead the ♣6.
Partner plays the♣K, and returns the ♣9.

Who has the ♣Q? show answer
Can Partner have started with four clubs? show answer
example 13
Partner
♥3
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥K54
You
♥J82
Against their notrump contract, Partner leads ♥3.
What do you play on the first trick? show answer
If Partner has the ♥A, can Declarer have the ♥Q? show answer
That last question was difficult. It's hard enough paying attention to
Partner's played cards and what they imply. It's harder still to consider
what might cause Declarer to play differently.
If Partner has the ♥Q, can Declarer have the ♥A?
show answer
Can Declarer have both the ♥A and the ♥Q?
show answer
Can Partner have both the ♥A and the ♥Q?
show answer
There is, however an inference that Partner does not hold both the ♥A
and the ♥Q. If declarer had no hope of a heart stopper other than
the ♥K, he might have played low on the opening lead. Then when
you win the trick, his ♥K enjoys The Advantage of Playing Last should
you continue hearts. He might like that, so it's a reasonable guess that
his ♥K is not his only honor. If that's the case, he has the ♥A and
Partner has the ♥Q.
example 14
Partner
♠K7
Dummy Declarer
♠84 ♠T2
You
♠AJ93
You make the opening lead at notrump.
Partner wins the ♠K, and returns the ♠7.
Who has the ♠Q? show answer
How many spades did Partner start with?
show answer
Partner doesn't have a doubleton because that would give Declarer so

many spades that he would have bid them, and you wouldn't have led
them.
How many spades did Declarer start with? show answer
You can conclude that Declarer's ♠Q is protected by a spot card.

Therefore...
After winning your ♠J on the second trick, DON'T play your ♠A. Wait
for someone else to lead spades and you will get two additional spade
tricks instead of just one.
Now let's change a couple of spot cards...

example 15
Partner
♠K7
Dummy Declarer
♠64 ♠T2
You
♠AJ53
This is almost the same as the previous diagram. I've changed one
spot card in the Dummy, and one in your hand.
Partner still wins the first trick with the ♠K, and still returns the ♠7.
This time you can see that this spot card is the lowest she could hold
because the ♠2, ♠3, ♠4, ♠5, and ♠6 are all accounted for.
Partner's low spot card says she started with four spades. That leaves
only three spades for Declarer, and he's played two of them.
Declarer's ♠Q is now unprotected!
It's time to cash your ♠A, felling the ♠Q. You are then free to cash a
spade skater.
Little Bear says, "I didn't realize it could be so important to watch the
spot cards. If Partner is always telling me something with her carding, I
guess I should be paying attention."
Yes, Little Bear, it not only makes for better bridge. It also makes for a
happier Partner, which in turn leads to a more enjoyable game
together.
Second Hand Play
♠ ♥ ♦♣
By Ralph Welton
Second hand play is more difficult than third hand play.
We will still rely on general guidelines for choosing most of our plays,
and that's simple enough. But difficulties arise because there are more
exceptions to second hand guidelines than there are for third hand
play.
General guidelines for second hand play

1. Cover an honor with an honor
2. Play Second Hand Low
For example...
Dummy leads... ♠ Q 5 2 Cover the honor... ♠ K 9 7
Dummy leads... ♥ Q 5 2 Second hand low... ♥ K 9 7
Dummy leads... ♦ J 8 6 Cover the honor... ♦ K 5 3
Dummy leads... ♣ J 8 6 Second hand low... ♣ K 5 3
Dummy leads... ♠ 8 2 Second hand low... ♠ Q T 6 3
As you can see, our two guidelines are easy enough to follow.
Following them results in the best plays most of the time, but an
understanding of WHY they are best will help us figure out when a
specific hand is an exception. It all boils down to how many tricks
declarer can take...
example 1
Partner
♥T86
4
Declarer Dummy
♥AJ3 ♥Q52
You
♥K97
Declarer leads the ♥Q from Dummy. You are in second seat, and our
guideline advises you to cover the honor, even if you expect Declarer
to have the ♥A.
If you cover, how many tricks will Declarer win?
show answer
If instead you don't cover, how many tricks will Declarer win?
show answer
Whether you cover or not, your ♥K will not win a trick because it's
poorly placed with Declarer's ace ready to capture it. But if you cover
the honor played from Dummy, you can hold Declarer to only two
heart tricks. Covering the queen forces Declarer to play two of his
honors (♥Q and ♥A) on the same trick, promoting Partner's ♥T to a
third round winner.
At the table you cannot see Declarer's cards, so you might hope he
doesn't have the ♥A. If that's the case, would it be better to play or
withhold your ♥K?
Let's move Declarer's ♥A into Partner's hand and take a closer look...
example 2
Partner
♥AT6
4
Declarer Dummy
♥J83 ♥Q52
You
♥K97
If you squish the ♥Q, Partner's ♥A-T plays after Declarer's ♥J. There
will be no tricks here for Declarer.
But if you fail to squish the ♥Q, Partner will have to play his ♥A on
the ♥Q, and Declarer will later make a trick by leading toward his ♥J.
Comparing examples 1 and 2, we see that it doesn't matter whether

Declarer or Partner holds the ace. Either way it's best to cover the
honor.
example 3
Partner
♣T54
Declarer Dummy
♣AJ832 ♣Q6
You
♣K97
Once again Dummy leads an honor.
Suppose you suspect that Declarer has the ace.
show answer
example 4
Partner
♦?
Dummy Declarer
♦Q72 ♦4
You
♦KT3
This time Dummy is on your left, and Declarer leads low toward
the ♦Q. You can be sure of winning the trick if you rise with the ♦K.
Is that a good idea? show answer
Why is it best to play low? You want to give Partner a chance to

