Play like a tortoise, not like a hare

13 tricks is a long time. It is not the 60 yard dash, rather the 10,000 metres. As declarer you should be most reluctant to play out your top tricks early. Play like a tortoise, being happy to give up early tricks, prepared to polish up towards the end; not like a hare, who loves to play out his aces and kings as soon as possible. We know the fable – apply it to the table.

On our introductory deal, trick one goes ♥ 3, ♥ 2, ♥ J, ♥ K. As declarer you count six top tricks, ♠ AK, ♥ AK, ♣ AK. The hare would immediately cash those tricks – off to a flying start. However that would be the end of the road, for when the hare necessarily loses the lead at trick seven, the defence would have promoted winners in every suit and would win the remainder. Down one.

The tortoise declarer would reason that those six top tricks will not run away, but that the first job is to set up the extra trick he needs to fulfil his contract: from the suit in which he has no top tricks – but a useful J1098 sequence. Diamonds.

Declarer leads ♦ 4 at trick two, to ♦ 3, ♦ 10 and ♦ Q. He wins ♥ 9 return with ♥ A and leads ♦ 8 to ♦ A. He wins (say) ♣ 4 (to ♣ J) with ♣ K and leads ♦ 2 to ♦ 9 and ♦ K. West cashes ♥ Q10 but declarer wins ♣ 5 with ♣ A and cashes promoted ♦ J, his extra trick. ♠ AK make seven.

On our main deal, dummy is tabled and declarer counts six top tricks (♥ AK, ♦ AK, ♣ AK). The hare would play them out; a hare- tortoise hybrid might try ♣ AK and a third club hoping for a 3-3 split. Neither plan works.

As the tortoise, you can see three risk-free extra tricks from the spade sequence. Trick one goes ♦ 4, ♦ 2, ♦ J, ♦ K and at trick two you lead ♠ 4 to ♠ Q. West will likely withhold ♠ A, so now you lead back ♠ 2 to ♠ K. West wins ♠ A and continues with ♦ Q, but you win ♦ A, cross to (say) ♣ K and enjoy the promoted ♠ J10. ♣ A and ♥ AK bring your trick tally to nine – game made.