An endplay occurs when the leader must give away a trick, no matter what card he plays. It is easiest to explain this concept just by showing a simple example.

South is on lead; N-S need to win 2 tricks. North -- 8 7 6 West J Q 5 East -- 10 9 4 South 8 K J

If South cashes the K, as most players would, that would be the only trick for his side. Instead, South plays his spade. West must win and is now endplayed. His forced heart return gives South two winners.

Sometimes an opponent can be forced to take the lead to his disadvantage; other times he already has the lead and we simply keep him on play. Endplays are particularly easy to execute if one opponent has bid nil.

South is on lead; N-S need to win 2. North - nil J 3 2 West A 9 5 East 7 6 4 South K Q 8

South is on lead; N-S need to win 2. North - nil J 3 2 West A 5 4 East 9 7 6 South K Q 8

Switching a pair of cards does not change matters. West can no longer win two spade tricks himself but must stay off that first trick anyway. Once again South is endplayed at Trick 12 and must lose the last two tricks.

Endplays cannot always be planned with certainty. Sometimes a player simply surrenders the lead to see what happens.

South is on lead; N-S need to win 2. North 3 2 West K East Q 10 9 South A J 7

In this 3-card ending, South does not try to bash down the A and another spade hoping for a 2-2-2 split. Instead, he calmly exits with the 7. West must win, and his plain-suit return gives South the last two tricks.

It takes no courage at all to hold up or underlead the Ace of trumps, but sometimes a defender must judge when it is right to stay off a side-suit Ace on the first round of the suit.

South is on lead; N-S need to win 3 tricks. North 4 10 9 6 West -- A J 5 2 East -- 8 4 3 South 8 K Q 7

Needing 3 of the last 4 tricks, South lays down the K. If West wins this one, that will be his side's last trick. But if West assumes that South must also have the Q it is apparent he must duck. There is usually a bit of guesswork in handling endplays. [A full-deal example of this theme is found in Master Deal #30.]

Finally, suppose this is the heart layout at the start of play:

North makes the opening lead. North 7 3 2 West K 5 4 East J 10 7 6 South A Q 8

South's best chance of winning a trick with the Q is to keep West on lead until he leads hearts. It may not always be possible, but South must give it a try. Playing third, he might duck East's small clubs and diamonds into West's hand, for example, or he can refuse to trump and break spades. Eventually West may have no choice but to lead a heart. [A full-deal example of this theme is found in Master Deal #27.]

Endplays are very common in Spades. In fact, it is easy to construct a deal in which a player is endplayed several times.

Always look for an endplay. Most Spades players do not attempt to gain extra winners through the endplay; there always seems to be an urgency to take winners immediately. But a little extra thought and some planning are all it takes to gain those precious, setting tricks.

Regards,
Popsicle