squish the ♦Q, and you want to retain the chance to squish
Declarer's ♦J, if he has it. Covering honors promotes lesser honors,
and – good news – you own the ♦T!
The next diagram reveals Declarer's actual holding.
example 5
Partner
♦A85
Dummy Declarer
♦Q72 ♦J964
You
♦KT3
You play low on the first round, and Declarer puts up Dummy's ♦Q,
losing to Partner's ♦A.
After Partner's ♦A captures the ♦Q, how many additional diamond
tricks can you win?
show answer
If instead, you win the first trick with your ♦K, Partner's ♦A will be the
only future diamond trick for the defense. So sad. Partner will then
scribble a note on her scorecard, reminding herself to ask you later
why you didn't play Second Hand Low with your ♦K. You will have no
good answer...
"OK, I get it. If I can't cover an honor then I play low. But you said
there are a lot of exceptions. Can you show me an exception?"
Yes, Little Bear. The main exception is when Declarer leads from
equal honors. The next diagram shows what I mean.
Exceptions to the cover an honor guideline

example 6
Partner
♠?
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠QJ9
You
♠K53
This is our first exception to the general rule cover an honor with an
honor.
Exception: When Declarer leads from equal honors, cover the last
one.
Declarer's ♠Q and ♠J are equal honors, so play low now and cover
the second one.
If declarer leads from three honors (like ♠ Q J T 6), play low for the
first two honors and cover the third one.
example 7
Partner
♥?
Dummy Declarer
♥AQT2 ♥J
You
♥K53
Declarer owns the ♥Q, ♥J, and ♥T. But this is NOT leading from equal
honors. None of the equal honors are in the hand he is leading from.
Why is it correct to cover? Well... to figure that out, try to imagine what
cards Partner could hold so covering promotes a future winner for her.
If you cover the honor, Dummy will hold the heart masters for three
rounds of the suit.
But what about the fourth round? What must Partner hold to win the
fourth round?
show answer
This hand illustrates an important truth about second

hand play. You should make the right play even though
it may not matter.
Partner may not hold the cards you are hoping for. But you cover the
honor anyway, just in case she does. If Partner turns out not to
hold ♥9xxx, you lose nothing by covering because Declarer was going
to make four heart tricks no matter what you play. But you would lose
both a trick and Partner's trust if you play low and it turns out that
Partner does indeed hold the promotable ♥9xxx.
example 8
Partner
♠?
Dummy Declarer
♠A874 ♠J
You
♠Q53
Now let's move on to our next exception to the general rule cover an
honor with an honor.
Exception: Don't cover when Declarer owns all the promoted honors.
If you cover the honor, what cards that you can't see are promoted?
show answer
Suppose Declarer has opened the bidding with 1♠, promising 5+

spades. What is the maximum number of spades Partner could then
hold?
show answer
Do you cover the honor? show answer
Our second exception tells us to play low. Don't cover the ♠J.
There are two ways playing low might save a trick. First, if Partner
holds a singleton ♠K, you won't crash your two honors under Dummy's
ace. That would be embarrassing!
Second, if Partner holds only a spot card, Declarer might decide to go
up with the ♠A, planning to cash the ♠K next. Declarer's hope is that
the 4 outstanding spades divide 2 and 2 with the ♠Q dropping. On
this deal, he will be disappointed – as long as you don't cover.
Exceptions to the play low guideline

example 9
Partner
♦?
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦Q743
You
♦A96
So far we have treated our examples as if they were the only suits in
each deal. When you learn to play bridge, that's a good way to begin.
But sometimes considerations of the hand as a whole are more

important than what's best for just one suit.
Our guidelines suggest that you play low when Dummy leads the ♦3,
waiting to play your ♦A later when you can capture Dummy's ♦Q. If
diamonds were the only suit that mattered, that would be correct. It
would save a trick whenever Partner holds a diamond honor that can
be promoted. And you'll be able to take your ♦A later if it turns out that
Declarer holds all the other diamond honors.
Now let's put this diamond suit into a whole hand...
example 10
Partner (N)
♠AQ8742
♥Q64
♦J52
♣2
Declarer (W) Dummy (E)

♠K63 ♠T5
♥AK ♥J752
♦KT8 ♦Q743
♣AQJ53 ♣K76
You (S)
♠J9
♥T98
♦A96
♣T94
Partner opens the bidding with a weak two, promising a 6 card suit,
and West decides to guess that he can make 9 tricks in notrump.
Partner East You West
2♠ P P 3N
Partner leads a spade, won by Declarer with the ♠K.
The second trick is a club to Dummy's ♣K, and the ♦3 is led from
Dummy. Our guideline says to play low. But consider the hand as a
whole before playing.
How many tricks can Declarer take if you play low?
show answer
How many tricks can Partner take if you fly with the ♦A and return his
long suit?
show answer
Hmmm... Follow the play low guideline and Declarer takes 9 tricks.
Or, fly with your ♦A and Declarer only gets 7 tricks. That's an easy
choice.
Exception: Don't play low when you can take the setting tricks.
"Wait a minute. How did you know Partner's spade suit was
established? Couldn't Declarer have another winning spade honor?"
No he couldn't, Little Bear. We use "the rule of 11" in situations like

this.
Playing fourth best leads, subtract the card led (7♠) from 11, and the
answer is how many cards in the other three hands are higher than
the card led.
11 - 7 = 4. Four cards higher than the 7.
Dummy has 1, you have 2, and Declarer has played 1. There are none
left for Declarer. Smile... then rise with the ♦A and beat the contract by
returning Partner's spade suit.
Splitting honors
example 11
Partner
♣?
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣972
You
♣KQ6
If you need to make two club tricks, follow the general guideline
and play low.
But if you need to capture the lead before Declarer scores two club
tricks and makes his contract, play one of your honors.
This is called "splitting your honors." When you split honors, choose
your card as if Partner had led the suit (lowest of equals).
Some partnerships don't make the agreement to split with the lowest
of equal honors. They either split high or vary their play based on
table position or specific honors held. I believe "splitting low" is best
for beginners because it can be played the same way in all
circumstances, and it's easy to remember. That's important for
beginners.
example 12
Partner
♥?
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥732
You
♥QJT6
Your honors are strong enough to play one even though Dummy has
led a spot card.
Which one do you play? show answer
example 13
Partner
♠?
Dummy Declarer
♠AT74 ♠5
You
♠QJ6
If Declarer has the ♠K, there is a danger than he will insert the ♠T,
winning a trick cheaply and dropping your ♠QJ when he later cashes
his ♠AK.
How can you prevent that? show answer
The only flaw in this plan is if Partner holds a singleton ♠K, splitting
would crash two of your honors, and make only one trick when you
should have made two. So when The ♠5 is led, you must consider
what you know about the hand and judge the likelihood of Partner
holding a singleton ♠K.
example 14
Partner
♣?
Dummy Declarer
♣A974 ♣5
You
♣QJ62
This is similar to example 13, except Dummy has the 9 instead of the
T. In addition, you have a four card holding.
If you split your honors you will make certain of one trick because your
remaining honor will play after Declarer's imagined ♣K.
But splitting gives Declarer an easy path to three tricks whenever he
holds the ♣Kxx. He'll win the ♣A, win the ♣K, and lead toward the ♣9
(Partner being then void).
Now suppose Partner's doubleton includes the ♣T. How can you
prevent Declarer from making three tricks?
show answer
The differences between examples 13 and 14 are

