Daily Bridge Tip #18

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It all seems very trivial but West should get into the habit of playing the correct card on the 3rd round of the suit.

West holds K10 after both the Q and J have been played. West’s cards, therefore, are of equivalent value.

By playing the King under the Ace, South doesn’t know who holds the 10.

By not playing the King under the Ace, South certainly knows who holds the King (because East has failed to play the King on the first two rounds of the suit)

Holding cards of equivalent value, you should play the card you are known to hold (the King).

Defenders who disguise the position of cards make the play of a hand more difficult for declarer. Good defenders will do this automatically..

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Simon Rowbottom
Simon Rowbottom
5 months ago

Not sure I understand the nuance of this. Are you implying that by not playing the K on the 3rd round Declarer now knows the exact distribution of the suit. Whereas if West had played the K on the 3rd round it’s not clear which defender started with 4 cards.
Would I be wrong to play the K on the 2nd round with this particular layout ?

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Alan Goodman
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Alan Goodman
5 months ago
Reply to  Simon Rowbottom

Simon, I think you have understood the point in that by playing the King (rather than the 10), South doesn’t know which defender holds the 10. That may be important in the play of the hand. When East doesn’t play King on the first round, South can’t be certain that East doesn’t hold that card (it may be correct to duck first round). But when South finesses the Jack and East follows low he can now be certain who holds the King. Playing the King on the second round is not a bad play but obviously clarifies the location of… Read more »

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