To force is to make a player trump. This will, of course, reduce his
trump strength and weaken his hand. It is as a rule good play to
force the adversary’s strong trump hand. It will often prevent his
exhausting the trumps, and hinder his bringing in an established suit.
The beginner hesitates to force the strong trump hand. He feels that
he is wasting a high card and allowing the adversary to make a small
trump, not realising that no card of this suit can make, unless the
trumps are exhausted.
If no force be given to the strong hand, it is, ordinarily, an easy
matter for the dealer to exhaust trumps and make a suit; unless there
is unusual length in trumps, judicious forcing will do more than
anything else to break down a strong trump hand.
Do not lead a suit with the intention of forcing the strong hand
unless you hold the commanding card or can mark this card with your
partner; you may give the dealer an opportunity to win the trick and
to discard a worthless card.
You should hesitate to force when by doing so you establish the
remaining cards of the suit for your opponent.
You should not attempt to force the strong hand when there is an
established suit against you, particularly when it can be inferred
that the dealer has all the high cards in the trump suit. At this
time, make what you can in the remaining suit before you give up the
lead.
It is wrong to force the weak hand. You lose one of your high cards,
and the maker’s trumps are still intact. Do not continue a suit when
it is shown that the weak hand can “ruff.”
In playing against the make, if you infer that your partner is weak
in trumps and also short in a side suit, it is usually advisable to
allow him to make small trumps by forcing him. This should always
be done when a short suit has been led by your partner. His lead
practically asks for the “ruff.”
If, however, your partner has doubled, be more careful about forcing
him. By reducing his trump strength you may severely injure his hand.
It is bad play to lead a suit that both the dealer and the dummy can
trump. It allows the dealer to trump in one hand and to discard a
worthless card in the other.