Alright, it’s time for our first quiz! The questions will test your understanding of key concepts: Leading Master Cards, Playing the Honor from the Shorter Hand First, and Managing Blocked Suits. Take your time, think carefully, and remember to examine both hands. Good luck!

Quiz hand 1

Dummy
♠ A Q 4
♥ K 8 2
♦ A Q 4 2
♣ 6 4 3

You
♠ K J 2
♥ A Q 3
♦ K J 8
♣ A 9 8 7

You have these master cards: ♠AKQJ, ♥AKQ, ♦AKQJ, ♣A.

How many tricks can you take with them?

Eleven? Right! 

There are only three tricks from the four spade masters.

Eleven? Right! 

There are only three tricks from the four spade masters.

12 masters, but not 12 tricks. See if you can find the suit with more masters than tricks.

12 masters, but not 12 tricks. See if you can find the suit with more masters than tricks.

Which suit is an example of play the honors from the short hand first?

While you can only get three tricks from your four spade masters, you can play your spade masters in any order you want because neither hand is short.

While you can only get three tricks from your four spade masters, you can play your spade masters in any order you want because neither hand is short.

Yes! You must play the ♦K and ♦J first, before the ♦A or ♦Q, so the suit will not become blocked.

No, it’s not clubs. In clubs, the short suit doesn’t have any honors.

Quiz hand 2

Dummy
♠ Q 7
♥ K Q J 2
♦ 4
♣ 6

You
♠ A K J 2
♥ A
♦ 8
♣ 7 3

It’s possible to take all eight of the remaining tricks. But to do that, you must play your cards in the correct order.

Which card do you lead from your hand first?

Oops. Playing the ♠A takes away the small card from dummy’s ♠Q, and blocks the spades. There’s no way to recover.

Yes, Indeed. You must unblock the hearts first.

Yikes! You aren’t going to win all the tricks if you lead a suit where you have no master cards.

If your focus is solely on the spades, leading to the honor in the shorter hand is a logical approach. However, there’s an important element you may have overlooked.

Take a closer look at the entire hand and evaluate the situation carefully. Can you identify the critical move that needs to be made before leading the ♠2? Be sure to consider the broader strategy and how all the cards work together!

Which card do you lead second?

Oops. Playing the ♠A takes away the small card from dummy’s ♠Q, and blocks the spades. There’s no way to recover.

Are you trying to pull a fast one? You’ve already played your ♥A on the first trick, and now you’re attempting to play it again? That’s not going to fly! Double-check your plays and make sure every move follows the rules—attention to detail is key in this game!

Yikes! You aren’t going to win all the tricks if you lead a suit where you have no master cards.

Yes, so far so good. You lead your ♠2 and play the honor from the short hand first – dummy’s ♠Q.

I hope you know what to do next.

What do you lead after winning dummy’s ♠Q?

Playing the ♠7 shows a focus on the spade suit only. You must cash dummy’s heart winners before leading the ♠7 back to your hand for the rest of the spades.

Clearly you’ve mastered these concepts! Cashing your ♥KQJ is indeed timely.

Yikes! You aren’t going to win all the tricks if you lead a suit where you have no master cards.

You cannot lead the ♠A from your hand immediately after winning a trick with a card from the dummy.

Before returning to your hand to play your spade winners, you must first cash the heart winners in the dummy. Managing your entries and timing is crucial to making the most of your opportunities! Take a moment to plan your sequence of plays carefully.

Quiz hand 3


Dummy
♠ A Q 6 2
♥ A 7 6
♦ A J 7
♣ 8 7 2
West
♠ T 9
♥ K Q 4 3
♦ T 6 5
♣ A K Q J		East
♠ 8 7 5 3
♥ J 5 3
♦ 9 4 3
♣ 6 5 3
You
♠ K J 4
♥ T 9 8
♦ K Q 8 2
♣ T 9 4

Contract: 3N (you need nine tricks)

Opening lead: ♣A

You have no club winners, so you have to hope the opponents run out of clubs before they can defeat (set) your contract

On this deal, luck is with you. West wins four clubs in a row, then leads the ♥K.

