Too few Spades players use a review of the bidding to their full advantage. They merely check the bids to see about taking bags or to figure out if someone is going set.

The bids are far more useful than that. Constant review of the bidding during play will guide your decisions and improve your guesses. In this article I will show you how a late check of the bidding puts you on the right track at the finish.

In the 2-card ending below (only the spade suit is shown), North-South have made their bid and need to win the last two tricks to set East-West. How should South play when Partner leads the 6?

North leads the 6; N-S need to win 2. North 6 West -- East Q 7 South K 9

I have seen this too often. Most players automatically go up-King, hoping West will oblige with the Q or that Partner will show up with the Lady at the end. Looking at all four hands, we see that the 9 is the winning play. Is it just a guess? Or is there something better?

At this stage we have seen all of the side-suit count cards. We can even work out most of East's hand, although this is not really necessary. We saw him play an Ace and a King. East will have started with something like either A or B below.

A. 7 x K Q x x x x x A x x x

B. Q 7 x K Q x x x x x A x x

Check the bidding. Did East bid 2 or 3? If he bid only 2, he has a hand of type A; go up with the K. But if he had bid 3, he has a hand like B. Finesse the 9 with confidence.

Let's try another of these. As South in the 2-card ending below, you have the lead and want to win both tricks. At the table, most players would simply play off the K and hope for the best.

South to play; N-S need to win 2. North J West 10 8 East -- South K 9

This time you have seen Partner play an Ace and a King. His original hand will have been either A or B below.

A. J x x K Q x x x x x A x x

B. 10 8 x x K Q x x x x A x x

Once again, a review of the bidding tells us how to play the hand. Did Partner bid 2 or 3? In this case he bid only 2, as he would do in Example A. Lead the 9 to win the rest.

Of course, if North had bid 3 you would lay down the K to pick up West's
"stiff Johnson."

Finally, let's look at a full deal example. On the following deal, both North and South must be familiar with the principle of matching a player's count cards to his bid.

North K 9 8 7 2 10 6 2 8 6 5 K 5 West J Q J 7 5 J 10 9 4 3 A 6 4 East Q 6 4 A 9 8 3 A K Q 9 8 2 South A 10 5 3 K 4 7 2 Q J 10 7 3 The bidding: East South West North 4 3 1 4 East led the K

East played his three diamond tops, South trumping the third diamond with the 3. He then switched to the Q.

West took the A and tried the Q, which his partner overtook with the A. A second round of hearts went to South's K. Persevering with clubs, South led the J and watched North win the K. Now North paused to think.

His partner had bid 3 but his only side-suit count card was the K. His two other tricks must be in spades. Whether South's spades were AQx, AJxx, or A10xx, the correct lead from North must be the King. Accordingly, North trotted out the K.

When West's J fell, North continued spades by playing the 2. Now South considered the situation. Partner's 4-bid was based on the K plus good spades -- either KQxx or Kxxxx. And East? He had bid 4 but shown only three side-suit count cards. Most likely his fourth card was the Q.

South went in with the 10 and then played his Ace to drop East's queen. North took the remainder. Note that if North's first spade lead had not been the K, East-West would win a spade trick. A fine bit of teamwork by North-South to earn the set!

Review the Bidding

Spades are generally not played until near the end of a hand. By the time you are ready to tackle the spade suit you have seen most or all of the side-suit count cards. Use the Count Card Principle in conjunction with the bidding to place the spade honors.

Regards,
Popsicle