Welcome back readers!
Bridge is a brilliant game—full of logic, creativity, and endless discovery.
These quizzes are here to help you sharpen your skills in both declarer play and defense. Each hand presents a real-world challenge: you’ll only see your own and dummy’s cards, just as at the table. Along the way, I’ll pose questions—clues to guide your thinking and help you work through the hand.
In a way, it's like solving a riddle.
The goal? To train you to ask the right questions at the right time. Whether you’re declaring or defending, success often hinges on knowing what to look for—and what you need to figure out.
Try each hand on your own before checking the solution.
As before, you’ll find a “Things to Remember” section at the end—highlighting key lessons in bidding, play, and defense that you can carry into your next game.
I hope you enjoy—and keep growing on your bridge journey.
First Question:
You've agreed to play standard carding with your partner - for attitude, high encourages, and low discourages; for count, high–low shows even, and low–high shows odd.
Partner led the ♦10. Dummy played the ♦9, you played the ♦K, and declarer followed with the ♦2.
- What is the meaning of partner's lead?
- How many tricks do you count for the defense?
- How many points does partner have?
- How many trumps does partner have?
- Where does the setting trick come from?
- How will you continue?
Solution
- What is the meaning of partner's lead?
Likely a doubleton. With three or more low diamonds, partner would have led low (or second-high, depending on your agreement), and with ♦J10x or ♦J10xx partner would have led the J. It might also be a singleton, but that’s less likely.
- How many tricks do you count for the defense?
Three: ♦A-K and the ♥A.
- How many points does partner have?
Maximum 2-3 points: Declarer has 10–11 points, dummy has 14, and you have 14.
- How many trumps does partner have?
Likely three. Declarer showed six cards from the bidding (they might have a bad seven-card suit).
- Where does the setting trick come from?
It has to come from a diamond ruff (unless partner has ♥Jxx).
- How will you continue?
Play a low heart at trick 2! Declarer can win it cheaply, but when they continue with either a heart or a diamond, you win both red aces and play a third diamond for partner to ruff.
Things to remember:
- Think about the timing, also on defense. Timing is the correct order in which to take your tricks. If you time your cards wrongly, declarer can make the contract:
- If you play the ♥A and another heart, declarer wins, draws the third heart, and plays a diamond, promoting the ♦J and discarding their fourth diamond on the third club.
- If you play ♦A-K and a third diamond, partner can ruff with the ♥6, but declarer overruffs with the ♥Q, plays ♣A-K-Q, and discards their last diamond on the third club. When you later win the ♥A, you may try to let partner ruff a diamond, but declarer can ruff high.
- When defending: Count tricks (if possible), count partner’s points (so you know what to expect), count partner’s trumps (from the bidding), count the general distribution, think about the meaning of the lead, consider where the setting trick can come from, and then plan your defense. Think about the timing needed to set the contract.
- Agree with partner on the meaning of leads: Do you lead count or attitude to partner’s suit? (Count leads = 3rd/5th; attitude leads = low promises an honor and second-highest from length denies an honor.) Also agree on the meaning of a 10 lead: As the ♦9 is in dummy, it is clear that the lead cannot be top-of-nothing (which would require 109x or 109xx), even if you play that agreement.
Second Question
Against 5♦, West led the ♥4.
- What does the opening lead suggest?
- You played the ♥K from dummy and East won the ♥A and returned the ♥J. How many losers do you have?
- Assuming from the bidding that the ♠K is in East, how can you eliminate one loser?
- Which card will you play from hand: discard a club, discard a spade, or ruff?
- How do you continue?
Solution
- What does the opening lead suggest?
Likely a count lead, showing a three card suit in partner’s bid suit. It might also be an attitude lead, showing a high honor. Ask your opponents how they lead to partner’s bid suit.
- You played the ♥K from dummy and East won the ♥A and returned the ♥J. How many losers do you have?
You have three losers: one spade, one heart and one club.
- Assuming from the bidding that the ♠K is in East, how can you eliminate one loser?
You can throw one card on the ♥Q, but that will not help because you still have both a club and a spade loser. You should play a club from dummy toward hand to make it expensive for East, who is marked with all the missing honors, to play the ♣A. If East plays it, you make two club tricks and can throw two spades on the ♣Q and the ♥Q. If East does not win the ♣A, you win with your ♣K and later discard a club on the ♥Q.