There are nine tricks left, and you must take all of them.

How many winners do you have?

Apologies… Let me guide you in the right direction. You can secure four spade tricks by playing the honors from the shorter hand first.

Now, take a moment to count your potential winners in both hearts and diamonds to ensure you’re maximizing your chances. Careful planning will help you execute the play successfully!

Eight? That’s close.

Here’s a hint. There are the same number of winners in spades as there are in diamonds, as long as you play the honors from the short hand first.

Nine is the correct answer. Four spades, one heart, and four diamonds.

But wait…

On the fourth round of clubs, you were required to make a discard from the dummy. Choosing the wrong card could prevent you from achieving the 9 tricks necessary to fulfill your contract. Carefully review the hand and analyze which cards are essential to retain and which ones can be safely discarded. Thoughtful decision-making is crucial to your success!

What will you discard from the dummy on West’s fourth round of clubs?

Oh oh. Playing the ♠2 leaves you with only three spade winners.

You need both small spades in dummy to match up with the ♠KJ – the honors from the short hand. Another way to look at it is: to win four spade tricks you need to lead spades four times, so you must keep your four card suit.

 Ah, yes! Discard the small heart. It’s not a winning card and won’t pair up with a winner from your hand. Prioritize keeping cards that contribute to your strategy and maximize your chances of success!

If someone were guiding you, they wouldn’t let you play that card. They’d remind you, “Be careful not to block the diamond suit.” Always think ahead to ensure your suits remain playable!

You can’t discard the ♣2 from the dummy – you’ve already played it on your opponent’s club leads. You’re out of clubs. That’s why you’re looking for a discard.

What can you discard from your hand on the fourth round of clubs?

Quiz hand 4

Dummy
♠ A K Q 5 2
♥ 6
♦ A 7 6 5 4 3
♣ A

You
♠ 4
♥ A K 3
♦ 8 2
♣ K Q J T 9 8 7

How many winners do you have? 

3 spades, 2 hearts, 1 diamond, and 7 clubs = 13 winners

Which suit is blocked?

No, not spades. You have a small spade in your hand to lead to dummy’s spade masters, so the suit is not blocked.

No, not hearts. You have a small heart in the dummy to lead to the heart masters in your hand, so the suit is not blocked.

No, not diamonds. You have small diamonds in your hand to lead to dummy’s diamond master, so the suit is not blocked.

Yes, clubs are blocked. After winning a trick with the ♣A, there is no small club in the dummy to lead to the club masters in your hand.

Imagine the opening lead is a spade, and you choose to play all three of the spade winners from the dummy. Since you only have one spade in your own hand, you’ll need to make two discards. Carefully consider which cards to let go to maintain control of the hand and your overall strategy.

Which cards will you discard?

You cannot discard the ♠4. you’ve already played it when following suit to the first spade trick.

Fine choices! These are the only cards which are neither winners, nor needed to match up with winners in dummy.

Oops… the ♣7 is one of your thirteen winners. If you discard it, you will only have twelve winners.

If the opening lead is a heart, you’ll face a challenge crossing back to your hand after unblocking the ♣A. This is because dummy’s singleton heart will have already been played, leaving no heart in dummy to lead. How can you adjust your play to overcome this obstacle? Consider your entries carefully to find a solution.

Hint: somehow, you’ve got to unblock the clubs.

Did you catch it? Play a second high heart and discard the blocking ♣A! This allows you to cash all your club winners before crossing back to dummy to collect your remaining winners. Careful planning ensures you make the most of your cards!

That wraps up the quiz! How many answers were you able to figure out? Are you ready to move on to a new topic, or do you feel it would be helpful to review and solidify what you’ve learned?

Go to the next topic:

Establish Your Honors

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