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Endplays -
Facts
- The purpose of an endplay is to force the Defence to
make a lead which will benefit the Declarer.
- The first stage in the process is to 'strip' the
hand, to eliminate the suits which the Defence can safely play
without helping Declarer.
- The second stage is the 'throw-in', giving the lead
to the Defence at the right moment.
- If the endplay has succeeded, the Defender who has been
thrown in, will have no safe exit card. He will be
obliged to play into a tenace or, in a trump contract,
to present the Declarer with a ruff and discard.
- Sometimes, an endplay will succeed whichever opponent is
thrown in. More often, it is necessary to throw in the
Defender who sits over Declarer's or Dummy's
tenace(s).
(The above from Card Play
Technique by Victor Mollo & Nico Gardener.
Revised Edition 2013)
- Strategy
- 1.
Select your target suit, the suit
containing the tenace you want the Defender to lead into. This
could be :
- ♠ x x x opposite 10 J A
♠
- ♠ x x x opposite 10 Q A
♠
- ♥ A J x
opposite x 10 K
♥
- ♣ K 10 x opposite x 9 Q ♣
(when you can afford to lose 1 trick)
- ♦ Q x x
opposite x x J ♦
(when you can afford to lose 2
tricks)
2.
Find your throw-in lead.
Good throw-in leads are :
- Having a single loser in one suit, such as
- A K x
opposite x x
x (play A and K first)
- A x
opposite x
x (play A
first)
- Having a 3rd round loser in the trump suit
- A K x x (x)
opposite x x
x x (play A and K first. Dummy needs 4+ trumps)
- A x x x (x)
opposite x x
x x (play x first, A
second. Dummy needs 4+ trumps)
- The first lead in a double finesse
- x x (x)
opposite
10 Q A
- x x (x)
opposite
10 J A
- x 9 10
opposite
x J A
- Leading a loser in one suit, discarding a loser in another
suit
(loser on loser)
- ♠ x opposite
x Q A ♥
- Other opportunities may arise during play.
For example
when Opponents win the first trick with the Ace, then
- K
x opposite x x (play K first)
3.
Start stripping the other (non-trump) suits.
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