subtle. A beginner may not solve such positions the first
few times they arise at the table. But if you play through
them carefully here, the correct patterns will take root in
your memory.
example 15
Partner
♦?
Dummy Declarer
♦AJ8 ♦4
You
♦KT93
Suppose Partner holds the ♦Qxx. The danger is that Declarer will
insert the ♦8, forcing the ♦Q, and later finesse your ♦K for two tricks.
How do you prevent this? show answer
And if Declarer holds the ♦Q, splitting your honors holds him to two
tricks instead of three.
example 16
Partner
♥?
Dummy Declarer
♥A874 ♥J
You
♥Q6
This is the trump suit, so you know Declarer holds a 4 or 5 card suit.
He would not lead the ♥J if he didn't also have the ♥T, so you know
he can finesse your ♥Q.
Would covering the ♥J give you or Partner a chance of making a trick

from a promoted honor?
show answer
In general you should assume that Declarer holds the immediately

promoted honor whenever he leads a Q or a J toward Dummy's A or
K. And you should wait to cover the second honor, not the first one.
example 17
Partner
♠?
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠J42
You
♠Q6
This looks like example 16, except the lead comes from the Dummy.
Do you cover? show answer
You should cover whenever you can't see the promoted card. Your
hope is that partner holds it.
Unlike example 16, it would be silly to assume the lead comes from
equal honors. One look at the Dummy confirms that's not true.
Summary for second hand play
1. Cover an honor with an honor.
If the lead is from equal honors, cover the last one
Don't cover if Declarer owns all the promoted honors.
2. Play Second Hand Low.

Don't play low when you can take the setting tricks.
Split honors to prevent Declarer from winning a trick cheaply.
What Is Declarer's Plan?
♠ ♥ ♦♣
By Ralph Welton
Defense is difficult. You don't have the advantage of seeing all of your
partnership's cards. You see only your own cards and the dummy.
This makes coordinating the play between your hand and partner's
hand difficult.
Fortunately, your opponents' bidding and declarer's first plays will

often "tell" you how to defend. After declarer counts his winners and
losers, he will make a plan to reduce his losers.
Whatever declarer's plan, your goal is to arrange for it to fail.
What kinds of plans can declarer make to reduce

the losers in his hand?
In the game of bridge, there are only three basic plans.
Declarer can...
1. trump his losers with dummy's trumps

2. discard losers in his hand on extra winners in dummy
3. lead toward losing honors and finesse
Each plan has a defensive counter-measure,

though not guaranteed to succeed.
For plan 1 (trump losers with dummy's trumps), lead trumps as many
times as you can to cut down on dummy's ruffing power.
For plan 2 (discard losers on extra winners in dummy), cash your

winners (declarer's losers) in side suits before declarer can discard
them.
For plan 3 (finesse), avoid leading away from unsupported honors.

Wait for declarer to take his losing finesses.
Sometimes declarer will use combinations of the three basic plans.
For example, declarer might trump a loser in one suit (plan 1), and
finesse in another suit (plan 3). Or he might finesse (plan 3), creating
an extra winner in that same suit, and later use it for a discard (plan 2).
In such cases you will use a combination of counter measures.
While it's true there exist complex declarer plans beyond these three
basics, you must MASTER the basics first before turning your
attention to more advanced counter measures.
Let's look at some examples.
Trump losers in dummy (plan 1)

example 1
Partner
Dummy
♠Q86
♥J942 Declarer
♦AQT83
♣9
You
♥KQT3
You lead the ♥K against declarer's spade contract. He wins with

the ♥A in his hand, and leads a club.
Why isn't he pulling trump? show answer
What is his plan when he leads a club?
show answer
Can you arrange for his plan to fail?
Maybe. Either you or partner must win the club lead and lead trumps –
the suggested counter measure when declarer plans to trump losers in
dummy (plan 1). If you are lucky enough to have the ♠A, lead it. It will
win. Then lead spades a second time. Leading trump twice is even
better than leading trump once. After your trump lead(s), declarer may
have more club losers than he has spades remaining in the dummy.
Can you limit declarer to only one club ruff?
Probably. If you can lead trump a second time, that will do it. With only
three trumps in the dummy, two trump leads will prevent a second ruff.
Declarer will win the first trump lead in his hand, and lead a second
club, trumping it in the dummy (plan 1). He would like to lead a third
club and trump it. But the lead is (from his point of view) in the wrong
hand.
How many trumps does he have left in the dummy?
One. You led trump once and he trumped clubs once. That's two
spades played and one spade left.
Will declarer lead a spade from dummy?
No. He's trying to trump another club (plan 1). If he leads his last
spade, he will not be able to use it for trumping.
Declarer will lead a red card from dummy, which you will win if you
can. Then you lead another trump (counter measure 1). This limits
declarer to only one club ruff.
Discard losers on extra winners in dummy (plan 2)

example 2
Partner
Dummy
♠Q86 Declarer
♥J942
♦AQT83
♣9
You
♥KQT3
This is the same dummy as the previous example, but declarer makes
a different play, implying a different plan.

the ♥A in his hand, and plays the ♦K.
Why isn't he clearing away dummy's singleton club?
show answer
Which of the three basic plans is declarer following?
show answer
See if you can think of two possible answers to this question. Why isn't
he pulling trump before leading diamonds?
show answer
Is declarer planning to reduce losers in hearts or clubs?
show answer
Can you arrange for his plan to fail?
Possibly, but not likely. The counter measure for plan 2 is to cash your
winner(s) before declarer can take his discard(s). Unfortunately,
declarer has the lead so you may not be able to stop him.
If you can get the lead, cash the ♥Q (counter measure 2).
How might you get the lead?

