Hints for declarer

Try to figure out where you are most likely to make your tricks when you first see the dummy. You want to be playing the suits in which you and your partner together hold the most cards. Even if you have aces in the other suits, concentrate on playing your (jointly) long suits - you will win more tricks in the end this way.

Think about how to make sure that you can play all of the winning cards in your hand and the dummy - try to make sure that you don’t get the lead stuck in one hand when there are winners in the other hand. It’s worth taking a minute at the start of the hand to look at how and when you plan to get from one hand to the other. Experience will help you to get the hang of this but it’s a good habit to think about it right from the start. The supplementary video about unscrambling suits will help you.

If you would like to practice your declarer play - and there’s no better way to improve quickly - there is an online site you can use. This video will show you how.

Hints for defenders

Think of your side as being in a race against the declarer to set up tricks in your long suits. The best way to get a head start in that race is to lead your longest suit at the start of the hand.

Try to remember which high cards have been played in the suits that are important to you. It’s very difficult at first to remember all of the cards that have been played so just concentrate on the played cards in your longer suits and those where you hold high cards. For example, take note when the ace is played in a suit where you hold the king.

Don’t waste your high cards on winning tricks that contain only small cards - high cards should be used to capture other high cards. The supplementary videos about Aces, Kings and Queens, part one and part two will help you.