Second hand play is more difficult than third hand play.
While there are more complex strategies and sophisticated countermeasures to explore, it’s essential to focus on mastering the foundational concepts first. Building a strong understanding of the basics lays the groundwork for successfully applying more advanced techniques in the future. For now, staying committed to the fundamentals will provide clarity and confidence in both planning and execution.
General guidelines for second hand play
- Cover an honor with an honor
- Play Second Hand Low
| For example… | |
| Dummy leads… ♠ Q 5 2 | Cover the honor… ♠ K 9 7 |
| Dummy leads… ♥ Q 5 2 | Second hand low… ♥ K 9 7 |
| Dummy leads… ♦ J 8 6 | Cover the honor… ♦ K 5 3 |
| Dummy leads… ♣ J 8 6 | Second hand low… ♣ K 5 3 |
| Dummy leads… ♠ 8 2 | Second hand low… ♠ Q T 6 3 |
As you can see, the two guidelines are straightforward and easy to apply. Adhering to them generally leads to the best plays in most situations. However, developing an understanding of why these guidelines work is crucial for recognizing when a specific hand might be an exception to the rule. The key factor in such situations ultimately comes down to evaluating how many tricks Declarer is likely to take. By grasping the reasoning behind these strategies, you can make better-informed decisions and adapt your play to the unique challenges presented by each hand. This deeper understanding is what transforms good defense into truly effective and dynamic gameplay.
Example 1
| Partner ♥ T 8 6 4 | |
| Declarer ♥ A J 3 | Dummy ♥ Q 5 2 |
| You ♥ K 9 7 | |
When Declarer leads the ♥Q from Dummy, and you are seated second to play, the general guideline suggests that you should cover the honor. This holds true even if you suspect that Declarer holds the ♥A.
Covering the honor is a strategic play that serves multiple purposes. By playing a higher card to challenge the ♥Q, you force Declarer to use the ♥A to win the trick, reducing their overall flexibility in the suit. Additionally, this play often promotes a lower honor in your partner’s hand, setting up opportunities for your side to win future tricks in the same suit.
Even if you anticipate that Declarer will capture the trick, the disruption caused by covering the honor can shift the dynamics of the play in your favor. This fundamental principle helps to limit Declarer’s options while giving your side a chance to gain control of the suit later. Understanding and applying this guideline consistently is key to effective defensive play.
If you cover, how many tricks will Declarer win?
If instead you don’t cover, how many tricks will Declarer win?
In this situation, your ♥K is poorly positioned and won’t win a trick because Declarer’s ♥A is ready to capture it. However, the decision to cover the honor played from Dummy can still significantly impact the outcome. By covering the ♥Q, you force Declarer to use two of their honors—the ♥Q and ♥A—on the same trick. This play effectively reduces Declarer’s ability to capitalize on the suit.
More importantly, your action promotes your partner’s ♥10 into a winner for the third round of hearts. This ensures that Declarer is held to only two tricks in the suit, rather than the three they might have taken if you had not covered the ♥Q.
Understanding when to cover an honor is a critical part of defensive play. Even when your card seems destined to lose, its strategic use can disrupt Declarer’s plan, create additional winners for your side, and limit Declarer’s ability to establish or exploit their suits. Covering the honor in this scenario showcases how thoughtful defensive decisions can shift the balance of power in a hand.
At the table you cannot see Declarer’s cards, so you might hope he doesn’t have the ♥A. If that’s the case, would it be better to play or withhold your ♥K?
Let’s move Declarer’s ♥A into Partner’s hand and take a closer look…
Example 2
| Partner ♥ A T 6 4 | |
| Declarer ♥ J 8 3 | Dummy ♥ Q 5 2 |
| You ♥ K 9 7 | |
If you cover the ♥Q, your partner’s ♥A and ♥10 will remain well-positioned to play after Declarer’s ♥J, leaving Declarer unable to win any tricks in the suit.
