711
Ducking
If its neccessary to lose at least one trick in a suit that includes both the ace and
king that rick should be lost early. This is ducking a trick.
Duck or Hold-Up
To develop more winners in one of your suits sometimes you need to purposely lose a trick. This is called ducking.This process means you deliberately play low to a trick which you have led, intentionally losing in order to set up the rest of the suit.
When applied to a suit that you have led it is referred to as a duck, but it is called a hold-up when you purposely play a low card in a suit played by the opponents when you could win the trick.
The Issue
Dummy has a five-card suit headed by the Ace and the King with three small cards in declarers hand. A ducking play helps to create two extra tricks.The opponents have five spades between their two hands, including the QS and JS. Sooner or later a spade trick needs to be lost for the smaller spade tricks to be winners. Do this before losing control of the suit.
North
West
East
South
The Plan
Count your winning tricksSpades - 1
Hearts - 2
Diamonds - 2
Clubs - 1
This leaves you three tricks light, how can you develop more winners? Your best chance is to develop extra winners in the heart suit in Declarers hand but entries to the hand are a problem.
The Solution
Intentionally lose a heart trick immediately so that you can enter Declarers hand later and run the rest of the heart suit. The only way you can make this contract is if you deliberately lose the heart trick early on by ducking the first heart trickInstant Progress Quiz - Check all correct answers
Extra for Experts
A different game on the same subject as this lesson, with questions for community discussion in the comments area below.
PLAY