1. If declarer leads another diamond, you might be able to
trump it, giving you the lead to cash your ♥Q (counter
measure 2).
2. If declarer held a singleton ♦K, he will now have to lead
another suit. You may have a winner in this other suit, which
gives you the lead. This other suit might be either clubs or
spades.
Why won't this other suit be hearts?
show answer
Lead toward losing honors and finesse (plan 3)
When declarer follows plan 3, it will usually succeed or fail based

solely on the location of the missing high cards. For example...
example 3
Partner
♣JT8
5
Dummy Declarer
♣963 ♣AQ
You
♣K742
Declarer has a club "loser" – the ♣Q. So he decides to finesse for the
missing ♣K (plan 3). This fails because the ♣K is off sides for
declarer. In cases like this, where the finesse loses, a defender must
be careful not to ruin a good thing!
You must avoid leading up to declarer's losing honor. Avoid

leading clubs until after declarer tries, and loses, the finesse.
This counter measure has no urgency to it. There is nothing you must
accomplish in the other suits – just avoid leading clubs.
Note that it's OK for partner to lead clubs. He's not leading up to
declarer's losing honor. He's leading up to a worthless dummy,
generally a good lead. If partner leads clubs, declarer still has to
finesse in hopes of avoiding a club loser (plan 3), and the finesse still
loses to your ♣K.
Now let's switch the defensive hands.
example 4
Partner
♣K74
2
Dummy Declarer
♣963 ♣AQ
You
♣JT85
After the switch, the ♣K is on sides and declarer's finesse wins.
The only possible counter measure is to prevent dummy from ever

gaining the lead. Finessing (plan 3) requires a lead from dummy. If
declarer is forced to play clubs from his own hand, he will be unable to
follow his plan of finessing (plan 3), and partner's ♣K will score a trick.
How can a defender prevent dummy from gaining the lead?

It's a rare hand where this is possible. It often involves a hold-up
play. Let's look at an example deal where you can keep dummy off
lead.
example 5
Partner
♠AK7
♥QT83
♦876
♣9865
Declarer Dummy
♠QJT943 ♠65
♥AK ♥742
♦K5 ♦QT93
♣AQ5 ♣JT32
You
♠82
♥J965
♦AJ42
♣K74
The contract is 4 ♠.
Partner starts the defense by leading three rounds of trump, the ♠A,
the ♠K, and then the ♠7. (You give silent thanks that he didn't lead
clubs.)
Declarer wins the third round of trump and leads the ♦K.
Do you take this trick?
yes no
Little Bear asks, "How can I tell that the hold up is the best play? I
remember a wise old bear who said to always play the ace when the
king is singleton."
That's right, Little Bear. There's something called count signals that
let partner warn you to take your ace right away. But I don't
recommend using count signals just yet.
You have to walk before you can run. First pay attention to the three
basic plans declarer might adopt.
On this deal, you know your ♣K is not well placed and is likely to be
finessable. So you take the counter measure of holding up your ♦A to
keep dummy off lead.
Practice hands
example 6
Partner
Dummy
♠Q86
♥J942 Declarer
♦KJT83
♣9
You
♥KQT3
This is similar to example 1, but declarer makes a different play,
implying a different plan.

the ♥A in his hand, and leads back the ♥5.
What is declarer's plan? Running through a few questions about the

three basic plans will help you figure that out.
Why isn't declarer clearing clubs from dummy?
show answer
If declarer isn't going to trump clubs in dummy, why isn't he pulling

trump?
show answer
Why isn't declarer leading diamonds?
show answer
Declarer is trying to reduce losers by leading toward dummy's "losing"

honor (plan 3). He knows from your opening lead that you hold
the ♥Q, and that his ♥J will become a winner if he leads toward it.
How many hearts did declarer start with? To answer this question, you
must assume that his play at trick two is reasonable.
show answer
Is declarer planning to discard a diamond or a club on his ♥J?
show answer
How do you counter declarer's plan?
show answer
example 7
Partner
Dummy
♠QT6
Declarer ♥42
♦AJT32
♣873
You
Spades are trump. Let's look at the plans declarer might use to reduce
his losers.
Could declarer plan to lead toward losing honors and finesse?
show answer
Could he plan to discard losers on extra winners in dummy?
show answer
Could declarer plan to trump losers in dummy?
show answer
Can he pull trump first and still be able to trump losers later?
show answer
Now let's look at how declarer's play "tells" us which of

these plans he is trying to follow.
example 8
Partner
♥K
Dummy
Declarer ♠QT6
♥42
♦AJT32
♣873
You
♠97
♥J98
♦K864
♣9652
Partner leads the ♥K against declarer's spade contract.
You play the ♥9, to show the ♥J.
Declarer wins and leads back a small heart.
What is declarer planning?
show answer
Partner plays low on declarer's heart lead and you win with your ♥8.
What should you lead? show answer
Let's start the same hand over, with declarer making a different plan.
example 9
Partner
♥K
Dummy
♠QT6
Declarer ♥42
♦AJT32
♣873
You
♠97
♥J98
♦K864
♣9652
Partner leads the ♥K against declarer's spade contract.
You play the ♥9, to show the ♥J.
Declarer wins and leads back ♦Q, playing low from dummy.
What is declarer doing? show answer
Why didn't declarer pull trump first?
show answer
What was declarer planning to discard on his extra diamond

winner(s)?
show answer
What do you lead as a counter measure?
show answer
Partner wins your club lead and returns a heart to your jack. Now what
do you do?
show answer
Sometimes you can figure out what declarer's plan will be even before
declarer has the chance to "tell" you his plan by which suit he plays
first.
example 10
Partner
♥3
Dummy
♠T63
Declarer ♥42
♦QT62
♣AJ73
You
♠97
♥AJT9
♦K84
♣QT52
Partner leads the ♥3 against their spade contract.
What can you tell from partner's lead?
show answer
How many hearts does declarer hold?
show answer
Are any of declarer's hearts losers?
show answer
Can you tell how declarer will try to reduce his losers?
show answer
Begin your counter measures immediately. Win the opening lead with
your ♥A, and lead a trump.
Little Bear would like to summarize:

