Playing well: basics for declarer and defenders

Lesson 10 of 11, about 2 min

Knowing which cards are legal is only the start; this lesson is about why you play a card. The declarer's biggest fear is an Ace trumped by a small trump. So the usual plan is to draw trumps first: lead high trumps until the defenders have none left, then collect the side-suit Aces and 10s in safety. A suit game has eleven trumps, so counting them tells you how many are still out.

The defenders add their card points together, so their key move is to smear: when your partner is winning the trick, put your fattest card on it; when the declarer is winning, throw your cheapest blank. Defenders usually don't lead trumps, because that does the declarer's work for them.

And one habit for everyone: when you play last to a trick, win it with the smallest card that is just enough.