combinations

[LoneMonad]

when you have equal honors in both hands, you lead to the short side 1st

¿what are the advantages of this fundamental?

[Stephen Tu]

(These are of course general principles, and specific features of the hand as a whole may cause one to play a combination in an unusual fashion)

 

(1) Unblocking. KQx vs. JTxxx. If you play KQ first, if the ace is singleton/doubleton or the opp plays it early, you don't have to use up another entry to run the rest of the suit. If you play the J first, and the ace is won, you have to unblock and find another entry.

 

Suit contract. Qxx vs. Kx in a side suit. If you play the Q first, ace wins, you have to arrange to unblock K, then get back to the long hand then ruff. If you play K first, the suit itself provides transportation. Also, if you can arrange to lead toward K, you can get an extra trick if the player in front K errs and plays the ace.

 

(2) retain power of honors by not having them captured.

KQx vs. Jxxx

If you play low to the KQ twice, and can get back to the 4 cd hand to cash the third trick, you get an extra trick if the hand in front of the KQ has ace doubleton. If you play to the Jack, ace doubleton on either side still captures an honor, and their partner's T covers the 4th round.

 

[Edit] I guess the second example isn't really a valid one of leading toward the short side. If you have Kxx opposite QJxx you should lead low toward the QJ twice with sufficient entries. This is more principle of leading toward honor cards. I guess unblocking is really the only fundamental of leading toward short side.

[/Edit]

[eyhung]

There's an advantage to leading towards short honors that you didn't mention -- you may be able to gain a trick. For example, if you hold Qx opposite Kxxx(x)(x), leading low to queen then ducking a round picks up an extra trick when the ace is doubleton or singleton onside. Leading to the king only gains with ace singleton, because otherwise the defense can duck and guarantee killing your queen with the ace on the second round. You want to avoid putting yourself in a position where you are forced to play your honor.

 

Same principle applies when they lead a suit and you have a doubleton honor in second hand with an equivalent honor in a longer fourth hand, it's usually (but not always) right to play "second hand high", because you want to avoid the doubleton being forced on the second round. Examples include Jx opposite AQx, Qx opposite Kxx, etc.

[MattieShoe]

I don't think it's really a fundamental. Usually there's a good reason to play it a certain way, and often it's better to play the high cards from the shorter side first, but... sometimes not. If you plan the hand out and pay attention to transportation and finesses you might want to make, there's generally a "right" way to play it and the "rule" goes out the window.

 

Sometimes you save the high cards in the shorter hand because you need them for transportation. Sometimes you play them first because you're worried about transportation the other way. As long as you're thinking ahead, I find this rule is basically useless.

 

As for leading towards short honors, I think the advantage there isn't so much the lengths involved, it's playing honors as late in the trick as possible. It's generally better to play your high cards as late in the trick as possible, hence 2nd hand low 3rd hand high, etc. Even with that though, it pays huge dividends to think ahead and visualize the other players hands. :-)