Card Play (Defence)
- Don’t play a card without a reason
- Don’t lead an unsupported Ace unless it’s a singleton
- Don’t lead away from an Ace
- AK is a good lead
- Lead a singleton
- High/low shows a doubleton
- Lead partners suit (not in NT if you have only a singleton)
- Lead Ace of long suit if opposition are likely to be short
- In a slam, take your winners early
- Lead a low card to promise an honour
- Lead top of a sequence
- In NT, lead the 4th highest of the longest suit (rule of 11)
- Keep playing the lead suit to unblock winning tricks
- In NT lead the unbid major
- In NT lead dummy’s second suit
- Return partners lead
- If the suit which is led has no hope, then switch
- Cover an honour with an honour
- Promote low honours
- Lead into weakness in dummy
- Don’t lead to a winner in dummy and allow a discard
- Draw trumps in declarers long trump hand
- Look out for signals and play as a team
- A low lead means you like the suit. A high lead means you hate the suit
- A high response means like, a low response means hate (or reverse)
- Long suits in dummy can be used for discards. Take your winners early
- Short suits in dummy give ruffing chances, lead trumps
- Where do you want the lead from?
- If partner leads an Ace and then another suit, the Ace is a singleton