However, if you fail to cover the ♥Q, your partner will be forced to play the ♥A on the ♥Q. This allows Declarer to later secure a trick by leading toward their ♥J. Covering the honor not only disrupts Declarer’s strategy but also ensures your partnership maintains control of the suit, preventing Declarer from gaining unnecessary tricks.
Comparing examples 1 and 2, we see that it doesn’t matter whether Declarer or Partner holds the ace. Either way it’s best to cover the honor.
Example 3
| Partner ♣ T 5 4 | |
| Declarer ♣ A J 8 3 2 | Dummy ♣ Q 6 |
| You ♣ K 9 7 | |
Once again Dummy leads an honor.
Suppose you suspect that Declarer has the ace.
What card do you play?
Example 4
| Partner ♦ ? | |
| Dummy ♦ Q 7 2 | Declarer ♦ 4 |
| You ♦ K T 3 | |
In this scenario, with Dummy positioned to your left, Declarer leads a low card toward the ♦Q. By rising with the ♦K, you ensure that you win the trick. This play establishes control over the suit and prevents Declarer from capitalizing on the ♦Q to gain additional tricks.
Is that a good idea?
Why is it best to play low? You want to give Partner a chance to squish the ♦Q, and you want to retain the chance to squish Declarer’s ♦J, if he has it. Covering honors promotes lesser honors, and – good news – you own the ♦T!
The next diagram reveals Declarer’s actual holding.
Example 5
| Partner ♦ A 8 5 | |
| Dummy ♦ Q 7 2 | Declarer ♦ J 9 6 4 |
| You ♦ K T 3 | |
You play low on the first round, and Declarer puts up Dummy’s ♦Q, losing to Partner’s ♦A.
After Partner’s ♦A captures the ♦Q, how many additional diamond tricks can you win?
If instead, you win the first trick with your ♦K, Partner’s ♦A will be the only future diamond trick for the defense. So sad. Partner will then scribble a note on her scorecard, reminding herself to ask you later why you didn’t play Second Hand Low with your ♦K. You will have no good answer…
“Alright, I understand. If I can’t cover an honor, I play low. But you mentioned there are many exceptions. Could you show me one?”
Certainly. One of the main exceptions occurs when Declarer leads from equal honors. Let me illustrate this with the next diagram to clarify what that looks like.
Exceptions to the cover an honor guideline
Example 6
| Partner ♠ ? | |
| Declarer ♠ ? | Dummy ♠ Q J 9 |
| You ♠ K 5 3 | |
This is our first exception to the general rule cover an honor with an honor.
Exception: When Declarer leads from equal honors, cover the last one.
Declarer’s ♠Q and ♠J are equal honors, so play low now and cover the second one.
If declarer leads from three honors (like ♠ Q J T 6), play low for the first two honors and cover the third one.
Example 7
| Partner ♥ ? | |
| Dummy ♥ A Q T 2 | Declarer ♥ J |
| You ♥ K 5 3 | |
Declarer owns the ♥Q, ♥J, and ♥T. But this is NOT leading from equal honors. None of the equal honors are in the hand he is leading from.
Why is it correct to cover? Well… to figure that out, try to imagine what cards Partner could hold so covering promotes a future winner for her.
If you cover the honor, Dummy will hold the heart masters for three rounds of the suit.
But what about the fourth round? What must Partner hold to win the fourth round?
This hand illustrates an important truth about second hand play. You should make the right play even though it may not matter.
Partner may not hold the cards you are hoping for. But you cover the honor anyway, just in case she does. If Partner turns out not to hold ♥9xxx, you lose nothing by covering because Declarer was going to make four heart tricks no matter what you play. But you would lose both a trick and Partner’s trust if you play low and it turns out that Partner does indeed hold the promotable ♥9xxx.
Example 8
| Partner ♠ ? | |
| Dummy ♠ A 8 7 4 | Declarer ♠ J |
| You ♠ Q 5 3 | |
Now let’s move on to our next exception to the general rule cover an honor with an honor.
Exception: Don’t cover when Declarer owns all the promoted honors.
If you cover the honor, what cards that you can’t see are promoted?
