Clear your long suit before you take out your card of re-entry is a
simple rule that is often violated. When you have made the “no-trump”
declaration, any possible re-entry in the dummy hand should be
used to bring in a suit or to lead a suit advantageously from the
weak hand. In fact, much of the success of a “no-trump” hand depends
on the dealers’ skill in saving and making re-entries in the weaker
hand.
A re-entry may be an ace or a three. It may be the master card of
your long suit or a guarded honour in the adversaries’ suit.
When you can win the original lead in either hand, consider well the
question of re-entries before you touch one of dummy’s cards.
Save all possible re-entry cards, remembering that often in order to
gain any material advantage from a finesse you must be in a position
to lead twice from the weak hand.
For instance, holding any one of the following combinations:
Q♠ J♠ K♠ J♠ K♠ Q♠
x-------x x-------x x-------x
| Y | | Y | | Y |
| A B | | A B | | A B |
| Z | | Z | | Z |
x-------x x-------x x-------x
A♠ K♠ 5♠ A♠ Q♠ A♠ 4♠
In order to make an entry card in the suit led originally, it may
occasionally be necessary to overtake a card played by the dummy.
When your long suit is blocked, try to establish an entry card before
you make the situation clear to the opponents. Otherwise they will
not allow you to enter and make your suit.
If you hold four cards of a suit in each hand, it may be possible to
obtain the lead twice in one hand. For instance, holding
K♠ 7♠ 5♠ 3♠
x-------x
| Y |
| A B |
| Z |
x-------x
A♠ Q♠ 8♠ 2♠
If you lead the deuce and play the king, you have deprived dummy of
the only entry card in the suit. If, however, you lead the eight,
dummy’s seven will probably be the master card on the fourth round.
Such a re-entry is often of great assistance in opening the next suit.
When you hold a nine-card suit divided five and four, it may be
necessary to use both the third and fourth rounds of the suits as
re-entries to lead another suit advantageously. This is a chance for
good play that is often overlooked in the pleasure of making a long
suit.
Q♠ 7♠ 5♠
x-------x
| Y |
| A B |
| Z |
x-------x
[K♠] 8♠ 4♠
When dummy’s re-entry is a guarded king or queen, and you have no
means of knowing the position of the ace, try to establish this
re-entry by sacrificing a high card from your own hand.
J♠ 6♠ 3♠ J♠ 5♠ 3♠
x-------x x-------x
| Y | | Y |
| A B | | A B |
| Z | | Z |
x-------x x-------x
A♠ Q♠ 2♠ K♠ Q♠ 2♠
In both of the examples given above, the dealer to make a re-entry
card for the dummy should sacrifice a high card from his hand.