"There are three basic plans declarer can follow to reduce his losers."
"Each plan has a defensive counter measure."
"There are more advanced plans and counter measures, but I'm
sticking to the basics... for now."
Signaling on Defense
♠♥♦♣
By Ralph Welton
Good defense requires a coordination of plays between yourself and

your partner. This in turn requires timely communications about
specific honors and distribution. In short, you have to send your
partner signals.
We've already looked at signals (agreements) about specific honors

and suit length for opening leads and third hand play. Defensive
signals are extensions of those same agreements.
There are three main kinds of defensive signals:

• Attitude Signals tell if you like or don't like a suit.
• Count Signals tell how many cards you have in the suit.
• Suit Preference Signals tell which other suit you want
Partner to lead.
Of these three kinds of signals, attitude is by far the most common

and the most useful. That's where we'll start.
Attitude Signals
Showing attitude when following suit

Your "attitude" toward a suit Partner has led shows whether you like
it and want partner to lead it again, or you don't like it and you'd prefer
that Partner switch to a different suit.
How do you show attitude?
• high spot card = something good in the suit, usually an honor

card
• low spot card = nothing good in the suit
example 1
Partner
♥Q
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ K84
You
♥ AT93
Partner leads the ♥Q, promising the ♥J, and declarer decides to play
low from the dummy. You like the lead because you have the ♥A
waiting to squish Dummy's ♥K. You might say you have a very
positive attitude toward the suit Partner has chosen.
How do you "tell" Partner to continue hearts?
show answer
example 2
Partner
♣K
Declarer Dummy
♣? ♣ T64
You
♣ J873
Partner leads the ♣K, and you have a filling honor. Good news! Play
an encouraging spot card to tell Partner your attitude.
show answer
The signals that are easiest for Partner to "read" (figure
out) are the lowest spot card you own (for negative
attitude), or the highest spot card you can afford (for
positive attitude). Middle spot cards run the risk of
confusing Partner.
example 3
Partner
♦ KQT5
Declarer Dummy
♦ AJ6 ♦ 974
You
♦ 832
Partner leads the ♦K, but this time you do not have a filling honor. Play
a discouraging spot card to tell Partner your attitude.
show answer
If Declarer wins this trick, Partner's ♦Q-T will sit over Declarer's ♦J-6,
so Declarer will make no future diamond tricks.
But suppose Declarer plays the ♦6 on the first trick. If Partner then
makes the mistake of leading a second diamond up to Declarer's ♦A-
J, Declarer will make two tricks. (Declarer's ploy is known as the Bath
Coup.) That's why Partner will pay close attention to your attitude card
when she leads from K-Q, only continuing the suit when you show that
you have a filling honor.
Showing attitude with discards

When you run out of a suit you can discard any card in your hand.
That gives you an opportunity to send Partner an attitude
signal about the suit you choose.
example 4
Partner
♠
♥
♦J
♣
Dummy Declarer
♠ 964 ♠
♥ 964 ♥
♦ T6 ♦Q
♣ AJT64 ♣
You
♠ J853
♥ AJT5
♦ 8742
♣6
You lead the ♦8 against 3N.
You can see there is no future in Diamonds, because Partner fails to

play a big diamond on the first trick. (Declarer has all of the big
diamonds.)
How does Partner also know there is no future in diamonds?
show answer
When Declarer plays clubs, you can discard on the second round.
How do you tell Partner that you prefer hearts to spades? (two correct
answers)
show answer
You can always give a negative attitude signal for the suit you don't
want because you don't need to save those cards. But you may not be
able to discard a high card in the suit you do want because you may
need all your cards in that suit to take tricks.
A special case...
When you lead fourth best against a NT contract, it's normal to save
all your spot cards as future skaters.
If instead, you discard one of them, it's a negative attitude

signal about your own suit. And it doesn't matter whether you discard
a high or a low spot card – any card is negative, suggesting you are
no longer interested in setting up your suit.
Showing positive attitude with a doubleton

example 5
Partner
♠A
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ Q54
You
♠ 932
At a trump contract, Partner leads the ♠A, promising the ♠K.
You have no help in spades, so you follow with a low spot card – a
negative attitude signal. You expect Partner to abandon the suit. After
all, another round of spades would set up Dummy's ♠Q, helping
Declarer.
But suppose you have only a doubleton...
example 6
Partner
♠A
Declarer Dummy
♠? ♠ Q54
You
♠ 92
Now you would like Partner to cash the ♠K, and lead a third round for
you to trump, killing Dummy's ♠Q.
Play a high spot card, encouraging Partner to lead more spades. If

dummy didn't hold the ♠Q, Partner wouldn't know if you were planning
to win the third round with a trump or with the ♠Q.
Of course if this were a NT contract, you wouldn't encourage Parter to

set up Dummy's ♠Q. You'd play the ♠2.
example 7
Partner
♥A
Declarer Dummy
♥? ♥ 954
You
♥ Q2
Remember reading about Third Hand Play? You learned the bridge
convention of playing the Q under Partner's ace only when you also
have the J. Playing the Queen promises the Jack.
On this hand, you don't have the ♥J, so you cannot play the ♥Q. It's
unfortunate that you must play the ♥2 which tells Partner that you
have no help in this suit when the truth is that you do have help.
It often frustrates beginners that they cannot signal what

they have to Partner. Think of it this way... It's better to
play the correct card and be a little frustrated, than to play
the wrong card and have Partner VERY frustrated that
you misled her.
example 8
Partner
♦K
Declarer Dummy
♦? ♦ 854
You
♦ 92
Partner leads the ♦K. You'd like to trump the third round of diamonds.
But wait...
What do you promise if you play a high spot card in this situation?
show answer
Remember what we learned in example 3... if Declarer has the ♦A-J,

Partner must not lead a second diamond or she presents Declarer
with the gift of a second diamond trick. That's why your attitude signal
can only show a doubleton after Partner leads from an A-K
combination. After leads from other honor combinations, your attitude
signal shows a filling honor.
Count Signals
Learn count signals – a powerful tool
Count Signals enable you to tell Partner if you have an even or an
odd number of cards in a specific suit. Partner can then figure out how
many cards Declarer has in that suit, and plan her defense
accordingly.
Playing a high card followed by a lower one indicates an even number

of cards. Playing a low card followed by a higher one indicates an odd
number of cards.
• high-low = even
• low-high = odd
Usually Partner can figure out your even-or-odd message after you've
played the first card. Like this...
example 9
Partner
♣2
Dummy Declarer
♣ KJT64 ♣Q
You
♣ A93
Dummy leads a club and partner gives a count signal with the ♣2.
How many clubs does Partner's count signal show?
show answer
How does it help your defense to know the count?

