Force out their masters
Example 1
♦ K Q J
It is often both possible and strategic to intentionally lose a trick in order to set up future winning tricks.
For example, if you lead your ♦K, it will be captured by the ♦A. However, with the ♦A now removed from play, your ♦Q and ♦J become the highest remaining cards in the suit, allowing you to win future diamond tricks.
This tactic, known as “forcing out” the ♦A, allows you to establish control over the suit and secure two tricks in diamonds later.
Example 2
♠ Q J T
When the opponents hold the ♠A and ♠K, it requires three rounds of spade plays to create a winning trick for yourself. Removing the opponents’ high cards is often referred to as “establishing a trick” or “forcing out” their honors. Specifically, it takes two rounds of spades to establish your winning card and one additional round to cash it.
If the opponents choose not to play their ♠A or ♠K during the first two rounds, your spade trick will be established even sooner, giving you an earlier opportunity to take control of the suit.
Example 3
♥ K Q 2
You can lead the ♥K to drive out the ♥A, establishing one heart trick to cash later.
Example 4
Dummy
♣ K 6 2
You
♣ Q 9 4
If your two honors are split between different hands, you can still use one of them to drive out their highest card (♣A), thereby setting up a future winning trick for yourself.
Two is better than one
Example 5
Dummy
♥ K J 5
♦ Q 7 2
You
♥ Q 8 5
♦ K 9 4
You hold three heart honors, ♥KQJ, and two diamond honors, ♦KQ. Which ace would be more advantageous to force out—the ♥A or the ♦A?
Establish before cashing
Example 6
♠ K Q J T
♥ A K Q
♦ A K Q
♣ A K Q
This is a classic example of removing an opponent’s high card to establish winning tricks for yourself. Your contract is 6NT, requiring you to secure 12 tricks.
You can count nine winners in suits other than spades and three potential spade winners, as long as you first force out the ♠A before cashing your remaining winners.
Here is the complete deal:
Example 7
Dummy ♠ 5 4 3 2 ♥ 4 3 2 ♦ 4 3 2 ♣ 4 3 2 | ||
| West ♠ A ♥ J T 9 8 ♦ J T 9 8 ♣ J T 9 8 | East ♠ 9 8 7 6 ♥ 7 6 5 ♦ 7 6 5 ♣ 7 6 5 | |
| You ♠ K Q J T ♥ A K Q ♦ A K Q ♣ A K Q | ||
Contract: 6NT
Opening lead: ♥J
Win the opening lead, and play the ♠K.
West wins with the ♠A, leaving your ♠QJT as the highest remaining cards in the suit. From this point, the rest of the tricks are yours, regardless of what suit West leads next, because you hold the top cards in every suit.
However, consider what happens if you make the mistake of cashing your other winners before forcing out the ♠A:
Playing three rounds of hearts establishes a fourth-round heart winner for West. Similarly, three rounds of diamonds create a diamond winner for West, and three rounds of clubs give West the high cards in every suit.
When you finally lead a spade, you lose the last four tricks. Although your spades are winning cards, West avoids leading spades. Instead, West plays the ♥10, ♦J, and ♣J, forcing you to discard your high spades while they collect their tricks.
Remember, master cards are losers if you have to discard them on your opponents’ winners.
This suggests a general rule:
Drive out their master(s) before cashing your masters in other suits.
You have to deal with the bees before you can eat the honey. Everybody knows that…
Example 8
Dummy
♠ Q 7 2
♥ K J 2
♦ 7 3
♣ T 8 7 6 2
You
♠ K 6 5
♥ A Q T 3
♦ A K 8
♣ A K 4
Your contract is 3N (you need 9 tricks).
Their opening lead is the ♦Q.
How many masters do you have?
How are you going to win a ninth trick?
Why is it safe to give up the lead?
If you make the mistake of cashing your 8 winners before leading spades, your opponents will play the ♠A, and cash their own winners in diamonds and clubs. Four minor suit winners plus the ♠A will defeat your contract. You’ll never win a trick with your newly promoted spade master, because you’ll have to discard it on their minor suit masters.
Example 9
Dummy
♠ Q 7 3 2
♥ K J 2
♦ 7 3
♣ T 8 7 6
You
♠ K 6 5
♥ Q T 6 3
♦ A K Q
♣ A K Q
This hand is similar to the last one. Again, you need nine tricks to make 3N. The opening lead is still a diamond.
Can you play it the same way? Can you capture the diamond lead and drive out their spade master?
When you play spades, it doesn’t matter which honor you play first because the “short” hand has TWO spot cards. Play the honors in the short hand first when it has only one spot card to lead to the other hand.
In the heart suit, play the honor(s) from the short hand first – the ♥KJ before the ♥QT.
What’s wrong with leading spades first? Couldn’t you establish a spade winner now and drive out the ♥A later?
No, it takes an unnecessary risk. The next example shows what might go wrong.
Defenders can do it, too
Example 10
Dummy ♠ Q 7 3 2 ♥ K J 2 ♦ 7 3 ♣ T 8 7 6 | ||
| West ♠ 4 ♥ 9 8 7 5 ♦ J T 9 5 4 2 ♣ 9 4 | East ♠ A J T 9 8 ♥ A 4 ♦ 8 6 ♣ J 5 3 2 | |
| You ♠ K 6 5 ♥ Q T 6 3 ♦ A K Q ♣ A K Q | ||
This is one possible deal where you would go set.
East captures your spade honor and notices that he still holds the ♠JT98, while you have only one master left. So he drives out your remaining spade honor, establishing his ♠T98 as future winners.
Then he waits for you to lead hearts. He takes his ♥A on the first round of hearts, and cashes his spades. Four spade tricks and the ♥A set your contract one trick.
So sad.
Notice that after you drive out the ♥A, it becomes safe to drive out the ♠A. East can drive out your remaining spade master, as before, but he no longer has the ♥A to recapture the lead. You will have ten winners if you start with hearts instead of only eight if you start with spades.
Example 11
Dummy
♠ Q 7 3 2
♥ K J 2
♦ 7 4 3
♣ 7 6 2
You
♠ K 6 5 4
♥ Q T 3
♦ A K Q
♣ A K Q
Change the cards just a little…
and you don’t have enough tricks when you drive out the ♥A. So you will have to drive out both major suit aces.
Does it matter which one you drive out first?
When you have established two heart tricks, don’t cash them. You still have to establish a spade trick before you cash all your winners.
A quick question arises.
“I understand how to win tricks by leading high cards, and I understand how to win tricks by forcing out the opponents’ high cards to establish my own future winners.
But what about hands where I wasn’t dealt many high cards? What should I do when I don’t have any top cards or additional honors to establish by removing their high cards? What’s the best strategy in that case?”
Example 12
Dummy
♣ 8 6 2
You
♣ K 7 5 4
Here’s an example of a common scenario: “The ♣K is my best card, so I lead it. But the opponents always play their ace, and I never manage to win any club tricks.”
Yes, that’s exactly what will happen. Leading the king in this situation is not the best approach. The ♣A will inevitably be played, and your ♣K will be lost without gaining a trick. Not only will it fail to win immediately, but its potential to win a future trick will also be wasted. So instead…
Don’t lead the king! If you need to lead this suit from the South hand, start with a low card and hope that your ♣K can win a trick later. We’ll explore this type of play in more detail in the next topic.
Go to the next topic:
Lead Toward Losing Honors (finessing)