How to Play 4 of a Major

When declaring 4 of a major, there are many things for declarer to consider. Here is a general outline with some tips:

Count Your Losers

• - But, if you think that counting winners will be more helpful, don't hesitate to do so.
• - Make a plan to reduce your # losers (or increase your # winners).

Opponents' Auction

• - If an opponent took action, what do you know about his hand?
• - If the opponents passed throughout, are their any negative inferences you can draw?

The Opening Lead

• - Memorize it and consider its significance.

Your Trump Suit

• - How many trump do the opponents have?
• - How are they likely to divide?
• - Should you lead trump ASAP?
• - Unless you are 100% sure that you should - don't!

Entries

• - Will this be an issue?
• - If one hand is a lot stronger than the other, the answer is often YES.

Key suit

• - Identify it.
• - Then consider how to handle it.

What to play at trick 1

• - Even if it seems obvious - think!
• - If you have a choice of where to win the trick, it's usually correct to think, "Where will I need to be LATER?"
• - Marty sez: If you will/might win trick 1, do NOT play until you have decided how you plan to continue.

In this lesson, Marty will show you how to:

• - Improve your ability to decide whether or not to draw trump first.
• - Improve your knowledge of suit combinations.
• - Overcome bad splits.
• - Know when declarer should be eager to ruff often in the hand with trump length.
• - Take advantage of clues from the opponents' bids.
• - Manipulate your spot cards to create the entries that you need.
• - Use a discovery play in suit A to know the right way to play uncertain suit B.
• - Recognize when an avoidance play is needed to keep an opponent off lead.

Here is an example of what Marty will teach:

You are in 4♥ - What is your line of play?

Answer

Here is the step-by-step thought process needed for this hand:

You have 4 losers, 1 in each suit. You can't avoid losing three aces, so you must focus on avoiding your diamond loser. That is your key make-or-break suit.

Your 8 trumps are solid other than the Ace. Their five trumps rate to divide 3-2.

On this deal, before playing from dummy, you MUST first answer these two essential questions:

• Question 1 - Where should you win the opening lead?
• Question 2 - What suit will you lead at trick 2?
• Hint: On this deal, Question 1 should be addressed only AFTER you answer Question 2.

Answer to Question 2

Since you must get to work to get rid of your diamond loser, leading trump now is out of the question. Which black suit should you develop?

Dummy's club suit is long and strong. However, if you begin by knocking out the ♣A, E-W will persist with diamonds. You will try to discard a diamond on dummy's 3rd club honor. For this to succeed, without anyone ruffing, you need clubs to be 3-3 and that is against the odds.

In fact, the correct suit to lead at trick 2 is spades. Your side has the same 3 spade honors that dummy has in clubs. However, E-W have 8 spades, so neither defender rates to be short in this suit.

Answer to Question 1

You now know that the right suit to lead at trick 2 is spades. Your hand has the 3rd spade, so you must preserve the only fast entry to YOUR hand, which is the ♦A.

Therefore, at trick 1, you must win the ♦K. At trick 2, you'll apply: "Use up the honor from the short side first", and lead the ♠K.

Later, you'll discard a diamond from dummy on the third round of spades, and ruff your last diamond with dummy's ♥10. Then, and only then, you will lead trump.

Unless you get a horrendous spade split, your only losers will be 3 aces.

Here is the entire deal: