Andrew:

If you have to lose a trick, get the pain over with quick

If you have to lose a trick in a suit, it is normally best to lose the first round. It’s a question of entries.

Exercise: Declaring notrumps, how can you enjoy dummy’s long cards (dummy has no other high cards)?

(A) Dummy (entryless)

♥ AK752
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Declarer
♥ 4 3

Duck the first round, then lead over to ♥ AK hoping for a 3-3 split.

(B) Dummy (entryless)

♣ AQ652
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Declarer
♣ 4 3

Duck the first round, then lead ♣ 4 to ♣ Q and, if the finesse is successful, cash ♣ A. You will score four tricks if the suit splits 3-3 with ♣ K sitting in front of ♣ AQ.

♦ A8652
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Declarer
♦ 743

You must duck the first two rounds hoping for a 3-2 split, then lead over to ♦ A and the two long cards.

(D) Dummy (entryless)

♠ AKQ72
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Declarer
♠ 6 3

If you need all five spade tricks, you must lead over to ♠ AKQ hoping for a 3-3 split. If you need just four tricks, however, you can afford to lose one. That one must be the first round, so that you have a second card to lead over to ♠ AKQ and, now in dummy, to enjoy ♠ 7.

South Deals
None Vul

♠	5 3 2
♥	A Q 2
♦	3 2
♣	A 9 8 6 2

♠	K 8 7
♥	9 8 6
♦	Q J 9 7 4
♣	Q 10

N
W		E
S

♠	J 10 9 6
♥	7
♦	K 10 8 5
♣	K J 7 3

♠	A Q 4
♥	K J 10 5 4 3
♦	A 6
♣	5 4

West	North	East	South
			1 ♥
Pass	2 ♣	Pass	2 ♥
Pass	3 ♥	Pass	4 ♥
Pass	Pass	Pass

4 ♥ by South

Lead: ♦ Q

Don’t think of ducking techniques as only for notrumps – take our deal. Declarer – in 4 ♥ – won ♦ Q lead with ♦ A and sought to set up dummy’s clubs, thereby avoiding the need for a successful spade finesse. At trick two he led a club and, to save a dummy entry (thereby making ♣ A into a working entry), ducked a club (key play).

West won ♣ 10, led over to East’s ♦ K and East switched to ♠ J. Declarer tried ♠ Q but West won ♠ K and returned ♠ 8 (if he had switched to a trump, declarer would have had to win in hand to preserve ♥ AQ entries).

Declarer won ♠ A, cashed ♥ K, crossed to ♣ A, ruffed ♣ 6 with ♥ 10 (West discarding), crossed to ♥ Q and ruffed ♣ 8 with ♥ J. He led over to ♥ A and, with a flourish, cashed ♣ 9 discarding ♠ 4. 10 tricks and game made.

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Andrew:

If you have to lose a trick, get the pain over with quick