If you win your ace too soon, Declarer will still have a small club to
lead to the Dummy and cash future club winners. What you want to do
is win your ace when Declarer plays his last club. Let's look at a
complete deal and see why that might matter...
example 10
Partner
♠ KQT4
♥ 752
♦ J92
♣ 852
Dummy Declarer
♠ J62 ♠ A97
♥ K4 ♥ Q93
♦ T65 ♦ AKQ73
♣ KJT64 ♣ Q7
You
♠ 853
♥ AJT86
♦ 84
♣ A63
Against 3NT you lead the ♥J, won by Dummy with the ♥K.
At trick two, Declarer tries to drive out your ♣A.
If you win this trick, Declarer will enjoy four future club tricks, making
eleven tricks in all.
If you win the second club, Declarer will have no entry in the dummy
and will score no future club tricks. In fact, Declarer will no longer be
able to make his contract. 11 tricks or 8 tricks! Quite a profit for
Partner's count signal.
Notice that waiting to win your ♣A when Declarer shows out of clubs
(on the third round) allows Declarer to make his 3NT contract. 1 heart
trick, 1 spade, 5 diamonds, and 2 clubs = 9 tricks.
How do you know when a signal is attitude and when it's count?
• Attitude applies after defenders' leads.

• Count applies after Declarer's leads.
Neither applies when you're trying to win the trick.
Count Signals – Learn Them Now. Use Them

Later.
Count Signals are a powerful addition to the defenders available tools.
Advanced players use them frequently.
However.... I recommend that beginners use count signals in only one

specific situation – when Dummy has a long suit and no side suit entry
(see example hand 10).
In fact, you may be wisest to ignore count signals all together.
Why would I say that? Because beginners can be overwhelmed by too

many things to think about.
It's difficult enough learning to use attitude signals to place the

honors, while simultaneously thinking about declarer's plans and how
to counter them.
Not to mention the clues that come from the bidding, and negative
implications from bids and plays not made...
When should a beginner advance to using count signals? Only after

you've become proficient with attitude signals and start wishing for
more information in the middle of a bridge hand.
Wait a minute... I should have said to start using count signals only
after you AND your partner start wishing for more information in the
middle of a bridge hand.
Suit Preference Signals

Suit preference signals when partner trumps
When you lead a card for Partner to trump, your spot card is a suit
preference signal suggesting what suit to lead back. A high spot card
suggests the higher ranking suit. A low spot card suggests the lower
ranking suit. Like this...
example 11 – an obvious singleton
Partner
♠
♥4
♦
♣
Declarer Dummy
♠ ♠ AJ62
♥5 ♥ KQ8
♦ ♦ 975
♣ ♣ 975
You
♠ T7
♥ AJ9632
♦ AT8
♣ J8
The contract is 4♠.
Partner leads the ♥4, and you win with your ♥A.
How do you know Partner's ♥4 is a singleton?
show answer
Which heart do you return?
show answer
Partner returns the ♦3. You asked for a diamond, so the choice of suit
doesn't tell you anything. But what does Partner's choice of a low spot
card mean?
show answer
example 12 – a potential problem
Partner
♠
♥
♦ A3
♣
Dummy Declarer
♠ AQT7 ♠
♥ 643 ♥
♦ QT72 ♦4
♣ 984 ♣
You
♠ J84
♥ T9875
♦5
♣ KJ62
You lead your singleton diamond against a spade contract. Partner

wins and returns the ♦3 for you to trump.
Who has the ♦K?
show answer
What do you infer from Partner's lead of the ♦3?
show answer
You should always try to see each situation from Partner's point of
view. Did Partner know you were going to trump the second round of
diamonds? Or did she think your opening lead was low from a suit
headed by the ♦K?
If she didn't realize you led a singleton, she wouldn't have been
thinking about suit preference. In that case, the ♦3 would not be a
request for a club lead, and returning a club could cost the defense a
trick if Declarer holds the ♣AQ.
Often the bidding makes it obvious when a lead is a singleton. For

example, if Declarer had bid diamonds, Partner would know your ♦5
was a singleton. There's no other justification for leading Declarer's
suit.
Suit preference signals can be used in more situations than when

giving Partner a ruff. Some players use them to excess – when
discarding and even when following suit. I strongly recommend that
beginners use them only when giving Partner an obvious ruff.
Even restricting suit preference to "obvious" situations isn't foolproof.

What's "obvious" to one player may not be to another. That's one of
the reasons beginners may be better off using only attitude signals
until they become more experienced.
Discarding
♠♥♦♣
By Ralph Welton
Skillful discarding passes useful information to Partner, preserves your

good cards for future tricks, and avoids helping Declarer. Learn a few
bridge guidelines that illustrate these plays.
Attitude discards are signals for partner

Discard a low card to tell Partner you have no interest in the suit
discarded. Usually this means you have no high honors in the suit.
Sometimes you may have a high honor, but you'd prefer that Partner
play a different suit.
Discard a high card to say you do have a high honor, or that you'd
like Partner to play the suit.
For example, holding ♠AQ962 – discard the ♠9 if you

want Partner to lead spades, or the ♠2 if you want
Partner to play something else.
example 1
You
♠ 864
♥ T752
♦ AQT3
♣ 72
Partner leads a small spade against your opponents' no-trump

contract. When you are unable to beat Dummy's ♠T, Partner learns
that you have no help in spades (no honors in spades).
Declarer then plays three rounds of clubs, giving you the chance to tell
Partner something with a discard.
Which discard says you don't have much to contribute in hearts?
show answer
Which discard says you have something good in diamonds?
show answer
Which discard is better?

