It is rare to make a notrump contract from just high-card winners. Usually you will need to set up one or more length tricks.
Often the crucial decision for the declarer is choosing the best long suit to play on to develop tricks from length. You look for the suit that has the best chance of producing a fourth-round trick.
Usually you look to play a suit with an eight-card or longer fit to make length tricks ahead of a suit with just a seven-card fit. This is often the case even if the suit with seven cards is stronger.
With an eight-card fit, the suit will divide evenly more than two thirds of the time, while a seven-card fit will divide evenly only one third of the time.
Example: With ♦A8762 ♣KQ43 in your hand and ♦543 ♣A76 in the dummy, you should look to play on diamonds to make length tricks rather than clubs.
Only play on clubs if your contract is in danger if you lose two diamond tricks to your opponents.
What if your only long suits have seven cards?
When you have two suits that are equal in length, you should choose the suit that has the potential to make more length tricks.
Any suit with five cards in one hand can produce more length tricks than a suit with four cards in one hand because it can be led five times rather than four times.
Example: With ♦A8762 ♣KQ43 in your hand and ♦K3 ♣A76 in the dummy, you should look to play on diamonds to make length tricks rather than clubs.
To make length tricks, both diamonds and clubs require the opponents cards to divide three-three. If diamonds break evenly, you will have two length tricks but if clubs break evenly you will have only one length trick.
More length tricks means you will get more top scores in your notrump contracts!
Even if the diamonds divide four-two, you might have a friendly opponent who plays out their third and four round winners to set up your fifth-round club trick. You still make one length trick.
With both suits equal in length, and no suit with five cards in one hand, you should choose the suit which has the 10 or the high spot cards such as the 9 or 8. These cards are known as the intermediates.
With the 10 or the intermediates, your chances of establishing length tricks in a long suit of seven cards is much improved.
Example: With ♦J987 ♣KQ43 in your hand and ♦KQ3 ♣A76 in the dummy, you should look to play on diamonds to make length tricks rather than clubs.
After an opponent takes one of your diamond honours with ♦A, you regain the lead to play your other two diamond honours. Watch to see if ♦10 falls.
If ♦10 falls, even if the suit divides four-two, you will still make a length trick with ♦9. If you played on clubs and the suit divided four-two (the most likely break), you would have set up a fourth-round winner for an opponent.
© 2022 John Roberts