Defensive Tips

This is a completely revised edition of Kantar's 1994 bestseller. The best defensive tips you will ever find are in this ebook.

• Don't compound a crime. If you, or more likely your partner, have made an error, do not lose your cool. Many contracts can still be beaten after one defensive error, seldom after TWO.
• The speed of the play may be a clue to declarer's problem. When playing a 4-3 trump fit, play usually slows to a crawl.
• Do not take your eye off the ball by focusing all of the attention on one suit to the exclusion of the entire hand.
• When declarer leads a side suit from dummmy in which declarer's length is known, do NOT give count.
• Keep your singletons and doubletons in the middle of your hand. Some players watch where your cards come from.
• Don't even think of leading a trump when the opponents are in the throes of a misfit.
• If it is CLEAR dummy has a void, underleading an ace in that suit usually works. However, if dummy turns up with a singleton and declarer has the king, don't call and don't write.
• If partner makes a daring underlead and you find yourself unexpectedly on play, chances are partner has a side suit void.
• Versus suit contracts, tend to make discards from length, particularly KNOWN length.
• No matter how badly your lead or partner's lead has turned out, no faces!