Usually the negative attitude card (low card = "no help") is better. On
this hand, you want to preserve both your high cards and your four-
card length in diamonds (hoping for a future diamond skater). That
gives you the best chance of taking extra diamond tricks.
For example, if this is the layout of the diamond suit...
example 2
Partner
♦ 852
Declarer Dummy
♦ 974 ♦ KJ6
You
♦ AQT3
Two diamond leads from Partner will enable you to finesse twice and
take four diamond tricks – three high cards and one skater.
But if you discard the ♦T as a signal, Declarer would have a diamond

stopper, the ♦9. You would have only two high card winners, with no
skater. That would reduce you to only two diamond tricks. Oops...
wrong discard.
Is the negative attitude discard always better? No! High card discards
are a stronger message to Partner than low card discards.
So if you can set the contract with only two diamond tricks (more likely
at a trump contract than at notrump), the ♦T may be the better discard.
Attitude Discards...
• low card = "no help"
• high card = "something good in this suit"
• be careful not to discard any card needed for taking a future
trick
example 3
You
♠ KJ82
♥ Q943
♦ 832
♣ 72
What would these discards mean?
♠8 ♥3 ♦8 ♣2
Protect your honors

Keep enough spot cards to follow suit when higher honors are played.
♣Q8743 – You will need two spot cards to follow suit when the ♣A
and ♣K are played. Your ♣Q may then be a third round winner. So
you can discard only two clubs safely.
♥K5 – You have no extra spot cards to discard. You will need your ♥5
to follow suit when the ♥A takes a trick. Your ♥K can then take the
second heart trick.
♠AQ42 – The ♠Q is a third round winner, so you will need to keep one
spot card to play when the ♠K is played. Only one discard is safe,
unless you can see the ♠K in the dummy on your right. In that case,
you are guaranteed a winning finesse and you can discard two small
spades.
example 4
You
♠ K94
♥ AK72
♦ Q943
♣ Q2
How many cards can you discard in each suit and still keep your
honors protected?
show answer
What about this suit: ♦T642? There are four diamonds higher than
your ♦T, and you have only a four card suit. It might seem useless to
save your diamond spot cards in a case like this.
But consider what happens if one of the outstanding

honors is captured by a higher honor. They both get
played on the same trick and your ♦T becomes the fourth
round master – provided you don't discard any of your
diamonds.
This is a very important bridge concept to learn. In fact, it

can be surprising how small a card can be and still need
protection by holding spot cards. For example...
example 5
Partner
♥ JT9
Declarer Dummy
♥ K8 ♥ AQ64
You
♥ 7532
If you discard a heart, you will lose four future heart tricks. The fourth
round will be a skater in the dummy.
You can hold Declarer to three heart tricks if you keep all your hearts.
Your ♥7 outranks Dummy's ♥6 and prevents the skater.
There is a phrase to help bridge beginners learn this concept...
"Keep Parity with Dummy."

If your biggest spot card can beat Dummy's biggest spot card, save as
many cards as Dummy holds.
example 6
Partner
♥?
Dummy Declarer
♥ K8 ♥?
You
♥ 7532
This example has the same card layout as the previous example, but
the hand on your right has become Declarer, so you won't see it in
actual play.
You will have to visualize the possibility of Declarer holding four hearts
and realize the importance of holding all your heart spot cards.
This leads us to another bridge guideline, though more difficult to

follow in practice because Declarer's hand is closed.
"Keep Parity with Declarer."

The bidding will be your best clue as to the lengths of Declarer's suits.
A second clue is that Declarer usually attacks his longest suits early in
the hand, leaving his shorter suits until later. Defensive count signals
can uncover the lengths of Declarer's suits, though I recommend that
bridge beginners learn other aspects of the game before trying to use
count signals.
example 7
Partner
♠
♥
♦
♣
Declarer Dummy
♠ ♠ AJ62
♥ ♥ KQ8
♦ ♦ 84
♣ ♣ Q652
You
♠ Q853
♥ AJ96
♦ A92
♣ 74
How many spades can you safely discard?

show answer
How many hearts can you safely discard?
show answer
If this were a notrump contract, and you could get Partner to lead
hearts twice, you would have hopes of winning a heart skater as well
as your heart honors. In that case, you wouldn't want to discard any
hearts at all.
How many diamonds can you safely discard?
show answer
How many clubs can you safely discard?
show answer
Making Choices
Unfortunately, you can rarely keep all of the spot cards you would like
to keep. So you may not be able to protect against all possible
developments in the play of the hand.
But there are clues that can help you figure out which discards are the
best for any given deal.
Let's take another look at example hand 5 and consider various plays
that imply different discards. I'll repeat the diagram for convenience...
example 7 repeated
Partner
♠
♥
♦5
♣
Declarer Dummy
♠ ♠ AJ62
♥ ♥ KQ8
♦ ♦ 84
♣ ♣ Q652
You
♠ Q853
♥ AJ96
♦ A92
♣ 74
West Partner East You
P P P
1♣
1N P P P
What have we learned about Declarer's distribution?
show answer
What have we learned about the missing high card points?
show answer
Partner's opening lead is the ♦5. You win with your ♦A, and return
the ♦9.
Suppose Partner has only four diamonds – all winners. What will you
discard on the fourth round?
show answer
To defeat the contract, Partner will have to win another trick and lead
hearts a second time. You will allow Dummy's honor to win the first
lead. But the second heart lead will trap Dummy's other honor in
your ♥A – ♥J finesse.
Now let's look again at the original position, and consider your
eventual discard if Declarer wins the second trick when you return
the ♦9.
He then leads to Dummy's ♥Q. You like this switch to hearts. One
more heart lead and you can take three heart tricks. Without
hesitating, you duck, allowing the ♥Q to win. Too bad Partner doesn't
know you like what's going on in hearts.
Next, Declarer leads Dummy's ♣Q and takes a finesse, losing to

