Notrump Play I Quiz Answers

1. You have eight fast tricks and should develop your ninth in hearts. You do not have TIME to set up the clubs. They can set up their spades first!

2. You have five fast tricks. Their diamonds are dividing 5-4 and they can eventually take three diamond tricks. The safest suit to develop for two extra tricks is spades – the suit in which you have INEVITABLE losers. After they set up diamonds, they can take only three diamonds and two spades.

3. Six fast tricks (including the first heart). Develop diamonds, not clubs. If you develop diamonds, the opponents can take four heart tricks plus the ♦A. If the club finesse loses, you will lose not only four hearts and the ♦A, but the ♣Q as well.

4. You have six fast tricks including your spade winner. North has five spades and South has four. The opponents can take three more spades, besides the ♠A, once they get in. Because their fast trick count is too great you cannot afford to drive out the ♦A. Instead, use your club entries to take repeated heart finesses.

5. You have only three fast tricks. The opponents have six fast tricks available: three spades, the ♣AK and the ♥A. You have three INEVITABLE losers: the ♣AK and the ♥A. As long as you can establish your needed tricks (4) in suits in which you have INEVITABLE losers (and they have INEVITABLE winners) and the opponents do not have enough fast tricks to defeat you when they get in…DO IT!

Attack clubs (the longer combined suit in which you have INEVITABLE losers), and then hearts. Between those two suits, you can establish the four tricks you need without increasing their fast trick count. YOU DON’T NEED DIAMOND TRICKS!

6. Spades appear to be 4-4, meaning that the opponents can, if they can get in often enough, establish ONE spade trick. You have eight fast winners with three INEVITABLE diamond losers. They have three fast tricks in diamonds. The problem is: How many spade tricks can they establish, and how many times can you afford to let them in? You can establish your ninth trick in diamonds, letting them in three times! Forget about clubs. You wind up losing three diamonds and one spade.