Suppose Declarer has opened the bidding with 1♠, promising 5+ spades. What is the maximum number of spades Partner could then hold?
Do you cover the honor?
Our second exception tells us to play low. Don’t cover the ♠J.
There are two ways playing low might save a trick. First, if Partner holds a singleton ♠K, you won’t crash your two honors under Dummy’s ace. That would be embarrassing!
Second, if Partner holds only a spot card, Declarer might decide to go up with the ♠A, planning to cash the ♠K next. Declarer’s hope is that the 4 outstanding spades divide 2 and 2 with the ♠Q dropping. On this deal, he will be disappointed – as long as you don’t cover.
Exceptions to the play low guideline
Example 9
| Partner ♦ ? | |
| Declarer ♦ ? | Dummy ♦ Q 7 4 3 |
| You ♦ A 9 6 | |
So far we have treated our examples as if they were the only suits in each deal. When you learn to play bridge, that’s a good way to begin.
But sometimes considerations of the hand as a whole are more important than what’s best for just one suit.
Our guidelines suggest that you play low when Dummy leads the ♦3, waiting to play your ♦A later when you can capture Dummy’s ♦Q. If diamonds were the only suit that mattered, that would be correct. It would save a trick whenever Partner holds a diamond honor that can be promoted. And you’ll be able to take your ♦A later if it turns out that Declarer holds all the other diamond honors.
Now let’s put this diamond suit into a whole hand…
Example 10
| Partner (N) ♠ A Q 8 7 4 2 ♥ Q 6 4 ♦ J 5 2 ♣ 2 | |
| Declarer (W) ♠ K 6 3 ♥ A K ♦ K T 8 ♣ A Q J 5 3 | Dummy (E) ♠ T 5 ♥ J 7 5 2 ♦ Q 7 4 3 ♣ K 7 6 |
| You (S) ♠ J 9 ♥ T 9 8 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ T 9 4 | |
Partner opens the bidding with a weak two, promising a 6 card suit, and West decides to guess that he can make 9 tricks in notrump.
| Partner 2♠ | East P | You P | West 3N |
Partner leads a spade, won by Declarer with the ♠K.
The second trick is a club to Dummy’s ♣K, and the ♦3 is led from Dummy. Our guideline says to play low. But consider the hand as a whole before playing.
How many tricks can Declarer take if you play low?
How many tricks can Partner take if you fly with the ♦A and return his long suit?
Hmmm… Follow the play low guideline and Declarer takes 9 tricks. Or, fly with your ♦A and Declarer only gets 7 tricks. That’s an easy choice.
Exception: Don’t play low when you can take the setting tricks.
“Wait a second. How did you know that Partner’s spade suit was established? Couldn’t Declarer still have another winning spade honor?”
No, that’s not possible. In situations like this, we apply the rule of 11 to determine how many cards higher than the one led are held by the other three hands.
Here’s how it works: take 11 and subtract the rank of the card led (in this case, the 7♠). The result is the number of cards in the other hands that are higher than the card led.
11 – 7 = 4. So, there are four cards higher than the 7.
Looking at the hands, Dummy has 1, you have 2, and Declarer has already played 1. That accounts for all four, which means Declarer has no remaining cards higher than the 7.
With this knowledge, confidently rise with the ♦A and return Partner’s spade suit, setting the contract. This type of reasoning is a powerful defensive tool, allowing you to make precise decisions based on clear logic.
Splitting honors
Example 11
| Partner ♣ ? | |
| Declarer ♣ ? | Dummy ♣ 9 7 2 |
| You ♣ K Q 6 | |
If you need to make two club tricks, follow the general guideline and play low.
But if you need to capture the lead before Declarer scores two club tricks and makes his contract, play one of your honors.
This is called “splitting your honors.” When you split honors, choose your card as if Partner had led the suit (lowest of equals).
Some partnerships do not agree to always split with the lowest of equal honors. Instead, they might choose to split high or adjust their play based on their position at the table or the specific honors they hold. However, I believe that consistently “splitting low” is the best approach for beginners. This method can be applied uniformly in all situations, making it straightforward and easy to remember, which is particularly beneficial for those who are still learning the game. Simplicity and consistency are key for building confidence and developing strong foundational skills.