Partner's ♣K. Good! Partner has the lead. Now, if we can just get him
to lead hearts...
Partner cashes two more diamonds. What discard will you make on
the last diamond?
show answer
Throw a discouraging spade, the ♠3.
You could throw the ♥9 to scream for a heart lead, but that would
throw away the setting trick. This time you need all of your hearts to
take tricks.
It's true you wanted to keep all your spades to keep parity with
Dummy, but guiding Partner to defeat the contract is more important.
Let's try another bridge hand where your discard helps Partner learn
what to lead.
example 8
Partner
♠ K754
♥ 62
♦ K54
♣ KQJ3
Declarer Dummy
♠ AQ ♠ T82
♥ AKJ53 ♥ QT874
♦ A96 ♦ J8
♣ AT8 ♣ 652
You
♠ J963
♥9
♦ QT732
♣ 974
Partner leads the ♣K against a 4♥ contract.
Declarer wins with the ♣A, pulls two rounds of trump, and exits with a
club.
Partner takes her club winners and has to decide which king to lead
away from. If she guesses wrong, Declarer makes the contract.
But it's NOT a guess. How can you help Partner make the right
decision?
show answer
Partner will trust your carding and lead a small diamond, hoping for
the best. The diamond lead works well, and the defense wins two
clubs, a diamond, and a spade to set the contract.
Don't help declarer

example 9
Partner
♣ QT
Dummy Declarer
♣ AJ7643 ♣ K98
You
♣ 52
Declarer doesn't want to lose a trick to the ♣Q. He cashes the ♣K and
leads toward the Dummy.
If you have the queen, he should finesse. And if Partner has the
queen, he should play the ♣A and the queen will drop. He has a 50-50
guess.
Now suppose you've discarded one of your seemingly worthless clubs.

You would then show out on the second round of clubs, and Declarer
will make the 100% play of going up with Dummy's ♣A, dropping
Partner's ♣Q.
Avoid discards that would tell Declarer how an important suit

divides.
example 10
Partner
♥ Q96
Dummy Declarer
♥ KJ4 ♥ AT53
You
♥ 872
Declarer can finesse in either direction for the missing ♥Q.
If he guesses who holds the ♥Q, he will make four heart tricks.
Now suppose you've discarded a small heart. Declarer knows you
wouldn't unguard the ♥Q, so your discard tells him that you don't have
it. He'll finesse Partner for it.
Avoid discards that would tell Declarer the location of a missing

honor.
The problem with defense...
Little Bear says, "I don't know when to follow one guideline, and when
to follow a different one."
Yes, Little Bear, many of our guidelines for discards seem to

contradict one another. For example, is it OK to discard from a small
doubleton because you have no honors to protect, or do you have to
hold those cards to avoid helping Declarer? Can you discard to tell
Partner you have no interest in a suit, or must you save that suit to
keep parity?
Such decisions about which is more important on the hand you are
holding can only be made when you understand each of the questions
you are wondering about. I can't tell you what will be most important
on the next deal you see, but I hope our discussions have helped you
to think about the right issues.
No player gets these decisions right every time, but with experience
you'll get them right more and more often.
One final word... Be aware that things change during the play. For
example, you might decide you have to keep parity with Dummy, but
after a few tricks have been played you realize something else is more
important, so you discard that suit. The faster you make these
reevaluations, the better your defense will become.
This is the last article in the Bridge Defense folder. If
you haven't already read the previous articles in this folder, I
recommend doing so now. Otherwise you can move on to Declarer
Play or Bidding or the most basic folder, How To Win Tricks.

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Bridge Defence

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Bridge Defense for Beginners

Bridge Defense is complicated by seeing only one of the hands in the

Improvements in partnership defense come from learning standard

We'll look at a limited number of topics, but cover them in

Let's get started!

Defensive topics for beginners

♥ Placing the Honors

Standard agreements for opening leads

Lead the ♠K.

Lead the ♥Q.

Lead the ♦J.

Lead the ♣J.

Lead the ♠T.

Lead the ♦T.

Lead the ♣A.

2. A spot card shows if you have an honor or two in the suit...

• low spot says "Yes, I have an honor."

Lead the ♠6.

♥QT42 Lead the ♥2.

♦J53 Lead the ♦3.

♠842 Lead the ♠8.

♥87654 Lead the ♥8.

♦K985 Lead the ♦5.

♠K76532 Lead the ♠5.

♥QT432 Lead the ♥3.

♦J987532 Lead the ♦7.

♣KJ865 Lead the ♣6.

4. Lead high from any doubleton.

♠96 Lead the ♠9.

Lead the ♥Q.

Lead the ♦3.

Lead the ♣K.

Let's start with...

The suit to lead against notrump contracts

On other hands, what's required instead is patience,

So our first rule for opening leads is...

The contract is 3NT. Partner has not bid.

The contract is 3NT. Partner bid hearts.

The contract is 3NT.

Partner has bid hearts and raised your spades.

Lead partner's suit in preference to your own, unless...

✔ Partner raised your suit, or...

✔ You only have a singleton in partner's suit, or...

✔ You can defeat the contract without partner's help

It would be nice if we were always dealt a long, strong suit. It would

The contract is 3NT. Partner didn't bid.

The contract is 3NT. Partner didn't bid. Declarer bid hearts.

Does it matter that declarer has bid our best suit?

What if dummy bid hearts? Would we still AVOID an opening lead in

In addition, declarer will have the advantage of playing last with

Opening leads to avoid...

✔ Suits bid by your opponents, especially declarer.

✔ 3-card or 4-card suits with only one honor.

✔ 3-card or 4-card suits headed by A-Q or K-J. This kind of broken

"Hey wait a minute! If I avoid all that, what's left to

Good question, Little Bear! What's left is an entirely different style of

The contract is 3NT. Partner didn't bid. Declarer bid hearts.

The ♠9 is a passive lead, sometimes called a protecting

The contract is 3NT. Partner didn't bid. Declarer bid hearts.

Lead ♠7 in preference to the ♦7.

The contract is 3NT.

Declarer opened 1N. Dummy raised to 2N, and declarer went on to

The contract is 3NT. Dummy bid hearts.

We have no longest and strongest suit. It looks like we need a passive