Lesson 23 The Play in Notrump Contracts Aims

Lesson 23: The Play in No-trump Contracts

Aims To encourage planning the play of a complete hand at Trick 1 To train in the correct approach to the play of a hand in no-trump

Content 1 A good player makes as many tricks as possible. You must develop certain skills, and the chief of these is counting. It is time to practice counting tricks in the play.

2 The concept of Sure Tricks. These are tricks that you can cash without letting the opponents on lead. Now you know how many more tricks you need These extra tricks have to be developed. The second step is to look for suits where you can develop extra winners.

3 Do not cash your Sure Tricks first. The basic plan in NT play is to start with a suit where you need to develop tricks – The Work Suit. The wrong thing to do is to cash aces and kings in suits where declarer and dummy do not have much length – that is establishing the defenders’ Work Suit for them!

Examples of Counting your Sure Tricks AQ 54 K 7 J 62 J 98 KJ 7 AQ 3 10754 KQ 2 West is declarer in 3 NT, and he has 7 sure tricks: he has 4 spades he has 3 hearts, K, A and Q he has no sure tricks in clubs or diamonds West plays in 3 NT he needs to develop two more tricks. The obvious Work Suit is clubs.

How many Sure Tricks has declarer in these examples? K 75 Q 1082 AQ KJ 43 9842 K 73 KJ AQ 65 AK 4 K 952 KQJ 3 76 Q 7 AQ 6 A 4 QJ 853 (6 : 2 in diamonds 4 in clubs) (10 : 3 in spades, 3 in hearts, 4 in diamonds. )

When playing a no-trump contract follow these steps: • Count the Sure Tricks • Choose the Work Suit • Establish Tricks in the Work Suit • Give up the lead early while the Sure Tricks control the other suits

Quiz 23 -1 AQ 87 Q 964 KQ A 106 N W E S J 54 J 1085 A 954 Q 5 West plays in 1 NT North leads 2 to 4, 9, Q • How many Sure Tricks can you count? • Which is the Work Suit? • Which cards will be played by declarer and dummy at trick 2? • How many tricks do you expect to make? • Can you work out the spade holdings in the N/S hands? 6 Hearts Q & 5 8 or 9 North K 10 x 2 South 9 x

Quiz 23 -2 KJ 7 J 3 A 962 A 1085 N W E S 654 K 10972 K 43 92 West plays in 1 NT. North leads 3 to 4, Q, K • How many Sure Tricks can you count? • Which is the Work Suit? • Which card will West play at trick 2? • How many tricks do you hope to make? • Which defender has A? 4 Hearts J 7 North

A complete hand 93 AQ 2 KJ 74 10865 Q 10862 10743 A 9 KJ N W E S 754 J 86 Q 65 Q 932 AKJ K 95 10832 A 74 South plays 3 NT. West leads 6, North 3, East 4, South J. A good start.

DEFENCE PLAN 5 Note that the aims of the defenders and declarer are much the same. If declarer is in 3 NT he tries to make 9 tricks: to defeat him the defenders try to take 5 If declarer is in 1 NT he tries to make 7 tricks: to defeat him the defenders try to take 7 also. No-trump contracts can be seen as a duel between declarer and defence: or as a race to take the required number of tricks first.

Establishing Tricks in Defence A 8 Q 64 1075 AQ 982 J 106 K 53 AQ 962 65 N W E S 7543 J 1092 J 4 K 73 KQ 92 A 87 K 83 J 104 South plays 3 NT after an auction that has told West very little. He leads his longest suit, diamonds. Can you see why it is wrong to lead A?

Establishing Tricks in Defence A 8 Q 64 10 AQ 982 J 106 K 53 Q 96 65 N W E S KQ 92 A 87 3 J 104 7543 J 1092 K 73

OPENING LEAD At Trick 1 the defenders have the initiative, since they make the opening lead Do not lead a suit that has been bid by the declaring side (unless there is nothing better to try) Do lead a suit partner has bid – you know he has length in it, and if he has bid he has a better hand than you and should have some entries which will allow him to cash his established winners.

Choosing the Most Effective Opening Lead K 1074 Q 86 K 1074 85 N W E S West North East South - - - 1 Pass 1 NT All Pass No-one has bid spades – choose the unbid suit. A 874 AQ 1053 93 Q 7 West N W E S North East South Pass 2 Pass 1 NT 2 Pass 3 NT All Pass Hearts look like the best chance for the defence, and West leads a low one in case East has K or J.

Quiz 23 -3 You are West, about to make the opening lead. Which card do you play? 9863 AJ 952 A 5 J 8 N W E S West North East South Pass 1 NT North East South All Pass 5 H 982 Q 9 Q 1053 K 1083 3 N W E S West Pass 1 3 NT Pass All Pass 1 1 NT

End of Lesson