Example 12
| Partner ♥ ? | |
| Declarer ♥ ? | Dummy ♥ 7 3 2 |
| You ♥ Q J T 6 | |
Your honors are strong enough to play one even though Dummy has led a spot card.
Which one do you play?
Example 13
| Partner ♠ ? | |
| Dummy ♠ A T 7 4 | Declarer ♠ 5 |
| You ♠ Q J 6 | |
If Declarer has the ♠K, there is a danger than he will insert the ♠T, winning a trick cheaply and dropping your ♠QJ when he later cashes his ♠AK.
How can you prevent that?
The main risk with this plan arises if Partner holds a singleton ♠K. In that case, splitting your honors would cause two of them to fall on the same trick, resulting in only one trick when your side could have earned two. Therefore, when the ♠5 is led, it’s essential to carefully assess what you know about the hand and evaluate the likelihood that Partner has a singleton ♠K. This judgment will guide your decision on whether to split your honors or adopt a different approach to maximize your partnership’s chances of success.
Example 14
| Partner ♣ ? | |
| Dummy ♣ A 9 7 4 | Declarer ♣ 5 |
| You ♣ Q J 6 2 | |
This is similar to example 13, except Dummy has the 9 instead of the T. In addition, you have a four card holding.
If you split your honors you will make certain of one trick because your remaining honor will play after Declarer’s imagined ♣K.
But splitting gives Declarer an easy path to three tricks whenever he holds the ♣Kxx. He’ll win the ♣A, win the ♣K, and lead toward the ♣9 (Partner being then void).
Now suppose Partner’s doubleton includes the ♣T. How can you prevent Declarer from making three tricks?
The distinctions between examples 13 and 14 are subtle and may be challenging for a beginner to recognize and solve when they first encounter these situations at the table. However, by carefully working through these examples now, you can begin to internalize the correct patterns. Over time, with practice and experience, these concepts will become more familiar and easier to apply during actual play.
Example 15
| Partner ♦ ? | |
| Dummy ♦ A J 8 | Declarer ♦ 4 |
| You ♦ K T 9 3 | |
Suppose Partner holds the ♦Qxx. The danger is that Declarer will insert the ♦8, forcing the ♦Q, and later finesse your ♦K for two tricks.
How do you prevent this?
And if Declarer holds the ♦Q, splitting your honors holds him to two tricks instead of three.
Example 16
| Partner ♥ ? | |
| Dummy ♥ A 8 7 4 | Declarer ♥ J |
| You ♥ Q 6 | |
This is the trump suit, so you know Declarer holds a 4 or 5 card suit.
He would not lead the ♥J if he didn’t also have the ♥T, so you know he can finesse your ♥Q.
Would covering the ♥J give you or Partner a chance of making a trick from a promoted honor?
As a general rule, when Declarer leads a Q or J toward Dummy’s A or K, you should assume that Declarer holds the next higher honor that would be promoted. In these situations, it is usually best to wait and cover the second honor, not the first. This approach helps disrupt Declarer’s plan and can prevent them from easily establishing additional tricks in the suit.
Example 17
| Partner ♠ ? | |
| Declarer ♠ ? | Dummy ♠ J 4 2 |
| You ♠ Q 6 | |
This looks like example 16, except the lead comes from the Dummy.
Do you cover?
You should cover the honor when the promoted card is not visible to you, with the hope that your partner holds it. This play increases the likelihood of disrupting Declarer’s strategy and helps your side potentially gain control of the suit.
Unlike in example 16, it would be unreasonable to assume that the lead comes from equal honors. A quick glance at the Dummy clearly shows that this cannot be the case.
Summary for second hand play
1. Cover an honor with an honor.
If the lead is from equal honors, cover the last one
Don’t cover if Declarer owns all the promoted honors.
2. Play Second Hand Low.
Don’t play low when you can take the setting tricks.
Split honors to prevent Declarer from winning a trick cheaply.