- Which card will you play from hand: discard a club, discard a spade, or ruff?
Ruff the second heart and keep your ♥Q, as you still do not know which card you will discard on it.
- How do you continue?
After ruffing the second heart at trick 2, play two rounds of diamonds ending in dummy and then continue with a club from dummy.
If East plays the ♣A, win any return, play the ♣K, return to dummy with a diamond and then discard two spades on the ♣Q and the ♥Q. You lose one club and one heart.
If East plays a low club, win with your ♣K, return to dummy with a diamond and discard your second club on the ♥Q. You lose one spade and one heart.
Things to remember:
- When you cannot discard enough losers on a side suit top card, you need to try to steal a trick. In this hand, discarding a club or a spade on the ♥Q does not help. So you must play a club from dummy and make it expensive for East to win. If East takes the ♣A, it gives you two club tricks. If East plays low, you win with the ♣K, stealing a club trick, and now you can discard your remaining club on the ♥Q and avoid losing a club.
- In situations where you do not yet know which loser to discard on a high card, consider ruffing that trick first and postponing the decision.
- You may ask your opponents about their lead agreements. Some prefer to lead count to partner’s suit, showing the number of cards for example third or fifth or low from three or more cards. Others prefer attitude leads, where a low card promises an honor and the second highest card, which is the middle card from three, denies an honor.
- Vulnerability can influence the bidding. East West are not vulnerable, which is why East chose to bid 4♥ with this hand as a worthwhile sacrifice.
About the Author
Oren Lidor is considered one of the best bridge teachers in Israel, is the author of 5 bridge books, and teaches bridge to people from all over the world on BBO.
On the first board, when a small trump is returned, declarer plays K, winning in hand, ruffs a dia with the HQ, cashes CAKQ, discarding the fourth dia, cashes SA and ruffs a spade back to hand and then plays trumps, making his contract.
What am I missing?
CAŁKIEM NIEZ
On hand too I was thing the heart looked more like a singleton being the smallest out there.
Bidding 4h over 3nt on a 6 card suit is pretty cray cray.
The rest of the play was pretty easy to figure out. I was ruffing high. Play high diamond then low diamond (assuming worst case 2-0 diamond split) ending in dummy and maximizing entries to dummy then leading a low club to the K was obvious. If they win the A you can pitch 2 spades. If they don't then you pitch a club on the Q of hearts.
Low heart was a nice play on problem one. I was thinking if S plays forcing free bids then should have 11, leaving partner with a 0-1 count. Since partner is doubleton and S free bids hearts twice his most likely shape 1642 (with 2641 he might've supported spades). I personally perfer a 3d bid over 3h there. Partner could show sencondary support having denied 3 card heart support at the first opertunity.
I knew the only way to set is with a dimaond ruff but I was thinking along the lines of continuing diamonds, first forcing out the Q of trump, then giving a 2nd diamond ruff once I win with the A of trumps. But that requires partner to have two hearts higher than the 5, which is likely but not certain.
On the actual lie of the cards I think it works but a low heart is clearly better. Counterintuitive but if you work it out it's brilliant.
That type of play is actually fairly common in situations where dummy has two trumps and declarer must surrender a loser before ruffing, but either dummy or declarer has a running side suit. Ace and a trump allow declarer to run the side suit, but the low trump first leaves the defender in control.
Low H win with K in hand, ruff a d in dummy with the Q, play three rounds of clubs and pitch 4th dia before surrendering a trick to opps?
What am I missing?
In Q1 South's rebid of Hearts denies having 2 Spades, else he would have bid 3S to show a 6-2 fit. Thus, you cannot count your Kx in Spades as a defensive trick when pondering Q1.b ("How many tricks do you count for the defense?").
Important information can often be deduced from what was NOT said during the auction!
North has to bid on 2H (forcing). In many systems, 2S doesn't always show 6 cards.
Even beyond that point, the 3H rebid virtually guarantees six hearts. Since declarer has three (or four) diamonds along with AC, they can't have a loser in the black suits.
My opinion is the 2nd question, East should not bid 4 H only have 6 hearts. If East had 8 hearts west only have one, the heart distribution are 3-8-1-1. This hand still can make will be much challenge.
Thank you . I have soooo much to learn.
Hopefully I will continue receiving your emails.